 Vientiane, Laos
City Guide
Introduction |
Attractions |
Tourist Information Offices |
Entertainment & Eating Out |
Shopping |
Cyber Vientiane |
Getting from A to B |
Tours |
Events
Introduction
Located serenely on the north bank of the broad, languid Mekong River, Vientiane is a very modest capital. It's heart is compact and easily accessible on foot, with bakeries and cafes never too far away. Paddy fields still dot the suburbs, extending close to the city center in places.
Its still a sleepy place, despite the rise in traffic over the last few years, and the town is dotted with fine examples of Laotian temple architecture and French colonial buildings, some tastefully restored, most crumbling. Charming lanes run off the main streets in the heart of town, leading to scenes of life that have changed little over the last few decades.
For the visitor, Vientiane, despite its urbanity, remains quirky while its people are almost as pleasantly relaxed as their rural cousins. Vientiane is also a chance to step back in time to gain an impression of what neighbouring Thai provincial towns were like before breakneck industrialization swept the kingdom.
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Attractions
Vientiane is more colourful and cheerier than any communist European capital. Most places of interest are concentrated in a small area around parallel Setthathirat and Samsenthai roads, including the commercial and administrative districts. Its easy to explore on foot along shady avenues and streets stretching from the pleasant Mekong riverside to Talaat Sao, the morning market.
Surrounded by a lush garden, Wat Si Saket is one of Vientianes oldest temples, although not the oldest Buddhist site - many temples were destroyed during wars in the 19th century. A large wat bearing a strong Thai influence with some fine, but fading Buddhist murals, its home to over 6000 Buddhas of varying sizes and styles. More tranquil than most temples, its worth lingering for a few extra moments in the pleasant garden before returning to the dusty streets.
10 minutes walk west along Setthathirat Rd is Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan, one of the centers of Buddhist theology in Laos. The place never seems overrun with monks. Interesting features include intricate carvings, a large bronze Buddha and a big drum atop a tower.
Hop in a tuk-tuk for a 10-minute ride, via the Arc de Triomphe-like Patuxai, along some could-be-grand avenues to Pha That Luang, a very-sacred, castle-like symbol of Buddhism and the Laotian state. The stupa dates back 400 years, although it was rebuilt early last century. The design embodies Buddhist ideas about ascending to Nirvana, and of course depicts many Buddhas. Theres a few grand buildings, apart from Pha That Luang, the symbol of national sovereignty and Buddhism, the unfinished 1969 Patuxai national monument, and the new Chinese-financed cultural center.
Charting the history of the Pathet Laos march to victory, the Lao Revolutionary Museum is something of a gem as there arent too many communist propaganda halls like this left. Housed in a sprawling mansion on Samsenthai Rd, exhibits include maps, uniforms, and guns used by Laotians or imperialists. Theres also a small exhibition on Laotian culture, geography and geology, which seems to be an afterthought. Open 8-11.30am and 2-4.30pm, weekdays.
Once the Royal Temple, Haw Pha Kaew houses many royal religious artifacts including a throne, manuscripts and bronze drums. Also here are a number of Buddhas, plus a good collection of Laotian Buddhist sculpture. Although it is no longer a temple, some still make offerings on top of a wooden naga. Open 8-11.30am and 2-4.30pm, Tuesday to Friday.
Kaysone Phomvihane Museum is dedicated to the life of the Pathet Lao leader who directed wartime communist forces from a cave in northeast, and became Laos first post-war leader. Its a cult-like place, following his life from a boy in southern Savannakhet province to guerilla leader and architect of a postwar workers utopia. Open 8-11.30am and 2-4.30pm, Tuesday to Friday.
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Entertainment and Eating Out
Although Vientianes nightlife and dining scene has picked up over the last few years, the place isnt overrun with clubs and restaurants. Most streets are deserted by midnight. A few bars and plenty of restaurants, many al fresco and informal, line Fa Ngum St along the Mekong between Chao Anou and Mahosot streets. One block north along Setthathirat Rd and the streets leading to it from Fa Ngum, are more restaurants and bars, including the well-established Sam Lo. These tend to be more upmarket, but still very good value.
Chess Club on Mahosot St is worth seeking out. There are a few bakeries along Setthathirat and Chao Anou. Just off Setthathirat is Nam Phu, the Fountain Circle, which is a pleasant place for drinks. Around it are a few Italian and French restaurants, plus a Swedish bakery.
Talaat Sao, the morning market, actually runs all day and is a great place to join locals for a bowl of noodles or grilled chicken. Baguettes with local pat are also plentiful here.
In the evenings, Chao Anou St and a few of the side streets draw stalls selling bean curd and noodles. There are also a few restaurants here that do noodles and chicken or duck rice.
At the far end of Chao Anou, beyond Samsenthai St near Khun Bulom St is a night market selling pungent curries, grilled chicken, spicy salads and other specialties. Often takeaway only.
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Shopping
Vientiane isnt the place to storm shopping malls for Louis Vuitton or Prada. Instead it offers some of the purest silver, much made into intricate pieces by the countrys tribes, fine ethnic artifacts and clothing, plus many unique wooden household items.
The eastern end of Samsenthai is home to a handful of jewelers, ethnic and antique shops.
Talaat Sao, which includes the dreary state department store, is probably a better place to look; prices are likely to be keener and the range greater. Talaat Sao and the area outside the post office are the places to head for herbal medicine. Prices in shops are more likely to be fixed, although its always worth making an offer.
Fresh food prices in the markets are usually fixed. For other items, good-natured bargaining can often elicit a discount.
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Cyber Vientiane
Its hard to go far along either of Vientianes main thoroughfares, Samsenthai or Setthathirat, without passing a cyber caf. There are more on the latter though and many hotels and guesthouses also offer Internet access. Planet on Setthathirat is one of the largest facilities and is part of Planet Computers. Standard charges are about a few cents per minute.
