Vientiane, Capital of Laos

South East Asia's gem, a city of French Colonialism and Lao culture

Apr 26, 2009

Laos is one of South East Asia's little known treasures. It is the least developed of all Southeast Asian countries, recently welcoming travellers after years of turmoil

The capital of Laos is Vientiane and the city is the engine room of Laos, the city's administrative centre evolves from here. Vientiane's major, must see sights are its peaceful Buddhist monasteries and monuments that are a feature on the streets of central Vientiane. This city offers the traveller a mix of abundant Lao customs and evidence of French colonisation. Vientiane even has a replica “Arc‘d’ Triumph” named Patousai which is situated at the end of the main boulevard which is lined with magnificent shady trees either side of the road.

Buddha Park in Vientiane

Buddha Park also known as Xieng Khuan is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, situated in a park by the Mekong River. The name Xieng Khuan means Spirit City. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues.

The park was built in 1958 by Luang Pu, who was a priest -ahaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism and later fled from Laos to Thailand after the revolution in 1975. There, he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai.The statues are made of cement and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design. The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are numerous sculptures of Buddha and characters of Hindu Lore. There are also sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons. One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin. It has three stories representing three levels, Hell, Earth and Heaven., visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 10 ft tall demon head and climb staircases from hell to heaven. Each story contains sculptures depicting the level. At the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible. Another sculpture, an enormous 40 m high reclining Buddha is also a park attraction.

Mekong River in Vientiane

This is perhaps Vientiane’s best and finest feature, Fan gum Road comes to life in the late afternoon, with food and drink stalls, a fantastic spot to appreciate a Laos sunset.Talat SaoThis is a sprawling market offering an array of textiles, souvenirs, local goods and also boasts the largest selection of Siin (female Lao National dress), despite the name this market is open until the early evening.

Vientiane Morning Market

This is a sprawling market offering an array of textiles, souvenirs, local goods and also boasts the largest selection of Siin (female Lao National dress), despite the name this market is open until the early evening.

Wat Si Saket, Historical Temple in Vientiane

This temple is the only temple in Vientiane to have escaped the destruction by Thai forces in the early 19th century. The Monastery was the site of many ceremonies in which Lao lords and nobles swore an oath of loyalty to the King. The French restored the temple in 1924 and then again in 1930.Wat Si Saket features a cloister wall with more than 2000 ceramic and silver Buddha images. The wat also houses a museum.

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