General Information About Laos

Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is a landlocked country, which is located in Southeast Asia and bordered by China and Myanmar to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west and Cambodia to the Southeast. The Lao PDR is divided into 3 regions as Northern consisted by 08 provinces including Bokeo, Houaphanh, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly, Sayabouly, and Xieng Khouang province; Central consisted by 05 provinces including Bolikhamxay, Khammouane, Savannakhet, Vientiane Capital, Vientiane province and Xaysomboun province; and Southern consisted by 04 provinces including Attapeu, Champasack, Salavanh and Sekong province. Most of the country is mountainous and widely covered by tropical rainforests.

The Capital city of the Country is Vientiane, which is located in the central, on the Mekong River bank. Vientiane Capital is home to some of the most attractive and interesting national monument in the Lao PDR Such as: That Luang (Great Stupa), Patouxay (Victory Monument), Hor Phra Keo Museum, Sisaket Temple, Buddha Park, Simuang Temple, and Vientiane Night Market. The cosmopolitan capital of Laos, Vientiane, has galleries, boutiques, theatres, nightclubs and internet cafe, making it a major attraction for visitors from all around the globe. Although the city is small, it offers visitors a great variety of restaurants serving both Lao and foreign cuisine.

When you get hungry try the nation’s signature dish, Tam Mak-Hung (spicy green papaya salad), Laap (spicy minced meat salad) and Ping Kai (grilled chicken). Quench your thirst with a refreshing Beer Lao or fresh fruit shake from one of the many small restaurants found along almost every street in town. At dusk, find a spot along the Mekong promenade to enjoy an amazing view of the sunset over the river.

The bellowing is some of the briefing about the most significant and interesting places that need to be explored, when you to be in Vientiane Capital.

That Luang (Great Stupa) is the symbol of the Lao PDR and an icon of Buddhism in the Lao PDR. The site of That Luang has been built in use since the year 236 of the Buddhist Calendar (307 BC). When the first governor of Vientiane, Phaya Chanthabouri Pasitthisack or Bourichan built a structure that looked like a kiln of about 9 meters high and 10 meters wide. The original stupa was built on the site in 1566 by King Saysetthathirath, and was restored in 1953. The golden stupa is 45 meters tall and is believed to contain a relic of the Lord Buddha. The gold centerpiece of this stupa echoes the curve of an elongate Lotus bud. Today, That Luang is the most important national cultural monument.

Patouxay (Victory Monument) was built in 1957 and is perhaps the most prominent landmark in the city. It is situated on Lanexang Avenue. While the arc de Triomphe in Paris inspired the architecture, the design incorporates typical Lao motifs including “Kinnaly”, a mythical bird woman. Energetic visitors can climb to the top of the monument, which reveals an excellent panoramic view of the city.

Originally, this ancient temple was built in 1565 by King Xayasetthathilath to house the Emerald Buddha 1565-1779 (Lost to the Siamese in 1828) as his personal place of worship. It was reconstructed in 1936. For this reason and unlike other temples in the Lao PDR, monks have not taken up residence here. During the 1970’s, the temple was converted from a place of worship into museum and now houses the finest national collection of Buddhist sculptures and artifacts. From the terrace of Hor Phra Keo, one can enjoy a view overlooking the president’s palace (former Royal Palace) and garden.

Sisaket Temple is the only ancient temple remaining intact after the destruction of the Siamese in 1828. It’s located in the center of the old city, where it was built in 1818 by King Anouvong. The old monastery stands intact in its original form and certainly is one of the most interesting in the country. Inside the main hall, the courtyard walls house hundreds of little inches and shelves containing a total of 6,840 Buddha images.

Buddha Park is a famous sculpture park with more than 200 religious statues including a huge 40-metre-high reclining Buddha image. The best spot for photography here is on the top of the giant pumpkin structure standing about three stories high. The entrance is crafted to look like a demon’s mouth (about three meters high) with a stone ladder inside leading to a bird’s eye view of the entire Xieng Khuan Park.

Buddha Park was built in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a monk who studied both Buddhism and Hinduism. This explains why his park is full not only of Buddha images but also of Hindu gods as well as demons and animals from both beliefs. 

The most outstanding ones include Indra, the king of the Hindu gods riding the three-headed elephant (aka Erawan and Airavata), A four-armed deity sitting on a horse and an artistic deity with 12 faces and many hands, each holding interesting objects. They are all equally impressive not only because of their enormous size but because they are full of interesting details and interesting motifs. There is a local eatery and café offering food and drinks to tourists at one end of the park right next to the Mekong River that makes a great spot to chill after all the walking and climbing. Among the popular snacks are papaya salad, fried bananas and cold Lao beer. It is also a souvenir shop and restrooms. There is a small fee for entering the park as well as for photography.

Simuang Temple is one of the most popular sites of worship in Vientiane, and offers a fascinating insight into how old animist beliefs have blended seamlessly with Theravada Buddhism. 

The Original city pillar of Vientiane is found in Wat Simuang located in Simuang village along Setthathirath Road. It was built in 1956 and is believed to be guarded by the spirit of a local girl called “Si” Local legend has it that Nang Si, who was pregnant at the time, leapt to her death as a sacrifice, just as the pillar was being lowered into the hole. A very colorful Phasat Pheung (wax pavilion procession) attracts large crowds to Simuang Temple, taking place just two days priors to the That Luang Festival in November.

On a daily basis, Wat Simuang attracts crowds of local Buddhists who want to benefit from its good luck powers. It is commonly thought that if you pray for something here and simultaneously make a promise, your wish will be granted, providing you return and fulfill your promise.

Vientiane Night Market is aimed primarily towards tourists, with clean, orderly stalls, and all manner of merchandise that make great souvenirs of mementos. It all begins around sunset when a small army of sellers begin setting up their red-roofed stalls directly on the riverside promenade. You can’t fail to see it. The whole riverside area is alive at this time with joggers and dog-walkers taking advantage of the cooling breezes and stunning backdrop of the sun lazily sinking into the Mekong River.

Products on offer are fairly typical of night market throughout the region. You will find a predictable array of Buddhist-inspired paintings and knickknacks, Cheap sunglasses, and Beer Lao T-shirts. The cloches stalls tend to be geared towards the backpacker market with fishermen pants and one-size-fits-all dresses and skirts. With only 10US$ in your pocket you can pick up at least a couple of products here, but, for bargain hunters, it’s worth mentioning that everything on offer here can be found at a slightly cheaper price at other markets. The traders seem to have whittled down all the best-sellers from the Moring Market and set them up in more attractive, and convenient, surroundings.