Vientiane
Attractions

"Activities in Vientiane"

Did you say Vientiane Attractions?

Vientiane Attractions -- Buddha garden

I honestly did no special activities in Vientiane. I walked around town and that`s your best bet -- it`s free, a good excercise and you`re the one who decides the pace!

Even better...

Rent a bike from a guesthouse/shop (5000 Kip) and enjoy the sightseeing by your own!!

I can tell you that ...

... I got lost twice, and found a good café (I like getting lost, I sometimes end up at great places )

I stopped by Vientiane to get a Cambodian Visa.

I thought that I would save time at the border… and surprisingly, I did! …Ehhm..yeah..back to Vientiane.

I told the motorcycle driver to wait for me outside the embassy so I could have a ride back to town. But guess what… he didn`t wait! (Well I can`t blame him. The stupid visa took me over an hour to get)

tham dam black stupa vientiane travel laos Vientiane attractions -- Tham Dam/Black Stupa

So, I had to walk all the way back. And it wasn`t actually that bad!

I used 3-4 hours to get to Saysouly Guesthouse.

I stopped by a beauty parlor near the Black Stupa (That Dam). The fascinating part about the Black Stupa is the legend of a seven-headed dragon resting here. The dragon (Naga) was supposed to protect the locals in Vientiane during the Thai invasion in the early 1800`s.

Then I stopped by a large Wat garden with lots of Buddhas, naga sculptures and statues.

I`m sure the place has an official name, I just don`t remember…!

Take a look at this...

After a while, I passed the Patouxai Moument which reminded me of Gate of Triumph. It didn`t give me any wow-feeling, but it was nice. I thought I was in Paris for only one second.

patouxai monument vientiane travel laos Vientiane attractions -- Patouxai monument

A quick look into its history!

Patouxai meaning "Victory Monument", is one of the most important landmarks in Vientiane.

It was built as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, but the ornamentation is Lao.

If you want to take a closer look, I can tell you that beneath the arc there`s a doorway with staircase which leads up to the top of the monument.

And on the way up, you`ll see a bazaar selling cheap clothing. Didn`t buy anything there -- so I can`t comment on it.

The Patouxai is open from 8 am - 5 pm.

The weather and temperature was nice, so I kept strolling around.

lao national culture hall vientiane travel laos Vientiane Attractions -- Lao National Culture Hall

I stopped by the Lao National Culture Hall. Or well, to be more accurate, the sight of the Culture Hall stopped me…

Your first impression will likely be: "Damn, it`s tall!"

I like this type of architecture and was personally impressed by the height, the pillars and the woodcarving. It looked so elegant! I just kept taking pictures from every angle.

Lao National Cultural Hall was a gift from the Chinese to the Lao people.

And the hall is apparently being used for political meetings, concerts, art exhibitions, French cinema and Lao classical dance performances.

Maximum 1500 people can get seats here and business people can occupy the conference rooms.

lao plaza hotel vientiane travel laos Lao Plaza Hotel

After I passed the Lao Culture Hall and Nam Phou fountain, I was standing in front of the Lao Plaza Hotel.

It was one of the luxurious buildings I saw in Vientiane. And of course expensive -- a presidential suite cost 5.800.000 million Kip! (almost 700 dollars)

Then I was finally at Saysouly, ready to pack my bags and head for Pakse!

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More pictures...

Church Vientiane Laos Ramayana art Vientiane Laos

I passed a nice church in Vientiane -- not a common thing to see in Buddhist countries Ramayana art painted on a wall in Vientiane