Vientiane, Laos

November 2018

I was involved in a Habitat for Humanity Global Village build in Battambang Cambodia and prior to the Build I spent several days in Laos visiting Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Laos is a fairly small landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Thailand and Vietnam border it on the west and east, Cambodia in the south and Myanmar and China to the north.  A third of its 7 million population live below the international poverty line (living on less than US$1.25 per day). Most of the population live in rural areas and are involved in agriculture. Rice is the main crop.

The region has had human habitation for thousands of years and Laos traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang (Million Elephants), which was founded in the 14th century. In the late 1800’s Laos became part of French Indochina and was a French colony until 1953, after which it suffered through an ongoing power struggle between royalists and the communist Pathet Lao. In 1975 the Communists overthrew the monarchy and it is still a communist state. It was isolated from the western world until the mid-1990’s and is one of East Asia’s poorest countries making it very dependent on foreign aid. While in Vientiane we stayed at the Green Park Boutique Hotel. A pleasant place not far from the centre of town.

Vientiane

Vientiane is the largest city in Laos (Population around 800,000) and is the nation’s capital. It is located on a curve of the Mekong River with Thailand on the other side of the river. Vientiane is an interesting and attractive old town with broad boulevards and tree-lined streets with a mix of French-colonial architecture and Buddhist temples.

Vientiane became the capital of Laos in 1563 and was looted then razed to the ground in 1827 by the Siamese (Thai). It was the administrative capital during French rule and it is the economic center of Laos.

A few of Vientiane’s most important temples are:

Wat Si Saket is the oldest standing temple in Vientiane. It was built in 1818 and was mostly unharmed in the various wars that have destroyed most of the other temples in Vientiane. In the walls surrounding the temple compound there are hundreds of niches each holding an image of the Buddha and there are many more old statues under the covered walkway. The temple is now a museum.

Wat Ho Phra Keo (Hophakaew Museum) is a 1942 reconstruction of what was once King Setthathirat’s royal temple. The original was built in 1565 and at one time it held the Emerald Buddha which is now in Wat Phra Kaew at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.The temple is now a museum that houses many Lao treasures

Wat Si Muang was first built in in 1563, but was destroyed by Siamese invaders in 1828. It has been rebuilt a number of times, and the present Wat dates from 1915. It is somewhat unusual because it combines some old animist beliefs with more traditional Buddhism. The temple sim is divided into two rooms, the front is the larger and quite open and the rear room has a large main altar, with lots of statues and images of the Buddha.

Pha That Luang is a national symbol of Laos and one of the most important religious monuments in the country. It was originally established in 1566 but like many temples in Vientiane has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. The current version was rebuilt in the 1930’s by the French. The pagoda is surrounded by cloister with galleries on the inside which contain ancient Laos and Khmer artefacts.