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Once
the capital of Lane Xang, in the latter years of that empire's
greatness, Vientiane
was devastated
many times by Burmese and Vietnamese invaders, before finally being
levelled by
the Siamese in 1828. The only original monument to remain from before
that time
is Wat Sisaket, built in 1818 by Chao Anou - the very king responsible
for
incurring the wrath of the Siamese and causing his capital's
obliteration |
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When the French took control of
the country in the late 19th century,
they set
about totally re-designing it with the same style as the magnificent
Indochinese capitals of Saigon and Phnom Penh. The wide boulevards lend
themselves nicely to
monuments of a grand scale, and one such is the Patouxai war memorial.
It was
decided in the late fifties that Lane Xang Avenue - dubbed the Champs
Elysees
of Vientiane - should be crowned with its own version of the Arc de
Triomphe
(Patouxai is Lao for Gateway of Victory) |
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No account of Vientiane
would be complete without mention of the Lao
Revolutionary
Museum,
a monument to Laos'
long struggle to free itself from colonization. The museum contains
such relics
as the photograph of Thit Chanto, who is shown baring his chest in
defiance and
waving above his head the rifle he used to shoot down an American
fighter-bomber, which can be seen burning in the background. Though
perhaps a
little anachronistic in these post-Glasnost days, the museum itself is
another
sign of this city's sense of humour - for it is housed within the
former
residence of the French colonial governor |
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Wat Sisaket Temple
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The only temple to have
survived the 1828 destruction wrought upon Vientiane
by the Siamese, Wat Sisaket is the oldest and one of the most
interesting
temples in Laos.
The interior of the main hall, and the walls of the surrounding
courtyard, are
inset with thousands of tiny niches and shelves containing 6840 Buddha
images
and Buddhist inscriptions from the 18th century. A replica of Ho Trai,
the main
hall, was recreated to great acclaim for the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, Japan |
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Ho Pra Keo Museum |
| Built in 1565 by King
Setthathirat, when he
moved the capital of Lane Xang from Luang Prabang to Vientiane,
the temple was originally designed to house the famous Emerald
Buddha,
which he had brought with him from the Kingdom of Lanna |
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That
Luang Stupa (Great
Sacred Stupa) |
| The most important national
monument in Vientiane
and the
national emblem of the country, That Luang was constructed in 1566 by King
Setthathirat |
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Patuxay
Monument |
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At the centre of the city, on Lane Xang Avenue,
this concrete monument
was constructed in 1958, allegedly with US cement intended for the
city's new
airport. Inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Patouxai (Lao for Gateway
of
Victory) is adorned with an array of rough hewn Lao historical imagery
and
offers a splendid, panoramic view of the city from its top |
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National Ethic Cultural
Park (Suan Wattanatham Bandapao) |
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20km down the Mekong from Vientiane, Suan
Vatthana Tham includes shady
paths, sculptures of Lao literary heroes and a small zoo. It also
offers views
across the Mekong to Thailand
and along the river to the Thai-Lao Friendship
Bridge |
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Xieng Khouan Buddha Park |
| Located 24km downstream from Vientiane, this Garden of Statues
enshrines
sculptures of Buddha images and Hindu gods |
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