Vientiane…
I was in “Luang Prabang” 2 years ago, and decided I would like to visit the capital of Laos, “VIENTIANE”!!!
Vientiane is the English name but Thai people call it “Vieng Jan”. Anyway, it’s the capital, and the largest city in Laos. The border of Laos connects with Thailand at Nong Kwai Province. You may have heard about the Thai-Laos “Friendship bridge”, this is where it connects to Loas and Thailand.
Get ready for the trip!
1. Visa? For Thai people have your passport ready but for other foreighners in you can apply for the visa at Laos embassy in Bangkok. The visa fee is based on your nationality, for example “American” is about $40 or 1,600 Thai Baht for the one day visa service (You don’t have to show up at the embassy, you can ask someone to do it for you). Another option is visa on arrival at the Vientian Airport but sometimes it’s a very long line…
2. Do we need Laos Money (KIP)? Thai Baht, US Dollars, Japanese Yen are all ready to spend in Loas! Just keep in mind, if you buy something at a small Laos price with your big banknote, you will get change in a mix of currencies and small Laos money in exchange… Try to calculate that in your head!!
That’s why I had all 20 Thai Baht banknotes with me on this trip 😉
Laos money is very small, it’s about 250 Kip for 1 Thai Baht or 7,990 Kip for $1
It took about 55 minutes to fly from Bangkok to Vientiane. There are 3 airlines that operate flights from Bangkok to Vientiace, TG (Thai Airways), Bangkok Airlines and Laos Airline. But I found that the Laos airline online booking process was comfusing. Even though it’s about $100 cheaper to fly Loas airlines, the booking confirmation for Laos airline takes about 3 days!
For this trip, I flew with TG (Thai Air), I left Bangkok about 8pm and got into the Vientiane Airport (Wattay Airport) at about 9pm.
The Wattay Airport is not far from Vientiane downtown, only 20 minutes away! There are taxi services around the airport but I paid extra to have hotel car get me at the airport for 120 Thai Baht per/person.
Salana Hotel , the hotel that I picked from the Agoda website! It’s a special promotion at $100 per night. The Salana hotel is 6 stories, good location, nice new rooms, clean, and good service. I asked for a King bed, I think I got the King of the king bed size! It was huge!! Nice welcome fruit basket and chocolates (I really liked the chocolates) on the first night of our arrival. Buffet breakfast was nice, only the coffee tasted a little funny (I think it was French Coffee)!
There are another hotels around that area that looked good from outside, Chanthapanya Hotel, Settha Palace Hotel, Novotel Hotel and lots and lots of Guest houses around the town!!!
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Day 1 in Vientiane
(Click here to view the full size image, you can download image by right click and save as picture…)
It’s time to get around the town!!! I went to check with the Hotel reception for a car for rent to see Buddha Park. The hotel van charged for this trip $50, included hotel driver. But if I would like to stop at the other places after coming back from Buddha Park, that will be additional cost at $10/hour. It seemed reasonable cost for us (beside that I wasn’t ready to fight with Tuk Tuk driver yet!)
Our hotel driver name is “Kla” (brave), he is very nice and polite guy. He made my trip easier because he speaks Thai very well. He told me that Laos love to speak Thai, it makes them look better than the other Laos who can’t speak Thai!!!
Eventhough, Thai language is very similar with the Laos language…It did confuse me sometime when they said “Sa bai dee” for greeting, because it means “fine” or “I’m OK” in Thai.
Buddha Park or Xieng Khuan
It took about 30 minutes from my hotel to Buddha park. It wasn’t that far but the last 2 Kilometers is on a very rough road. Mr.Kla told me this road was good before, but after flooded it turned like this. The Laos government found that the accidents on this road have decreased since people have to drive slower, so they leave this road just like this because “Bad road makes the local people drive carefully and safely!” Well, it’s really what he told me!
The Budda park is 25 baht or $0.83 for admission fee.
Although it is NOT a temple (Wat) but it is a sculpture park. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues. The socialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park.
The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu Leua who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism. His unique perspective was influenced by a Hindu rishi under whom he studied in Vietnam. After the revolution in 1975, he fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand.
The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons or something that I can’t figure out what it is…
One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin! It has three stories representing three levels – Hell, Earth and Heaven. Visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head (9.8 ft) and climb staircases from hell to heaven. Each story contains sculptures depicting the level. At the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible…It was kind of cool!!!
I do really like this Buddha Park so much, and sure to recommend you to visit if you come to Vientiane.
Mr. Kla saw how I enjoyed the temple, so he told me there is another park similar with Buddha Park, it’s Culture Ethic Park and it’s on the way back in town, so why not to stop???
The admission fee is about 10 Thai baht, or just $0.25!!! But this park is just OK, there are some animal statues but not many that were really interesting. But I did get to feed the monkeys! So if you don’t have much time, you may skip this one…
On the way back in town, I would like to stop at Laos Victory Gate and That Luang. Mr. Kla took me to That Luang first…
That Luang
Pha That Luang (Lao: ພຣະທາດຫຼວງ,’Great Stupa’) is a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa in the centre of Vientiane, Laos.
