Luang Prabang province has won an Award of Merit, one of 12 announced last week under the 2015 Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award scheme.

According to the official announcement published on http://www.UnescoBKK.org on September 1, 12 winning projects in five countries, – India, China, Laos, Australia and Thailand – have been recognised in this year’s Heritage Awards.

A panel of international conservation experts met in June to review 36 entries from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Cangdong Heritage Education Centre, Kaiping City, Guangdong province, and Pingyao Courtyard House, Shanxi province in China as well as Baan Luang Rajamaitri, Muang district, Chantaburi province in Thailand, also received the Award of Merit.

Conservation of the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala, India, received the Award of Excellence in this year’s Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritagemost iconic heritage places.

The Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme recognises the efforts |of private individuals and organisations that have successfully |restored and conserved structures and buildings of heritage value in the region. Earlier this year, the Luang Prabang World Heritage Site scooped “Best City” in the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2015, with Bagan in Myanmar taking second place and Stockholm in Sweden coming in third.

There are a total of 40,717 Buddhist temples (Thai: Wat) in Thailand as of 31 December 2004, of which 33,902 are in current use, according to the Office of National Buddhism.[1] Of the 33,902 active temples, 31,890 are of the Maha Nikaya and 1,987 are of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya orders of the Theravada school, while 12 are of the Chinese Nikaya and