10 must-do things in Laos’ capital Vientiane
Justine Tyerman visited Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, with Innovative Travel and Singapore Airlines. Laos is a landlocked country in South East Asia surrounded by China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Vientiane, on the banks of the mighty Mekong River, has a population of just 760,000 and is far less hectic than most other Asian capital cities. It’s peaceful and laid-back compared with Hanoi and Bangkok. The city is rich in history, heritage, culture and traditions, and has fabulous cuisine. Among the many fascinating places our excellent local guide Souk took us to, here are my 10 must-do things in Vientiane.
1. Of the many temples we visited in Laos, Wat Sisaket is my favourite. The only building to have survived the razing of the city by Siamese (Thai) invaders in 1828, it is therefore the oldest temple in the capital. Built from 1881 to 1824 on orders of King Anouvong, it is strikingly beautiful. The shady teak cloisters surrounding the courtyard and sanctuary or “sim” are lined with 10,136 statues of Buddha, 2000 large and 8000 miniatures. It’s a tranquil, cool place of reflection and quiet meditation.
The cloisters at Wat Sisaket are lined with 10,136 statues of Buddha. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
If you want to see more stunning temples, visit nearby Wat Phra Keo, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which has a fine collection of Lao and Khmer art. Built in 1565 as a chapel for the royal family, the temple was once home to the Emerald Buddha, hence the name, but the Thais stole the statue in 1778. It is now a museum famous for its wood and stone carvings and collection of Buddhas.
2. Pha That Luang, or the Great Stupa, is dazzling. Constructed by King Setthathirat in the 16th century and restored in 1953, it is the most important Buddhist monument in Laos. The golden spire or stupa is 45m tall and believed to contain a relic of Buddha. An impressive statue of the king stands in front of the stupa. In the grounds and nearby, there are a number of beautiful ornate temples and a magnificent golden reclining Buddha.
The golden Pha That Luang or the Great Stupa is dazzling. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
3. From a distance, you would think you were in Paris looking down the Champs-Élysées at the Arc de Triomphe. Vientiane’s Patuxay Monument or Victory Gate, built from 1957 to 1968, is dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France and perished during the World War 2. While it resembles the iconic Parisian landmark, the Patuxay has four arches rather than two and five distinctively ornate Lao towers on the top.
Vientiane’s Patuxay Monument or Victory Gate by day. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
It’s quite a climb to the upper look-out, the equivalent of seven-storeys, but well worth the effort for the magnificent view over the city. There are bazaars and souvenir stalls on the lower levels.
The view of Vientiane’s from the top of the Patuxay Monument or Victory Gate. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
4. Buddha Park is one of the most bizarre and eccentric places I have ever visited in my travels. Also known as Xieng Khuan or “Spirit City,” the park is dotted with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues and sculptures created in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a Lao priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism. There are sculptures of humans, animals, demons, a Hindu god riding a three-headed elephant, a god with 12 faces and many hands, and an enormous 40m long reclining Buddha. To get the best photos and a panorama of the whole park, you need to climb to the top of a giant pumpkin. This is no easy feat – you enter by way of a demon’s mouth and negotiate steep steps with no safety rails passing through hell, earth and heaven on the way, emerging on a dome topped with a tree of life. An awesome view of the whole park . . . but not for the faint-hearted or those who suffer vertigo.
Buddha Park, one of the most bizarre and eccentric places I have ever visited. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
5. It’s such a novelty for Kiwis to be able to (almost) walk to another country so one day, we all trooped to the mid-point of the 1174m Friendship Bridge that linksLaos and Thailand. Built by the Australian government in 1994 for $A42m, the bridge across the Mekong River connects Nong Khai province and the city of Nong Khai in Thailand with Vientiane Prefecture in Laos. The bridge is near Buddha Park.
Justine at the Laos-Thai border on the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
6. One of the most moving experiences in Laos was our visit to COPE (Co-operative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise), an organisation working to help the victims of the millions of landmines that still litter Laos 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War. We listened to an earnest young man explaining COPE’S rehabilitation service that provides orthotic devices, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and other aids to those disabled and injured by explosions from cluster bombs.
A sculpture made from recycled bomb casings at the COPE centre in Vientiane. Image credit: Supplied
The statistics are shocking. From 1964 to 1973, the country was subjected to intensive bombing by the United States of America as part of the wider war in Indochina. Based on US bombing records, at least two million metric tonnes of ordnance was dropped on Laos in nine years making it the most heavily bombed country in the world, per capita. Included in this figure were 270 million submunitions – the bomblets dispersed by cluster munitions - known in Laos as “bombies”. Bombs fell every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, “like rain from the sky”.
An artwork made from cluster bombs at the COPE centre in Vientiane. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
An estimated 80 million – 30 percent – of submunitions failed to detonate and remain potentially dangerous after the end of the war. These are called UXO (unexploded ordnances.)
Four decades later, UXO continue to kill and maim people as they go about their everyday work. Farmers and those who work on the land are most at risk but in recent years, more than 40 percent of casualties have been children. Bombies are the same size and shape as tennis balls, and sometimes bright yellow in colour so they are tempting to play with them.
Every day in Laos, 3000 men and women conduct survey and clearance work, locating and destroying hundreds of UXO.
COPE assists 1000 people a year but there are many who are not even aware that help is available. They struggle by using homemade wooden or bamboo stumps to replace limbs lost in explosions.
Rather than buy trinkets as souvenirs, our Kiwi group combined to donate a lump sum to help fund COPE’s work.
7. I developed a strong taste for the locally-brewed beer on my first night in Laos.
Drinking ice-cold BeerLao at Moon the Night Restaurant as the sun set over the Mekong is an enduring memory. Fishermen up to their necks in the red-brown water were hauling in their nets, scooters were buzzing by driven by young men with girls riding side-saddle behind them, the lights of Thailand twinkled just across the river . . . it was magic. Time Magazine called BeerLao “Asia’s best local beer”.
The Mekong River from Moon the Night Restaurant. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
8. Instead of dining in restaurants every night, meander your way through the Ban Anou night market, an area of street-eats popular among locals. It’s the Lao version of takeaways, fresh off the barbecue coals. The range of food is astonishing and the flavours and aromas intoxicating. Colourful fruit and vegetables, fish, duck, chicken, pork meatball wraps or “nem nuong”, sausages of every description, noodles and mountains of sticky rice or “klao niaw”, the staple food eaten at every meal. There are also sweet treats galore from Lao-style donuts to icecream and gelato.
Street eats in the Ban Anou night market. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
9. Doi Ka Noi Restaurant is an excellent spot for lunch. We were the only non-Lao people there, apart from the owner Mick, chef Noi’s English husband, who is a photographer and writer. The food was delicious with fabulous fresh ingredients, many from their own garden – yummy fish soup, crispy sun-dried pork with grilled aubergine and chili dip, salad of foraged fiddlehead fern topped with pork, stir fried chicken with black pepper, spicy salad with confit duck leg and organic Lao wholegrain black rice and white sticky rice. I loved the chilli, garlic, lime juice, spring onion, mint and lemongrass flavours.
Spicy salad of confit duck leg at Doi Ka Noi Restaurant. Image credit: Mick Shippen
10. When we arrived in Vientiane, were treated to an evening of traditional Lao dancing and music at Kualao Restaurant. A four-piece orchestra played a variety of delightful Lao tunes which were recognised immediately by the mainly local diners of all ages who enjoyed themselves immensely on the dance floor. A pair of highly professional entertainers performed exquisite dance sequences while we consumed a delicious dinner – I had Laos’ signature dish, larb moo (pork salad with lime, lemongrass and shallots). I must get the recipe!
We were treated to an evening of traditional Lao dancing and music at Kualao Restaurant. Image credit: Justine Tyerman
* Justine Tyerman travelled with Innovative Travel, a Christchurch-based boutique tour operator with 27 years’ experience offering travellers the opportunity to explore historically and culturally unique destinations worldwide that provide a "challenge” but with the security of a peace-of-mind 24/7 “wrap-around” service. So important in a seriously foreign country:
Getting there:
Singapore Airlines flies from Auckland to Singapore daily, from Wellington four times weekly, and from Christchurch daily.
SilkAir flies from Singapore to Vientiane and Luang Prabang three times weekly:
Fly to Laos from NZ$1203 return with Singapore Airlines' World Wanderlust Special Fares on sale until July 17.
Lao Airlines flies from Vientiane to Xieng Khuang
* Accommodation: Crowne Plaza, Vientiane is an excellent place to stay.