In Luang Prabang, the tourist capital of Laos, the influx of visitors disrupts the tranquility of the city. Buddhist monks, at first light each morning, beg for alms in increasingly crowded streets.
Cruise ships on the Mekong, once peaceful, have become “karaoke cruises,” locals complain. Tourism, propelled by the recent development of high-speed trains, is one of the rare sources of foreign currency for an economy moribund since the pandemic.