Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)
Venturing around Vientiane
Charming country: Vientiane is still a charming place and the beauty of it is the lack of traffic and the lack of hassle from the 'tuk tuk' drivers. As Laos is a Buddhist country, Vientiane has its share of wats and temples. Picture: Liz Price
Sunday, January 11, 2009
I WAS pleasantly surprised at how small Vientiane is. I am always a bit apprehensive in going to a capital city for the first time, as they can be huge and overwhelming places.
Vientiane is the capital and largest city in Laos, but compared to other Asian capitals, it is laidback and almost traffic free. The capital Vientiane only has a population of half a million.
Although I had been to Laos a few times before, I had never flown into Vientiane. So I felt quite at ease finding a small, quiet airport, and I was soon through the formalities. I changed some money and then bought a taxi coupon and again had a nice surprise when I found all the taxis were relatively new cars.
It is a straight road into town, and I was soon at my hotel. I dumped my bag and set off to explore the town. Vientiane is located on the banks of the Mekong River, and I could see this mighty river from my room. Although the river looks wide here, it is actually still roughly only halfway on its long journey from source to sea.
One of the requisites of a stay in Vientiane is to sit on the banks of the Mekong and watch the sunset over the water as its sinks down beyond the Thai horizon. Alternatively you can take your pick of the riverside bars or cafes, and then maybe have a seafood dinner at one of the dozens of outdoor food stalls.
The Friendship Bridge crosses the Mekong to connect Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand, but is 18km downriver so can't be seen from the city. It was dry season when I was there in January and there was a huge dry sandbank visible on the Lao side, which I had seen clearly from the air.
Vientiane is a city steeped in legend and history, and the city is small enough that you can easily walk around the centre and see the sights on foot. There is no need to take transport in the form of "tuk tuks".
A good place to start sightseeing is the Namphou fountain as it is quite central. The fountain circle and gardens are surrounded by colonial buildings, some of which are now cafes with pavement tables. At night the fountain is active and attractively illuminated.
The Lao National Museum is a 2-storey classical mansion opposite the modern town hall. Entry ticket costs US$1 ($1.47). The museum is small enough that it holds your attention, and has a good display on archaeology and prehistory, as well as the section dedicated to the Pathet Lao struggle including a feature on the Vieng Xai caves which were used to hide the government officers during the Vietnam War.
As you walk around you can see the city is a blend of French colonial architecture and gilded temples. The city first became a capital in 1560, but in 1828 was ransacked by the Siamese, who controlled the city for over a hundred years.
The French eventually took control of the city in the late 19th century, hence the abundance of French style architecture.
It is good just to walk around the streets lined with trees, and absorb the atmosphere. The busiest and biggest road is the boulevard which leads to the Pratuxai, which is a large monument very reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built in 1969 to commemorate the people who died in pre-revolutionary wars.
As Laos is a Buddhist country, Vientiane has its share of wats and temples. The two most important are Wat That Luang and Wat Phra Keo, both date back to the 1560s when the capital was established.
The massive gilded stupa of Pha That Luang is 4km northeast of the centre, and is the most important national monument in Laos. Phra Keo is the former temple of the Lao monarchy.
There are at least another five wats in the two blocks between the fountain and the river. It's a pleasant stroll along the riverside road, passing all the pavement cafes and then wandering around the temple grounds.
One of these is Wat Ong Teu, or Temple of the Heavenly Buddha. It is one of the most important temples in Laos, but the original 16th century building was destroyed in one of the wars with the Siamese and has been replaced with a 19th century building.
One stupa that intrigued me was the That Dam or Black Stupa. It is partially overgrown and situated in the middle of a small roundabout.
Legend says that the stupa is home to a dormant 7-headed dragon that came to life during a Lao-Siamese war in 1828 and protected local citizens. The stupa is impressive looking and resembles a bell. Facing it on one side are some old colonial houses.
I felt obliged to visit the Morning Market as it is in the tourist literature, but found it a disappointment.
A new shopping centre full of fashion and hand phone shops seems to have replaced the market, leaving just a very small ethnic market across the road next to the post office.
As Vientiane is so close to Thailand, it is now cashing in on visitors coming over. I found it hard to get authentic Lao food, as most seemed to serve Thai style dishes. The restaurants are quite international and I saw one offering Indian and Malaysian food, as well as several European styles.
And now that the airport is handling flights from local ASEAN countries, several restaurants along the river are serving halal food. I even saw a live goat being dragged into an Indian halal restaurant.
Thankfully there are no Western fast food places, yet, although local and European style coffee shops and bakers are opening up. Dao Coffee is one of the best known of the local coffees. There are few big shops and no large supermarkets, although there are two 'minimarts' that cater for expats.
Vientiane is still a charming place and the beauty of it is the lack of traffic and the lack of hassle from the "tuk tuk" drivers.
