A fragile treasure--Foreword : an enchanting city--History and legend--Tourism : a double-edged sword--Evolution of the city--An architectural blend--Wooden houses, half-timberde houses, colonial administrative buildings, brick and wooden houses brick an dhalf-timbered houses Lao colonial houses shophouses--Religious architecture : notes on sanctuary typologies--Cultural survival in lung phabang--Vat xieng thong, vat pha houak, That