Pakbeng has not much to see except for the mighty Mekong and rural Laos life with a couple of local wats

Introduction

Pakbeng is a small village in Bakeo Province, on the Mekong River about half-way between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang. The village is connected by a sealed road with Oudomxai along the Nam Beng River.

During the Laotian Civil War, Pakbeng was the southern terminus of the freshly construction Route 46 from Yunnan Province in China.

Tourism

The town is the major stop for boats running between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. The slow boats which run between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang over a period of two days spend the night moored in Pakbeng. There are several small guesthouses that generally have attached restaurants, a sauna, and many local hilltribes living close by. Groceries can be purchased for when you want to continue down the Mekong. Some foreign tourists passing through the village partake in the (illegal) trade in both marijuana and opium that has been a part of the culture for thousands of years.

There is a small wat to be found in the hills not far from the village. It is a quaint example of a Buddhist temple from the former Lanna Kingdom. Many of the old temples had been destroyed during wars with the Thai Kingdom 300 years before