The images in this set are Laos Black & White photographs taken roughly over the last decade. They are a small selection of images that I picked to convert into a set of monochromatic images but some also exist in colour.

Please also check the homepage: www.thaicam.net  and visit the photographers site: www.adriberger.com

bigtreegallery print97
bigtreegallery print69A
bigtreegallery print65
bigtreegallery print64
bigtreegallery print53
bigtreegallery print51A
bigtreegallery print41
bigtreegallery print36
bigtreegallery print28-extra_red
bigtreegallery print21_HanhemuhlFA
bigtreegallery print11
_MG_8962
_DSC4127
_B_09996
_B_09977
_B_09975
_B_09943
_B_09937
_B_09907
_B_09906
_B_09718
_B_09678
_B_09655
_B_09125
_B_09117
_B_01872
_B_00205-2
_B_00183_series_final
_B_00050A 2
_B_00010
_90A9509
_90A9461
_90A9460
_90A9459
_90A9444
_90A9350
_90A9339
_90A9300A_print
_90A9235
_90A9234
_90A9096
_90A9050
_90A9040
_90A9026
_90A9017
_90A9004
_90A9000
_90A8995
_90A1599
_90A1521
_90A1513
_90A1434
_90A1420
New slide
New slide
_90A1057
previous arrow
next arrow
 

The human history of Laos stretches back more than 10,000 years as stone tools and skulls unearthed in Huaphan and Luang Prabang provinces can confirm. The famous giant jars in Xieng Khouang province and stone columns in Huaphan province date from the neolithic period. Over centuries, rural settlements grew slowly to ‘muang’ (townships) along the Mekong River. The charismatic King Fa Ngoum (1349-1357) began grouping the muang into a unified Lan Xang Kingdom, basing the capital at Xiengdong Xiengthong, now known as Luang Prabang. Fa Ngoum was also a warrior, and between 1353 and 1371 he invaded and conquered territories that include all of present-day Laos and much of what makes up northern and eastern Thailand. Under his fierce and dynamic rule, construction, development and national defence were organised. The capital was moved to Vientiane in 1560 during the reign of King Setthathirath, who erected the That Luang Stupa, a venerated religious shrine which is a well known symbol of the Laos nation.

The warring Burmese occupied the capital for seven years from 1575, reflecting their dominance over Southeast Asia at that time. In 1591 the two Laotian kingdoms in Luang Prabang and Vieng Chan were reunited under King Nokeo Koumane. In the 17th century, under the region of King Souliyavongsa, the Kingdom entered its ‘golden age’ and gained increasing attention from Europe. Reports written by Dutch merchants from the East Indian Company describe a land of magnificent palaces, temples, and awe-inspiring religious ceremonies. Vientiene was then considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia.

At the end of the reign of King Souliyavongsa, feudal lords challenged the throne, which in 1713, led to the division of the country into three Kingdoms: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champassack. This rift and disunity created excellent opportunities for invasion, in particular, from Siam. By the end of the 18th century, most of Laos was under Siamese (Thai) domination, leading to a costly war with Siam in the 1820s that ended in all three Kingdoms being ceded to the Thais. However, with the expansion of French Indochina in yhe late 19th century, the Thais eventually relinquished Laos to the French and in 1893, Laos became a French colony. The French organised this territory as a protectorate, with its administrative centre at Vientiane, and granted it autonomy in local matters. The catalyst for change was the WW2 Japanese occupation of Indochina, when a Lao resistance group named Lai Issara was formed to prevent the return of the French. Independence was granted in 1953, but internal feuding between neutralist and communist factions was to continue for several years. When the USA bombed North Vietnamese troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos in 1964, it fomented the conflict between the royalist Vientiane government and the communist Pathet Lao who supported the North Vietnamese.

A coalition government was formed, but with the fall of Saigon in 1975, most of the royalists fled to France. The Pathet Lao took control of the country and the Laos People’s Democratic Republic was established in December 1975. Throughout the 1980s Laos maintained friendly relations with the Vietnamese Communists. Since 1989, there has been a move towards a market economy, and a general relaxation of restrictions, including the emergence of a fledgling tourism industry. In a landmark event, Laos joined hands with its neighbors and became a member of Asean in July 1997.

Read more at: http://www.visit-laos.com/history.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *