Vientiane, Laos

by - August 03, 2017

Vientiane, Laos

Before anything else, I know you might be wondering why would a person visit Laos, and what can we see in Laos, btw? So for starters, if you haven't seen my Luang Prabang travel diaries, better head there now. And Vientiane? Well, this is the capital of Laos and to be honest, there isn't much to see but as an avid traveler, I am trying to visit all Southeast Asian countries before I explore other places. As the saying goes, love your own. You see, Philippines is part of SEA so there...

Oh, and to answer your questions on what can we see in Vientiane? There's Buddha Park, Pha That Luang, and Patuxai, to name the most famous ones. You can see Vientiane in a single day, unlike Luang Prabang where you need to allot at least 2 days to see the most of it. 

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos
Laos is abundant in Jackfruit
Vientiane, Laos

This is our day 5 on our HAN-LPQ-VTE-BKK tour and we're 2 blog post away from finishing this travel series. :) What I actually like about this trip is this is actually my first time to do border crossing. Like land border crossing and it was definitely cool. 

So anyway, we didn't do border crossing from Luang Prabang to Vientiane as it is both in Laos. From Luang Prabang, we hopped on an overnight bus which is a little different from what I rode when we're in Thailand... But still, we arrived in Vientiane safe and sound and a little too early that we don't even know what to do to kill time. 

Our first agenda was to get tickets to Udon Thani, Thailand because we depart for Thailand that night and expect to arrive in Bangkok the next day. So we went to the ticket office... and to our dismay, it opens at 8am but come 8am, there's still no one selling an Udon Thani ticket. So we waited until 9 but still no one. 

We decided to go through our itinerary for the day and just go back to the ticketing office. We had our breakfast at the bus station ('coz that's how you do it ala backpacker, lol) then we rode a bus going to the Buddha Park. 

Vientiane, Laos
Bus to Buddha Park

Vientiane, Laos
Entrance to Buddha Park

Vientiane, Laos

Buddha Park or Xieng Khuan in its local name has more than 200 religious sculpture. It was built by a monk who focuses on both Buddhism and Hinduism in 1958. Actually, during our excursion here, the weather was quite bipolar as when we're in Buddha Park, it is raining hard then it became sunny come lunch time. 

We had to wait for the rain to stop. The ground got muddy and it was a hassle walking around. We also encountered some Filipinos in the area. :)

I think the park isn't extravagant. I mean it was just a normal park with Buddha statues. The best spot for taking photos is above the biggest statue as it has stairs leading to a little viewing deck. 

Vientiane, Laos
Look how muddy it was :(

Vientiane, Laos

After Buddha Park, we went back to the ticketing office and luckily, someone's already selling tickets. So that day, we depart for Udon Thani at around 4 PM.

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

We still have so much time though. Next is we went to the Patuxai Victory Monument. This monument is very historic as this was built to honor those Lao people who fought freedom and independence from the French colony. The architecture also of the monument is very similar to Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The ceiling is very detailed. Also, the monument has a viewing deck wherein you can see a great view above. 

There is a total of seven floors. Some floors have vendors selling different stuff while 3 top most floors are for viewing purposes. 

The monument looks like it was straight from a French history book. For me, this is the highlight of this Vientiane trip. I was able to see the Patuxai up close. 

Vientiane, Laos
Look how big it is!

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos
View from Patuxai

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos
Look at those details

Vientiane, Laos

Right after Patuxai, we went to Pha That Luang where unfortunately I think it was ongoing some renovations/maintenance but lucky for us, there's this nearby temple where they are celebrating something. I don't know what they are celebrating but they all seemed happy. They're giving free drinks and food for everyone. Then there's a mini parade inside and there's also a live band performing. 

It was very festive. We stayed there just to watch these people have fun. 

Vientiane, Laos
Pha That Luang

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

So it seems we already saw the main attractions. We went back to the bus station and ate lunch to a nearby cafeteria. I was also able to try their bagel bread with some filling inside. It was surprisingly good! We waited for the bus departure and we're off to Udon Thani. :)

It was a fun experience especially the border crossing! haha. We all had to get off at the immigration area and have our passports stamped while the bus waits for us. I think we arrived in Udon Thani at around 7 pm.

For a moment I felt so relieved because finally.. here we come Thai food!!! Haha. I also saw another Robinson's mall. Loool. So we bought our overnight bus ticket to Bangkok in Udon Thani then we had dinner. 

Vientiane, Laos
Border of Laos and Thailand

And this is how we spent our day 5 in this backpacking journey. Writing this down makes me want to pack my bags again and just go somewhere else. 

Next up is our Bangkok escapade. Watch out for it. :)

Cheers! xx

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10 comments

  1. Wow, just like what you have mentioned that Vientiane doesn't own a lot of places to explore, but reading your blog post seemed that the capital of Laos has a lot to offer. I love how you covered everything here, from their beautiful Buddha Park, Pha That Luang, and Patuxai,which I find it really interesting. I also love how you have shown their rich and colorful culture. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

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  2. I read most posts of this tour.It seems you had great 5 days around these countries.Buddha Park sounds really interesting.It seems the park is with lot of Buddha statues.Also other views are fascinating.The traditional dress of these girls are really colourful and beautiful!

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  3. Vientiane looks like a very non-touristy place to visit where you can explore the real life of the locals. The festival you encountered sounds like something I would love to attend. I am always looking for cultural activities when I travel.

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  4. I would love to visit this country also. It was in my plans before. But it didn't push through. Hopefully, I could still visit it in the future with my kids.

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  5. This post screams tradition and culture. I saw Laos as a colorful and happy place. Something worth experiencing. It is not common to travel there but people should open their minds in visiting the place.

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  6. Seems there aren't too much attractions but I love the festivity youve seen and attended. That alone speaks more about the place's culture and way of living. And I am excited as well to try cross boarding. Seems fun.

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  7. Oh my goodness, the Laotian women dress up really well. Are they beautiful, yes indeed. I had never imagined that Vientiane would look so glamorous! Thanks to your effort, this city is indeed a photogenic place. Keep traveling, keep writing Maaya.

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  8. Looks like there's lots to do in Laos! It was never a "must visit" place for me, but if I had the chance, of course, I would want to go! The Buddha Park doesn't look like the best park in the world, but it's still pretty... and at least they still have this park. I wish we had more parks in the Philippines. Pha Tat Luang and Patuxai look pretty amazing too. Oh, and what a fun festival! You went there at the right time, just when they were celebrating something. Free drinks and food, plus band performances? Awesome! Such a colorful and interesting place! And the costumes are so pretty!

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  9. Wow I did not know that Laos was so interesting and colorful. I have to admit that I never considered Laos as my possible traveling destination. That is because I did not know anything about it, despite my often trips to neighboring countries.But know it looks like I might visit it after all, and possible sooner than expected.

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  10. I saw Patuxai as well from a travel blogger of mine. For me, when I visit Laos, I think it that will be the highlight too. Anyway, it's sad that the Pha That Luang is being renovated. But, at least, you got to see a festive celebration of theirs. It's such a cultural experience.

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