Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)
ຫໍຄຳ
A palace built for the Lao royal family by the French in 1904, during the colonial period. It is now a national museum and houses the golden Phra Bang Buddha image, which gave Luang Prabang its name.
The Royal Palace, known as Haw Kham, was built by the French in 1904 for King Sisavang Vong. It combines a French layout with Lao decoration. After the royal family was deposed in 1975, the palace became a national museum.
The main building preserves the King's audience hall, the Throne Hall (with glass mosaic murals on its walls), the royal bedroom and exhibition rooms of gifts from other countries. These include gifts from China and the United States, and even a moon rock brought back by Apollo.
On the east side of the courtyard is the small golden temple Haw Pha Bang, which houses the Phra Bang, the image that gave the city its name. This standing Buddha is 83 centimetres tall, made of gold alloy, and is said to have come from Sri Lanka. The courtyard also contains a royal theatre, where the Ramayana court dance is performed on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings (tickets 100,000 to 150,000 kip), and the King's car garage with his classic cars.
Admission is 60,000 kip (about 20 yuan). Opening hours are 08:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:00. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Photography is not allowed inside the museum. Backpacks are not allowed, and shorts are not permitted. Free luggage storage and aprons for rent are available at the entrance. Start with the main building, then visit Haw Pha Bang and the car garage. The visit takes about one hour.
The museum sits in the middle of the main street, directly across from the Mount Phousi entrance. In the evening, the street in front of it becomes the night market.
Opening hours
8:00–11:30 AM, 1:30–4:00 PM; closed Tuesdays
Nearby sights
- Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre
- Luang Prabang Night Market
- Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham
- Wat Pa Huak
- Mount Phousi
- Wat Wisunarat (Wat Visoun)
- Luang Prabang Morning Market
- Wat Aham