EVEN IN THAI, I can make out the pilot's request to turn off computers for the remainder of the flight. I shut mine down and look out the window: The smog and skyscrapers of Thailand's capital have given way to the sawtooth mountains of northern Laos, stacked to the horizon. The Bangkok Airways turboprop drops steeply into a narrow valley, skirting a temple-topped hill and buzzing low over stupas poking through a fringe of palm trees. As we angle toward a short runway, I pack away my laptop—most likely for the duration of my trip:

Map by Andy Potts

Luang Prabang isn't exactly a Wi-Fi hot spot. In fact, the tranquil town rides the trailing edge of urbanized, digital Asia. Which is precisely the reason I've fled Bangkok's chaotic hustle and 24/7 gridlock. I've flown less than two hours, yet it feels like I could set my watch back 30 years.

In this slumbering Mekong River valley, life flows at its own languid pace. Once, it was a matter of terrain—the jungle, rivers, and especially the ranks of mountains dissuaded European explorers until the 1860s. A century later, after Laos was swept up in the Vietnam War, the prevailing communist leadership banned tourism until the late 1980s. That cultural quarantine made Luang Prabang what it is today:

Considered one of the best-preserved traditional cities in Asia, Luang Prabang won World Heritage status in 1995. Today, the placid town draws an increasing number of travelers seeking that ineffable quality: atmosphere.

an enchanting townscape of lush foliage and ornamental ponds, centuries-old temples and moldering French colonial buildings, all in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

It was a no-brainer for UNESCO, which considers Luang Prabang one of the best-preserved traditional cities in Southeast Asia, to give it World Heritage status in 1995. The buzz has taken a while to build, but this placid backwater is drawing an increasing number of travelers seeking that ineffable quality: atmosphere. In 2003, the province counted 78,129 foreign visitors, up more than 200 percent since 1997.

LIFE AT AN AMBLE: Stepping out in hill-tribe country, east of the Nam Khan River; FRENCH CONNECTION: Colonial facades and vintage autos in Luang Prabang (Martin Westlake)