...a population of nearly 120,000 the Lue form one of the largest ethnic groups in Laos, with their cultural center in Muang Sing District.

Lue village are well arranged and generally and clean. Their houses are built on poles and traditionally enclosed with bamboo mats and a thatched roof. Every Lue village has its own temple. Around Muang Sing the typical Lue temple has a gabled roof with two or three tiers, resulting in several elaborate eaves at different levels.

The Lue traditionally are monogamous, with polygamy for higher castes, until quite recently. They adopted Thervada Buddhism during the fourteenth century. Nevertheless they hold up their ancient belief in natural forces. like spirits of rivers, forests and mountains. The village spirit (Phi Muang) is highly worshiped and a spirit house is normally erected in every village and annual sacrifices performed. There are also 32 guardian spirits who are worshiped during a 96 period, meaning three days for every spirit.

Lue women wear narrow, long-sleeved jackets, loose blouses and ankle length phaa sins, which are blue, indigo to occasionally black, woven with numerous colorful designs at the base and along the hems, produces of various weaving techniques. Either the upper or lower part of the phaa sin is decorated with a variety of red, yellow, green stripes and designs. Thai Lue women make their phaa sins by cutting the cloth in half and weaving the warp vertically, Finally, Lue women wrap a piece of white or light colored cloth around their heads, the upper part open for the traditional hair-bun. There is, however, a great variation in colors and arrangements of the stripes on the phaa sins and jackets in the different localities and villages of the Lue.