Luang Prabang’s World Heritage status at risk over Mekong dam
$3.5bn project near a fault line will disrupt river, displace communities
The dam for the Luang Prabang Hydroelectric Power Plant, 20 km upriver from the city that is Laos’ premier tourist attraction, rises from the Mekong River. (All photos by Tom Vater)
TOM VATER
May 13, 2026 09:32 JST
Updated on May 15, 2026 18:05 JST
LUANG PRABANG, Laos — Travelers heading to the Pak Ou caves, a major tourist attraction on the western banks of the Mekong River, 25 kilometers upriver from Luang Prabang in northern Laos, will see the construction of an enormous 1,460-megawatt hydropower dam. Earth movers and silos dot the denuded hillsides around the dam wall rising from the river. Trucks frequently cross a newly built bridge across the Mekong to deliver construction materials.
