Nalae Town
Nalae District is located in the southwest of Luang Namtha province, with Bokeo to the west and Oudomxay to the south and east.  Nalae is bisected lengthways by the Nam Tha River, which provides the district with its main source of transport and communication to other towns and provinces.  There is a 78km all wheather roads linking Nalae town to Luang Namtha.

The majority of the 22,264 people in Nalae district are of Mon-Khmer origin (82.6%), comprised of the Khmu Rok, Khmu Kouene, Khmu Leu, and Khmu Yuen sub-groups, with the remainder of the population belonging to the Tai Lue ethnic group.  With 98% of the land in Nalae being mountainous, for the most part its residents practice rotational shifting cultivation on a subsistence basis.  Resettlement has been an important aspect of community life in Nalae, with many villages being consolidated or moved closer to the Luang Namtha road and to the river banks.  Thus, we see that ethnic heritage, the river, and the transitory life of local people are major features affecting tourism development in the district.

Khmu in Nalae Town, Luang Namtha, Laos