The stupa has undergone several reconstructions until the 1930s due to foreign invasions to the area. It is generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol.
So the dress Code is polite and kind of cover all, but if you are in shorts, they have a wrap around provided.
It was so hot, I almost passed out! So I changed my mind to not stop for Victory gate today but the Talad Sao would be another good option!
First, I thought “Talad Sao” is Morning Market (Talad is market and Sao is Morning in Thai translator), and that means SHOPPING!! Never really too hot for shopping!!! So it’s a little disappoint from what I’ve expected, it was more of a mall than a market. Mostly Laos silk, electronic stuff and some local souvenirs… Yes, I did find a few things to spend my money on. If I compare the price with my JJ market in Bangkok…I think the price in Laos is little higher, maybe it’s a tourist attraction!
Overall, I didn’t do much shopping, still have hope to try the night market tonight!
It’s about time to feed!!! All of us would like to try Baguette or Laos Subway sandwich (that’s what we called it…)
I don’t know when exactly bread and baguette were introduced into Laos. I only know that they were part of the French culture that came with French rule over this territory…
It’s only one size, footlong! Filled with mayonnaise and paste spread, some dried shredded pork, local white pork sausage, (Chinese) sausage, Tuna, (Chinese) sausage, cucumber and some ketchup. Then they cut it in half and wrap with paper for us, it’s 20 Thai Baht or $0.75 !!!
I bought the Laos baguette from 2 shops, just wanted to try each. It’s very tasty and a good combination of ingredient!!!
Time to get back to relax at my nice hotel, but after we return the hotel van, it’s about 2,600 Thai baht or $86 for the fare today (11.00hrs – 15.00hrs)!!! It’s a little over than the budget for the first day!!!
Sunset? I’ve been waiting for this time!
It’s time for the Night Market, one of my items on the Must-Do-List for this trip. The Vientiane night market starts just after the sunset EVERY NIGHT along the Mekong river.
There are around 30 shops or more, selling different kinds of things such as silk scarves, Lao T-shirts, lamps, cotton bags, Lao skirts and dresses, paintings, souvenirs, etc. The price that they first offer you is kind of a big try, so don’t be shy to practice your bargaining skills. This is one of the best places to buy souvenirs in Vientiane as the boutique shops in the area sell similar items at higher prices. The way this night market is set up and run is not what I expected to see, not that cool… I like the night market in Luang prabang better…
After your shopping spree, you can dine in one of the numerous food stalls in the area.
I found out that there was really no fun shopping in Vientiane. Anyway, I had to find the car to Vang Vieng tomorrow!
The hotel van charged for the trip from Vientiane to Vang Vient 5400 baht or $180 (one way), the private van (outside the hotel) asked for 4000 baht or $134 for one trip as well.
No way…we can’t effort it!!!
So I was back to the public van at 310 baht or $11 per person, and the van will leave Vientiance about 1 pm tomorrow (FYI: There are daily van and bus services at 9am and 1pm).
This cost is so much better for me!
The Last day in Vientiane but it’s the day to Vang Vieng!
After I got the ticket for public van at 1 pm to Vang vieng, we have about half day left in Vientiane. So I ran to the Victory Gate or Patuxai (the one that I couldn’t make it the day before!)
I though to make it easy by getting the tuk tuk to take us there. But it’s kind of INSANE price from the first tuk tuk we tried, 320 baht or $12 for roundtrip (hotel to Patuxai and Patuxai to Hotel). I just walked away from him!
The next guy looked much better and he’s OK for 200 baht or $7 for the round trip! To0 bad, there is no taxi w/meter in Laos…
But it’s a good ride in the tuk tuk around the town, we could see more then what we saw when we were in the van…it’s nice and it looks like they tried to keep everything just what it is for now. No contruction, no high building and not much (big) shoppping or 7-11 at all…
Patuxai (Lao: ປະຕູໄຊ, literally meaning Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument, known by the French as Monument Aux Morts)
This is a war monument in the center of Vientiane, which was built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai is dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. It is also called Patuxai Arch or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane as it resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, it is typically Laotian in design
The admission is about 20 baht/ person. You can see the city view on top of this gate. Also there are some shops for suvenirs between the floors where you walk up to the top…
There are so many places that on our list but we didn’t have time to stop by…
Most of Thai people will go to Wat Phra keaw where used to house the emerald buddha in Grand Palace, Bangkok.
or Ngum lake, the ocean for Laos people (if you see the map, there are no sea in Laos – the this big lake is just like their ocean), and much more thing in Vientiane that we missed for this time.
Well back to the hotel, but we still had time left for the van.
Laos Massage? sound great to me…
The Laos ladies are very small but they are all good! Laos foot massage is 200 baht/hour….
Wait for the van…don’t miss to continue read our trip in Vang Vieng, the adventure trip!
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