I asked this family if I could take their photo, and they just smiled. Must be the language barrier.

Most of the vehicles in Luang Prabang are two wheelers: motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. The public transport consists mostly of tuk tuks (for local trips) and minivans (to shuttle tourists to the sites outside the city). There were relatively few cars in Luang Prabang.

Colorful tuk tuk. The circular symbol with “9P” inside indicates it can carry up to nine passengers. (!)

Old Vespa with sidecar on display in office of tour company in Luang Prabang.

As I walked around I noticed some unusual vehicles and I had fun taking photos of them. I hadn’t seen one of these old VW Beetles in a long time. I think Mexico City still has hundreds of them serving as taxi cabs.

Old VW Beetle.

At first I thought this was an old Mini, but on second thought it might be a Fiat. I could find no branding symbols on it.

Mercedes Benz Model 190 Estate. Germany, 1956

A sign inside the above Mercedes Benz explained that this model was “designed exclusively for governments around the world, in Laos was part of the Royal Escort fleet.”

Citroen Model 11 Family Version. France, 1952.

Parked near the Mercedes Benz, this Citroen also had a sign in its window describing it, stating, “This icon of Luang Prabang is one of the only two original Citroens in Laos. Custom ordered at the same time as the Citroen that belonged to the King, currently exhibited at the Royal Museum.”

A veteran river vessel at rest after a hard day’s work.