Living the Life in Laos! (Part 1): Vientiane Basics!

- November 22, 2025, Saturday.

- OMG I'M IN LAOS!! And the reason why I'm so happy to say this is because it has been in my radar for so so so so many years, but it is only now that I had the chance to visit it. It's not too far from Manila, though the lack of direct flights to Laos may have discouraged me to visit the country (if not as a side trip from Thailand or any nearby Southeast-Asian country.) Plane fares and waiting times while on transit in a third country are often long. Options going to a further country like India were often cheaper. However, plane options going to Laos from Manila are better now (price and schedule-wise), at least based on what friends have told me. 

- I took an AirAsia flight from Don Mueang International Airport (my first time in this airport too!) going to Laos' capital city of Vientiane (pronounced correctly as "vieng-chan"). It was a short one-hour flight from Bangkok, and one nap later I was already hovering above the endless picturesque mountains of Laos until I reached Vientiane.

- Public transportation isn't the best in Laos, so some ride-hailing mobile apps are available in most major cities such as inDrive (but only with VPN!), Loca (local Lao ride-hailing app), or Kokkok (I didn't use this though). I took an inDrive car from the airport straight to the city center, which wasn't far away. I stayed at Peaceful Hotel, between the downtown area and the Patuxai monument. I think it had a nice location at a slightly quieter (but still central-ish) part of the city.

My room was unusually huge. I love it for what it is, and I also understand that the hotel hasn't been open for a year so they're still expanding (but I had a wonderful stay!!)

I late realized, based on the hotel's buildings....that it used to be a school!! Hahahaha. And my unusually huge room was a classroom!! -- My work follows me everywhere hahahaha. (I asked the hotel staff by the way, and they confirmed my suspicions.)

- I was allowed to check-in really early so I was able to freshen up and walk all the way to the Patuxai Monument. Also called the Victory Monument or Victory Gate, it was finished in 1968 to celebrate Laos' victory from France. (Ironically, it looks like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.) Visitors may go up the monument and see some exhibits and information about the monument, and the view of Vientiane at the roof top. 

That Dam, or Black Stupa, located near my hotel. It is estimated to be 500 years old, and is believed to house a 7-headed naga (mythical serpent) that protects the people of the city.

Saw this nice mural! (And yes, a good way to be welcomed to Laos!!)

Patuxai!

Artwork underneath the monument. It bears mythological figures.

Slightly Zoomed out.

AT the rooftop.

The highest point of the monument.

From the second level.

From the side.

From across the street. (You'll see the Lao flag, but also the communist flag. Laos is a one-party communist state by the way.)

- On the way back to the hotel, I passed by Talat Sao to find myself some Lao scarves and a Lao traditional shirt. Talat Sao is the morning market, which in recent years has taken the appearance of a mall. It doesn't feel too much like a local market anymore, but it does seem more convenient as stores appear more organized (haggling is also permitted!!) The indoor market has souvenirs, Lao traditional clothing, fabric, modern clothes, food, and more!

I was slightly confused because I found photos of Talat Sao as an actual market, only for me to realize that this isn't the case anymore since this mall was built.

The mall looks big but I saw that the upper floors didn't seem to have many stores. So I stayed at the ground floor. There was a basement level but didn't get to check that out.

There are many store like this one, selling Lao traditional fabrics and clothes.

I love traditional Lao woven fabrics because of how colorful and intricate the designs are.

This is how the market/mall looks like.

- I freshened up a second time after walking quite a but, and changed clothes, before going to Buddha Park, which is quite far from the city center. Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), opened in 1958, was built by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat who designed the Hindu-Buddhist statues in the park. Though not a proper temple as it is more of a sculpture park, it does inform people about spirituality to some degree. It reminds me of Bahay na Bato in La Union here in the Philippines (see here).

This big reclining Buddha is one of the park's most recognizable statues.

The sphere of life. (Not sure how to call it; other websites call it a pumpkin or turnip haha.)

Inside this sphere (or pumpkin, or turnip) has three levels representing hell, earth, and heaven.

The top level, representing heaven, gives visitors a view of the whole park.

This is another recognizable Buddha statue in the park, with many heads and hands.

This is Inda, on his elephant.

This is Shiva.on his bull, Nandi.

