A GUIDE TO VIENTIANE
Sitting along the Mekong River is Laos’ relaxed capital city of Vientiane. Temples, markets, a growing café culture and history stretching as far back as the 13th century make Vientiane a worthy stop.
WHAT TO SEE
Our first stop in Vientiane was Buddha Park. Located just outside the city next to the Mekong River, it is home to over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. Locals call the park Xieng Khuan, meaning Spirit City. The best view of the park is from the top of a large dome. Enter through the mouth of a demon and climb the maze-like, narrow stairs to the top.
To get to Buddha Park take bus 14 from Talat Sao bus station for approximately 6,000LAK/$0.70USD. Busses leave every 20minutes or so and the journey takes about an hour. Entry to the park is 5,000LAK/$0.60USD and if you wish to use your camera it’s an additional 3,000LAK/$0.35USD.
Make sure you visit the COPE visitor centre while in Vientiane. Here I was shocked to learn that Laos is the most bombed country in the world. Between 1964 to 1973 the United States of America dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance over Laos in 580,000 bombing missions. This is the equivalent of one plane load every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for 9 straight years. This ‘secret war’, as it’s come to be known, started to destroy parts of the Ho Chi Minh trail in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism.
During this time 270 million cluster bombs, locally known as bombies, were dropped with approximately 80 million having not exploded. Today the people of Laos are still dealing with the very real danger of these unexploded bombies. To give you an idea of the danger, a case contained up to 680 individual cluster bombs each with a killing radius of 30 meters.
COPE stands for Cooperative Orthodic & Prosthetic Enterprise. The centre provides thousands of prosthetic and orthodic services free of charge to thousands of people with mobility-related issues. Entry to the centre is free but donations are welcome. You can also donate online at copelaos.org/donate.
The Patuxai Victory Monument, in the heart of Vientiane is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the fight for independence against France. While this Victory Gate is reminiscent of Paris’ Arc De Triumph, the top of the Arc is designed in traditional Laos style. For a view of the area you can climb or take the lift to the top for around 3,000LAK/$0.35USD.
If you continue north-east on Patuxai Park, you will find the World Peace Gong. Under a pagoda style shelter the large gold gong depicts images of several religions as well as the flags of the world. It was presented to the people of Laos by the World Peace Committee of Indonesia.
Each evening along the riverside promenade, red topped stalls begin to setting up for the Night Markets. Selling typical souvenirs along with clothes, electronics and some handicrafts, it’s a good opportunity to practice your bartering skills. It was here that I finally picked up a BeerLao shirt.
One of Laos’ most significant Buddhist stupas is Pha That Luang, situated about 4km from the city centre. During the 3rd century BC, the Indian emperor Ashoka ordered his missionaries to bring one of Buddha’s ribs and enclose it in the Stupa. As well as being an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists, this national symbol of Laos is covered with 500kg of gold leaf.
Along the river, on the promenade, is Chao Anouvong Park, named after the last King of the Laos Kingdom. A monument to him stands at the end of the park.
Sitting just behind this park you will find the Presidential Palace. Despite the name, this building is only used to host government functions and unfortunately is not open to the public. You can view the building, with it’s French influenced, beaux arts style architecture from the gates.
A little further north of the city is Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial Museum. The museum was built as a tribute to Laos’ much loved communist leader.
Along Avenue Lane Xang is Wat Sisaket, the city’s oldest surviving temple, best known for it’s thousands of Buddha images. It is also the oldest Buddhist monastery in Laos. Entrance is 5,000LAK/$0.60USD and it opens 8-12pm and 1-4pm.
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
Overlooking the Riverside and the Night Markets, Bor Pen Nyang Bar and Restaurant is the liveliest place in the city. Four stories up you’ll find the circular bar, two pool tables and views of the Mekong River. The perfect place for backpackers, tourists and locals to have a few drinks.
On our first night in Vientiane we had dinner at Lao Kitchen. It offers a variety of traditional Laos foods and averages prices around $4-5USD for a main meal. It is considered some of the best Laos food in Vientiane.
Lights strung across a street filled with shipping container bars, food trucks and the sound of live music. Cowboy Park is a western themed food street hidden just a few streets back from the waterfront. I stumbled upon this seemingly secret street by accident one night. At the time it seemed undiscovered by tourists as it looked to be mostly locals there. Motorbike parking is located at the far end of the street and it opens at 5pm.
WHERE TO STAY
Along with what felt like every other backpacker in Vientiane, I chose to stay at Dream Home Hostel. It was hard to beat starting at just $6USD per night! This price included a free made to order breakfast, free wifi, air-conditioned rooms and a dorm bed equipped with its own reading light, power plug and locker. The facilities were very basic and it might not be the cleanest hostel you’ll stay at, but its cheap, in a good location and has a great social atmosphere.
