November 19 to 24, 2019
Population 820,000 (2015)
Capital of Laos People Democratic Republic (PDR)
After an amazing and intense month in Vietnam, it was time to leave for a quieter place. We flew from Saigon on November 19, towards Vientiane in Laos. It was refreshing to hang out at an airport where we saw 787, A350, A320 Neos… (I know, geek!)
We took a propeller aircraft ATR72 and stopped in Pakse, in South Laos, both for immigration but mainly to refuel. It’s been a while since it occurred to us, given that airplanes cover long ranges now.
As we arrived in Vientiane, we noticed the difference with Vietnam right away. Everything was so calm and quiet compared to HCMC, Hanoi or even small towns in the Mekong Delta.
Although Vientiane is a capital, it feels like a province town, there are almost no buildings more than 3 levels-high and there are a lot less people.
We loved the atmosphere so much that we extended our stay and stayed 5 days there, spending some days just wandering through the city with no particular goals in mind.
There are of course many things to do and visit in Vientiane. Here is what we did.
Phat That Luang
the most important national religious site in Laos, it is recovered with gold leaf. Built in 1566, it supposedly contains a hair of Buddha. The site was one of the few spared in the Siam attack in 1828 that left the city empty.
History Bubble: In 1828 the Siamese defeated Lao army and wasted no time in razing the city and carting off much of the population. Wat Si Saket, the base for the Thai invaders, was the only major building to survive, and the city was abandoned.
Wat Si Saket
Built between 1819 and 1824, believed to be Vientiane’s oldest surviving wat (temple).
Architecture bubble: Temples in Laos look very different from the Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhist temples. Colors are bright on the roof, on the inside and outside walls (usually red and gold). Their roofs are multi-leveled which gives a slender look albeit imposing one to the building. Detailed work is everywhere: on the roof, naga sculptures (a caring water serpent, very important in Lao tradition) stand out against the sky and on the walls exquisite bas-reliefs or mosaic.
Vientiane is home to many temples, here is a selection of photos
Buddha in nirvana state
History Bubble: In 1867, French explorers arrived but it wasn't until late in the century, after Vientiane had been made capital of the French protectorate, that serious reconstruction began. A simple grid plan was laid out for the city and a sprinkling of colonial-style mansions and administrative buildings emerged. In 1928 the 'city' was home to just 9000 inhabitants.
Patuxai (Victory monument)
A symbolic landmark of Vientiane, aligned with the Presidential Palace, it is a bulky structure. Commemorating the Lao who died in prerevolutionary wars, it was built in 1969 with cement donated by the USA intended for the construction of a new airport.
History Bubble: Laos is the most heavily bombed country per inhabitant in History during 1964-1973 period. Dubbed the "Secret war", the country suffered of “collateral damages” of the Vietnam war, especially the Ho Chi Minh Trail bombing that extended across all of Laos. A political instability within the country (an alliance between the rising Pathet Lao party and the Viet Minh) involved US support to re-establish the former party in power and maintain the Royal Lao Government.
According to official figures, the US dropped 2,093,100 tons of bombs.
Reality Bubble: 80 millions of unexploded ordnance (UXO) remain scattered across the country today. Unfortunately, 40 accidents per year still occur today leading to severe injuries or deaths. Children are the most exposed as they don’t realize the danger when they find UXO (looking like metal balls, the perfect toy). Awareness campaigns are on-going in villages at risk to lower the accident rate. In parallel, complete UXO clearance timeline was recently reduced from 2100 down to 2021, thanks to a new evidence-based technique.
COPE center
stands for Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise, the main source of artificial limbs, walking aids and wheelchairs in Laos – a consequence of the UXO accidents.
Naema was especially shaken after the visit, although the images were not graphic. The facts cannot leave anyone indifferent.
For more information and videos, please consult the COPE website
Vientiane was surprisingly very French in many ways. We crossed many French tourists (much more than in Vietnam). Shops use French names. There is a large offering of French restaurants and food (more croissants and bakeries than in all Georgia 😉). Government building signs are written in both Lao and French. There is even l’Institut Pasteur, Électricité du Laos, and some other remnants of the French protectorate. Sometimes, we were wondering where we were…
French Institute
Our oasis in Vientiane where we went twice. A French concentrate with a library, classrooms, even a café with French dishes… and French expats hanging out, French spoken everywhere… it felt like a bubble.
The first time we went, the girls stayed for 6 hours in the library reading and perusing books and comic books with a lunch break of only 30 minutes. The parents were writing the blog and just chilling in the meantime (no kids! Yay!!). The second time, we went back with another French family and the 3 girls stayed for 3 hours surrounded with books.
In Vientiane, we started meeting travelling families. First, we met Sylvana, Vincent and their 2 boys. They were leaving for Luang Prabang the same day but we got to see them again in North Laos. We also met Rémy, Aline and their 11-year-old daughter and we got to hang out for a couple days. That family is travelling for 2 months in Thailand and Laos by bicycle (a tandem for Dad and daughter and a bike for the Mom, very inspiring!). The girls got along really well and we even saw that Naema’s behavior becoming more mature just by hanging out with an older girl. And for us, the parents, we had a great time, sharing travel and life stories! We should see them again in Bangkok around Christmas time…
Lao Textile Museum
A museum where looms are still in use by weavers every day, working on silk scarves or sins (traditional Lao skirts). We were explained the process of silk production (from worms to usable silk thread), dyeing (with indigo and other natural elements such as mango tree leaves), and weaving simple to complex schemes. We even got to try weaving, all of us, which was a great experience. First, press the pedal to open the separate the top from bottom (shedding), then ship a shuttle with the yarn across the warp (picking), then release the pedal and push the thread with the reed (beating up).
The girls loved it and even explained the process to a French couple who wanted to try.
We also tried a magic tea. Initially blue, it was turning purple as soon as we added a few drops of lemon juice.
Vientiane was our introduction to Lao food. We tried the laap (minced meat with fresh herbs including a lot of mint), lao sausage and phat lao (close to the pad thai we know in North America).
On the caffeine side, how happy were we to find Lao coffee! It is brewed with a cloth filter resembling a large sock to make it very strong, then mixed with sugar and sweetened condensed milk (like the Vietnamese coffee). We drank it just black and got the same “yike” reaction from the Lao as we did from the Vietnamese.
Black coffee is hot though, unlike the Vietnamese which is warm, because brewing time is much shorter (1-2 minutes vs. 5 min for the Vietnamese).
On the sweet side, there was a large variety of sweets in restaurants and bakeries, to our delight.
And lots of fresh fruit and juices... yummy
We left Vientiane with many things we still wanted to do. And it was a recurring sentiment in Laos as you will read on…
Coralie & Salah
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