Louangphrabang, also known as Luang Prabang, city in northern Laos, capital of Louangphrabang Province. A port on the Mekong River, Louangphrabang is a trade center for rice, rubber, and teak and has handicrafts industries. Several noted Buddhist pagodas and a technical college are in the city. Louangphrabang was for centuries the capital of a large Thai-Lao state. It was under French rule from 1893 to 1954 and served as the royal capital (Vientiane being the administrative capital) of Laos from 1950 to 1975, when the country became a republic. Population (1995 estimate) 68,000.