- My InDrive driver, who was kind enough to wait for me since it may be a bit difficult to get a car to back the city, brought me to my next destination, which was the COPE Visitor Centre. COPE  (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) was established in 1998 to help victims of landmines and explosives in Laos. These explosives have been around since the Lao Civil War from the 1950s to 1975, which was in relation to the neighboring Vietnam War. The visitor centre was opened in 2008 to help spread awareness of COPE's projects and the effects of the war.

COPE Visitor Centre (the centre also has a local restaurant at the gate, where I had a simple lunch.)

Bombs.

COPE has been providing so much help to these people.

They provide prosthetics, physical therapy, and other forms of aid for these victims.

- Just around the corner from the visitor center is Wat Si Muang. Built in the 1500s, making it one of the oldest temples of the city, the temple was named as such because a pregnant lady named Si Muang sacrificed herself to save the city. Back then, workers made a hole in the ground hitting a water source, which led to the city at risk of being flooded. To appease the gods, Si Muang jumped into the hole and the sacred pillar that appeared from the hole held her spirit, now revered as a guardian of the city. Hence, the main prayer hall at the back has a pillar instead of a Buddha statue.

Wat Si Muang.

Front hall, with Buddhist monks talking to devotees. and praying over/with them

Back hall with the sacred pillar.

Temple entrance.

This isn't Wat si Muang anymore, but I passed by this while walking on the way to the city center.

The photo above was from this, and this is called the City Pillar Shrine (Hor Lak Muang). This was completed in 2012.

- Walking back to the center, I stopped over Ho Phra Keo, built in 1565 originally as the home of the Emerald Buddha, now in Bangkok's Royal Palace in Thailand. Since the 1970s, the temple was converted to a small museum dedicated to Buddhist artifacts (photos not allowed inside). 

Ho Phra Keo Museum.

- Right beside Ho Phra Keo is Wat Sisaket. It was built in the 1800s by King Anouvong, the last king of the Kingdom of Laos. The temple survived the Lao Rebellion headed by King Anouvong in an attempt to assert Lao identity and sovereignty, even though the Siamese destroyed Vientiane. This makes Wat Sisaket the oldest-standing temple in its original form (there are older temples standing in Vientiane like Wat Si Muang, but they are not in their original appearance anymore). The temple is also recognizable for its cloisters that house a few thousand Buddha statues.

Cloisters.

It was a bit difficult to get a photo with the cloisters because of random pillars and other artifacts.

See the details of Buddhas.

Another photo with the cloisters.

Main hall or "sim".

Passed by the Presidential Palace. It was intended to be a royal residence when it was being built in the 1970s, before the Pathet Lao took over the government and arrested the former royal family. The building, finished years later in 1986, became a government function hall. 

The Patuxai seems to look a lot better from afar.

- I had to rest my legs for a while before seeing Vientian's nightlife. I guess I was in a quiet part of town....or it's just that Vientiane was so quiet because many times I felt like I was the only person walking, even during daytime. The quietness can get eerie or unsettling at night. But as I made my way towards the night market in Chao Anouvong Park, I felt comfortable seeing more people even though majority of them were tourists.  

- The night market has two parts (?). The main market is in the middle of Chao Anouvong Park, closer to the Quai Fa Ngum Street side. This is where people can find things to buy like souvenirs, traditional clothes, and everyday things like modern clothes, electronics, and toys. The second part of the market is across the street by the river. This is where people can buy food (al fresco dining), with another side being an amusement park.

Chao Anouvong Statue, erected in 2010 in celebration of Vientiane's 450th foundation anniversary.

Love the moon, love my phone camera that can take photos like this of the moon.

Night market.

Food area by the riverside.

I had bitter gourd with egg, squid, rice, and a melon shake.

I passed by Ho Kang Temple on the way back to the hotel. The temple was built in 1963 by the Teochew Chinese community. They were celebrating something (not sure what it was, maybe the birthday of a god) so they hired a traditional Teochew opera troupe to perform for the people, but mainly for the gods. Temple performances like these are free.

- My first day in Laos was more eventful than I had imagined. Most places were within walking distance from each other, making sightseeing so much more convenient. Vientiane might be ASEAN's sleepiest capital, but it is a city that tells many stories for people who wish to understand it.