I have so far posted four of my favourite photos of my documentary project on ethnic diversity in Luang Namtha province, Laos.
I spent the past 5 years—a lot of time—in this province, and visited many of the different ethnic villages.
Until recently, Luang Namtha was very isolated from the outside world, and as result, many traditional lifestyles were unchanged for many years. Recently, the province got electricity reticulation, which has brought TV and satellite discs, which in turn will add up to a lot of social change amongst the younger generations. Other factors affecting change are the new road from China to Thailand, which will cause a huge increase of both truck traffic as well as foreign visitors, and the building of a new airport, which will also increase tourist numbers. Those three factors will inevitably contribute to change in the traditional lifestyles of the many minority groups in this province.
It is the intention of my project to document minority village lifestyle before and during that change process. All people I photograph are given back one or more laminated photographs of themselves, and in time the photos will become an archive that people of future generations can access.
You can see many more photographs and information on my website: http://kees.zenfolio.com/.
Quick Tips:
As a visitor to Luang Namtha, the best way to get to see the villages is by going to either the government-run Provincial Tourism office, or the office of Green Discovery Laos. Both can organise visits of 1 or more days to a wide range of villages, either by trekking, bicycle, boat, raft, kajak or tuktuk (Small local motorised vehicle). Around the valley, you can also walk or cycle to villages on your own, but to enter the NamHa protected area you need a trekking permit and to be accompanied by a registered guide from either of these two services.
There is a lot to be seen and done in the province, and travellers would be wise to plan at least 3 or 4 nights here. I've spent many months, and rarely have been bored.
By far the best accommodation and food can be found in The Boatlanding Guesthouse (www.theboatlanding.com), but a lot of cheaper backpacking places are also available.Best Way To Get Around:
To get to Luang Namtha:
The new airport is not open yet (written in July 2007), so if you want to come by air, you have to fly from Vientiane to Udomxay and take a minibus from there (about 3 hours).
By road, you can come from the Thai border via Houay Xai and Vieng Poukha (at the time of writing, the road isn't finished yet, and you may face some delays, especially in wet season). When the road is finished, this should take maybe 4 hours or less. By road from Luang Prabang is about 7 hours, and from the Chinese border at Boten about an hour.
By far the nicest way to travel to Luang Namtha is by boat, from Houay Xai in an open longboat down the Mekong, then up the river Namtha. The trip takes 2 days, and for the night in between you will be lodged in the house of your boatmen in the small river village of Ban KhongKham. The people of this village are used to having foreign travellers sleep at their houses, and are equipped with mattresses and mosquito nets.