Louang Namtha Province

Louang Namtha (Lao ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is both a province of Laos and the name of the provincial capital, located in the north of the country. From 1966 to 1976 it formed, together with Bokeo, the province of Houakhong.

Administrative divisions

The province is made up of the following districts:

# Long (3-03)
# Nale (3-05)
# Namtha (3-01)
# Sing (3-02)
# Viangphoukha (3-04)

Geography

The province is bordered by the other Lao provinces Bokeo in the south-west, Oudomxay in the south-east, by Myanmar in the northwest and China's Yunnan province in the north-east with the border crossing at Boten. The Mekong river (Nam Khong) constitutes the NW border of the province. Three large rivers drain westwards/southwards into the Mekong: Nam Tha, Nam Fa and Nam Long.

One of the best preserved and most spectacular pristine monsoon forest of all Laos can be found in Louang Namtha. It is partly preserved in the Nam Ha NBCA (National Biodiversity Conservation Area), that is also developed as an eco-tourism destination with the help of neighbouring and western countries as well as international organizations (New Zealand, European Union, UNESCO and Lao National Tourism Administration).

Transportation

The main roads in Louang Namtha province connect Houayxay in Bokeo with Louang Namtha town and Oudomxay with Boten. Boten is an important border crossing with China (Mohan), and provides an export route from China, via Xien Kok, loading from trucks into boats on the Mekong.

External links

* [http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/laoecotourism.htm Ecotourism in Laos]
* [http://www.ecotourismlaos.com/images/map/namtha/namtha_bg.jpgMap of Louang Nam Tha Province]
* [http://www.wcs.org/international/Asia/laos/laossitebasedconservation/namha Wildlife Conservation Society - Nam Ha National Protected Area Project]
* [http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/culture/namha/Lyttleton_Allcock.pdf Tourism as a Tool for Development (PDF-file)]