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Getting From A to B
Outside of Vientiane, travelling by road or boat is a haphazard affair where schedules are extremely elastic. Most buses, often geriatric hand downs from Korea or Japan, only leave when full, which can be very frustrating. Boats can be more reliable, although they often take longer where a more direct, surface road exists. Chartering small boats is another option. Flying is the quickest and most comfortable way to move around Laos.
Taxis are mainly found in Vientiane itself - theyre not cheap compared to tuk-tuks. Many are well past their sell by date too. However, a fleet of relatively new Volkswagens has recently appeared in Vientiane providing a pricey but handy 40-50 km trip to the Thai border.
Also known as jumbos, taxi or samlor, tuk-tuks are common in the capital. Hail a passing three-wheeler by waving a hand up and down, palm facing the ground. Haggling is obligatory, but theyre cheap and go almost anywhere.
There are few rickshaws left in Laos, and most of those doing the cycling are old men with dark, leathery skin. Still nothing quite beats travelling this way. Quiet, and at a steady pace in a comfortable chair, its the perfect way to cruise around town if theres no rush.
Around Vientiane runs a fleet of buses donated by the Japanese government. Unless visiting places far from the city centre, most visitors will have little reason to take a city bus.
Laos has no railways yet, although there are plans to extend the Thai railway from Nong Khai across the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane. Expect a long wait before trains finally chug into Vientiane.
Some of these buses have also been pressed into service on interprovincial routes. They are reasonably comfortable, although the long legged may find them a touch cramped. Theres no aircon.
Also running on interprovincial routes are truck-buses - a truck chassis with a wooden bus body - and songthaews - pick-up trucks with seats running down the sides and a roof to keep the sun and rain out. The great advantage of truck-buses, for men anyway, is that its usually permissible to lounge on the roof, admiring the great scenery once the bus is out of town.
Running along the Mekong and its tributaries, are three types of boats. Cargo boats cruise up to China but the route isnt open to foreigners yet. Long, narrow passenger boats or small speedboats can be chartered, and its not usually a problem to ride on cargo boats within Laos either. Main routes are along the Mekong, Pak and Tha rivers.
Lao Aviation operates services to most provinces, plus a few services to Cambodia, Thailand Vietnam and Kunming in China. Lao Aviation operates low altitude turboprop planes, which are often buffeted by strong turbulence caused by the rugged topography. Combined with the often heavy cloud cover, this makes landing at smaller provincial airports tricky.
Note: Only Vientiane and Luang Prabang are equipped with electronic landing aids. Lao Aviation is strapped for cash and crashes are relatively frequent, with at least two in 2000. Many embassies advise against flying with Lao Aviation.
Taxis and tuk-tuks are readily available at the Wattay international airport, on the edge of town. Hard bargaining may be necessary to gain a reasonable price.
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Tours
Travel agents and hotels in Vientiane, and most provincial capitals, can arrange tours. Diethelm Travel and government-owned SODETOUR are among the leading operators. Centrally located Vientiane makes a good departure point for exploring almost anywhere in the country.
Venture south to the once war torn province of Savannakhet, where the North Vietnamese moved men and supplies through Laos to Vietnam along a network of trails, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Theres not much to see now, although plenty of war debris and chunks of American planes remain. Even so its still something of a hit-and-miss affair. Savannakhet and Xepon on the Vietnamese border are the best places to seek directions and a guide.
Savannakhet town itself is something of an underrated gem. The town is so quiet, you could be forgiven for wondering if anybody was in at times. Most buildings are only two or three storeys high, and many of them bear strong traces of French times. The large market is great for poking around and dining on local food.
Beyond Savannakhet is the Bolavens plateau, an agriculturally rich area producing tea, coffee and fruits. Elephant treks are a good way to see the fair bit of forest left along with the amazing animals.
Cambodias famed Angkor civilization stretched into Champassak province, contributing to Wat Phu, a Hindu temple with its roots in pre-Angkor civilizations, which now lies in ruins. Fortunately theres more than just a pile of stones as much of the temple remains intact, spread across quite a large, pleasant site.
South towards the Cambodian border live river dolphins, particularly around the Si Phan Don islands. They can be seen along this part of the Mekong River and also occasionally the tributary Se Kong River.
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Events
Most Buddhist festivals are held on a full moon day. The dates of other holidays may not be fixed either.
Lunar New Year falls around the middle of April. This festival involves visiting temples, making offerings and dousing everybody in water. These days its quite raucous and great fun, although it used to be a very genteel affair.
In May Visakha Puja, a celebration of the Buddhas birth, enlightenment and death, involves many religious activities at temples and picturesque candlelight marches during the evening. May also sees the Rocket Festival - bamboo rockets are spectacularly fired into the sky to encourage the rains to come, while on the ground, parties and theatre dominate the merrymaking.
The most important time of the year for men to temporarily join the monkhood is in July. Buddhist Lent is the day when monks are supposed to enter one temple and not leave for 3 months to prevent them from wandering and damaging crops.
That Luang Festival, a 7-day November festival held at Pha That Luang in Vientiane, involves fireworks, music, theatre, monks receiving alms, a special temple market and cultural showcase, finishing with a candlelit procession.
December 2nd sees Lao National Day, an obligatory celebration of the 1975 revolution, when the communist Pathet Lao peacefully swept into power. Plenty of parades and speeches a la May Day in the Soviet Union.
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Tourist Information Offices
National Tourism Authority is on Lan Xang Rd, opposite the Bank of Ayudhya and the Centre de Langue Francais. Tel/fax: +856 21 212 013
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