You can walk around at your own pace, confident in the fact that the city is small enough that you won't get lost, and you can feel at ease in the peaceful atmosphere. The Brunei Times
Vientiane is the capital and largest city in Laos, but compared to other Asian capitals, it is laidback and almost traffic free. The capital Vientiane only has a population of half a million.
Although I had been to Laos a few times before, I had never flown into Vientiane. So I felt quite at ease finding a small, quiet airport, and I was soon through the formalities. I changed some money and then bought a taxi coupon and again had a nice surprise when I found all the taxis were relatively new cars.
It is a straight road into town, and I was soon at my hotel. I dumped my bag and set off to explore the town. Vientiane is located on the banks of the Mekong River, and I could see this mighty river from my room. Although the river looks wide here, it is actually still roughly only halfway on its long journey from source to sea.
One of the requisites of a stay in Vientiane is to sit on the banks of the Mekong and watch the sunset over the water as its sinks down beyond the Thai horizon. Alternatively you can take your pick of the riverside bars or cafes, and then maybe have a seafood dinner at one of the dozens of outdoor food stalls.
The Friendship Bridge crosses the Mekong to connect Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand, but is 18km downriver so can't be seen from the city. It was dry season when I was there in January and there was a huge dry sandbank visible on the Lao side, which I had seen clearly from the air.
Vientiane is a city steeped in legend and history, and the city is small enough that you can easily walk around the centre and see the sights on foot. There is no need to take transport in the form of "tuk tuks".
A good place to start sightseeing is the Namphou fountain as it is quite central. The fountain circle and gardens are surrounded by colonial buildings, some of which are now cafes with pavement tables. At night the fountain is active and attractively illuminated.
The Lao National Museum is a 2-storey classical mansion opposite the modern town hall. Entry ticket costs US$1 ($1.47). The museum is small enough that it holds your attention, and has a good display on archaeology and prehistory, as well as the section dedicated to the Pathet Lao struggle including a feature on the Vieng Xai caves which were used to hide the government officers during the Vietnam War.
As you walk around you can see the city is a blend of French colonial architecture and gilded temples. The city first became a capital in 1560, but in 1828 was ransacked by the Siamese, who controlled the city for over a hundred years.
The French eventually took control of the city in the late 19th century, hence the abundance of French style architecture.
It is good just to walk around the streets lined with trees, and absorb the atmosphere. The busiest and biggest road is the boulevard which leads to the Pratuxai, which is a large monument very reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built in 1969 to commemorate the people who died in pre-revolutionary wars.
As Laos is a Buddhist country, Vientiane has its share of wats and temples. The two most important are Wat That Luang and Wat Phra Keo, both date back to the 1560s when the capital was established.
The massive gilded stupa of Pha That Luang is 4km northeast of the centre, and is the most important national monument in Laos. Phra Keo is the former temple of the Lao monarchy.
There are at least another five wats in the two blocks between the fountain and the river. It's a pleasant stroll along the riverside road, passing all the pavement cafes and then wandering around the temple grounds.
One of these is Wat Ong Teu, or Temple of the Heavenly Buddha. It is one of the most important temples in Laos, but the original 16th century building was destroyed in one of the wars with the Siamese and has been replaced with a 19th century building.
One stupa that intrigued me was the That Dam or Black Stupa. It is partially overgrown and situated in the middle of a small roundabout.
Legend says that the stupa is home to a dormant 7-headed dragon that came to life during a Lao-Siamese war in 1828 and protected local citizens. The stupa is impressive looking and resembles a bell. Facing it on one side are some old colonial houses.
I felt obliged to visit the Morning Market as it is in the tourist literature, but found it a disappointment.
A new shopping centre full of fashion and hand phone shops seems to have replaced the market, leaving just a very small ethnic market across the road next to the post office.
As Vientiane is so close to Thailand, it is now cashing in on visitors coming over. I found it hard to get authentic Lao food, as most seemed to serve Thai style dishes. The restaurants are quite international and I saw one offering Indian and Malaysian food, as well as several European styles.
And now that the airport is handling flights from local ASEAN countries, several restaurants along the river are serving halal food. I even saw a live goat being dragged into an Indian halal restaurant.
Thankfully there are no Western fast food places, yet, although local and European style coffee shops and bakers are opening up. Dao Coffee is one of the best known of the local coffees. There are few big shops and no large supermarkets, although there are two 'minimarts' that cater for expats.
Vientiane is still a charming place and the beauty of it is the lack of traffic and the lack of hassle from the "tuk tuk" drivers.
You can walk around at your own pace, confident in the fact that the city is small enough that you won't get lost, and you can feel at ease in the peaceful atmosphere. The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2009/01/11/venturing_around_vientiane
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