Vientiane - Where are all the people?

Vientiane, home to 800.000 people of the 7 Mio. in Laos. Capital of Laos. Home to an amazing endless number of Wats. Situated at the River Mekong, opposite Thailand and very hard hit by the recent flooding.
It is a very quiet city, the roads are empty and you wonder where are all the people. Tourism is limited as it is not a very attractive city.
We met our friends Jann and Claudia from our Shanghai time for the weekend and we had a great time despite a lot of rain on our first day and also parts of the second day.
We visited Patuxay. Patuxay was built between 1957 and 1968 as a monument commemorating the independence of Lao PDR from French rule. The construction was guided by the numerical principles of Buddhism 3 - 7 - 9. It was built using cement seized from America, repurposed from initial plans for an airport, with the upper structure resembling the Taj Mahal palace in India. The interior is embellished with vibrant colours, featuring unique decorations such as the Kinnaly statue, Indra riding the Elavan elephant, Rahu, the Three Chaksura, and other deities from Hindu and a blend of Pham religions. It was possible to climb up to the top.
Close by was the World Peace Gong, a symbol of World Peace and is currently in 14 different locations around the world. It is a gift from the Indonesian Government. It’s in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Maputo in Mozambique, Geneva, Kremenchuk in Ukraine.
We had also visits to several Wats. The most impressive one was Wat Sisaket. It was built 1818 and is most likely the oldest Wat in Vientiane. Wat Sisaket features a cloister wall with more than 2,000 ceramic and silver Buddha images.
We also went by public bus to the Buddha Park, 25km south east of Vientiane. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues. The socialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park. Was a nice trip.
In heavy rain we also made a walk to Pha That Luang, a national symbol of Laos and an icon of Buddhism in Laos. It is a large, gold-covered Buddhist Stupa.
What else is to say about Vientiane. Loads of ministerial buildings. Wats on every corner. A lot of buildings financed by the Chinese government but also loads of run down empty buildings. Sometimes we walked on the roads and didn’t see any person.
Vientiane is for sure not a hot location to visit, more the arrival or departure point when you visit Laos. 2 days are enough to get a feeling for the city.Read more