LuangPrabang is the ancient capital city of the Lane Xang kingdom from 1354 A.D. The capital was then transferred to Vientiane city in 1560 A.D. According to the Xua around the eighth century, later known as Xieng Dong and Xieng thong. During the reign of King Fa Ngum between 1354 and 1372 A.D. Xieng dong and Xieng thong citties were renamed Luang Prabang in the name of the golden Buddha, the Prabang.
Muang Sua was the old name of Luang Prabang following its conquest in 698 A.D. by a Tai prince, Khun Lo, whoseized his opportunity wen Nan-Chao was engaged elsewhere. Khn Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, who is associated with the Lao legend of the creation of the world, which the Lao share with Shan and other people of the region. Khun Lo established a dynasty whose fifteen rulers reigned over an independent Muang Sua for the better part of a century.
In the second half of the 8th century, Nan-Chao intervened frequently in the affairs of the principalities of the middle Mekong Valley, resulting in the occupation are not known, but it ended well before the northward expansion of the Khmer empire under Indravarman I(r.877 - 89) and extended as far as the teritories of Sipsong Panna (Xi Shuan Banna China) on the upper Mekong.
In the meantime, the khmers founded an outpost at Xay Fong near Vientian, and Champa expanded again in southern Laos, maintaining its presence on the banks of the Mekong until 1070. Chanthaphanit, the local and his son had long had long reigns, during which the town became know by the Tai name Xieng Dong Xien thong. The dynasty eventually become involved in the squabbles of a number of principalities. Khun Chuang, a warlike rule
r who may have been a khmu tribesman, extended his territory as a result of the warring of these principalities and probably ruled from 1128 to 1169. Under Khun Chuang, a single family ruled over a far -flung territory and re-instituted the Siammese administrative system of the 7th century. At some point, Theravada Buddhism was subsumed by Mahayana Buddhism.Xien Dong Xieng Thong experienced a brief period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. By 1180 the Sipsong Panna had regained their independence from the khmers, however, and in 1238 an internal uprising in the khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the khmer overlords.
Xien Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of Lane Xang. The capital was moved in 1560 by King Sethathirath I to Vieng Chanh(Vientiane), which remains the capital today.
In 1707, Lane Xang fell apart and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independent Luang Prabang kingdom. When France annexed Laos, the France recognized Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of the France Protectorate of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang , Sisavangvong, became the head of state for the king of Laos until 1975 when Laos has declared the independence as the Lao People Democratic Republic . Luang Prabang , however, has remained the charming ancient capital city of Laos.