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TOURIST DESTINATIONS
VIENTIANE & SUBURBS
Vientiane is the capital of Laos with a population of presently
464.000, located on the bank of the Mekong river. Vientiane’s major
attractions are its scenic Buddhist monasteries and the significant
monuments that dominate the scenery of the capital which include Wat
Sisaket, Ho Phrakeo, Patou-say, That Luang stupa etc..
That Luang,
The great sacred stupa, is the
national symbol of Laos. Its central structure is 45
 meters tall and
echoes the curving line of an elongated lotus bud. The original stupa, said to contain a relic Buddha. Was built by king
Setthathirath in 1566. Then restored in 1935. In November it is the
site of a major annual festival. Thousands of pilgrims flock the
site from all provinces, as well as neighboring coun-tries and
ancient rituals are performed by local people.
Patousay
 Is Vientiane’s “Arc de Triomphe” or
Victory Gate. This landmark on the city’s largest avenue, Lane Xang,
was built in 1958. A walk up the stairs to the top of the monument
reveals a magnificent panoramic view over the city. Vientiane’s
citizens can be seen relaxing and meeting each other in the garden
surrounding the arch.
Ho
Phrakeo
Is on Setthathirath Road, opposite Wat
Sisaket. Now a museum, Ho Phrakeo was built by king Setthathirath on
his return from the Lanna kingdom, part of the Lane Xang Empire, you
succeed to the Lao throne. The temple was home to the famous Emerald
Buddha until a raid in 1779, when Siamese tops took the Buddha to
Bangkok and housed it in the Wat there of the same name. The museum
its gardens contain archaeological and religious treasures from
around the whole country.
Wat Sisaket
Is situated on the corner of
Setthathirath Road and Lane Xang Avenue. Being the only temple that
survived the 1828 destruction of the city by Siamese, it is the
oldest surviving monastery in Vientiane and one of the most
interesting in the whole country. Inside the sim, or main sanctuary
and along the walls of the cloisters surrounding the courtyard are
thousands of niches and shelves containing 6840 Buddha images, These
offerings of all shapes and sizes are made of wood, ceramic, stone,
bronze and silver, the oldest dating back to the 15th Century. Wat
Sisaket is awaiting lengthy restoration and has been included on the
World Monuments Watch List of the World’s 100 Most Endangered
Monuments.
The Lao National Museum
Is situated on Samsenthai Road. This
fine colonial palace is home to a wide collection of artifacts,
documents and pictures depicting the history of the Lao revolution.
Also present are the gifts of nati-ons friendly to Laos and items
from around the country unearthed by Lao archaeologists.
Nam Ngum
I s a man-made lake about two hours
drive from Vientiane. The lake was constructed in the 1960’s to form
the first hydro-electric dam in Laos. Today the lake supports
fishing communities around the area, the largest of which is at Thalat, a bustling little port which boats a floating hotel and
several excellent restaurants serving local freshwater fish. Boat
trips on to the lake provide wonderful views of the stunning scenery
on offer. The lake is surrounded by Phou Kao Khwai (Buffalo horn
mountain) and the peaks of dozens of hills in the valley now form
enchanting islands. Local economic activities such as fish farming
and the logging of the valley’s underwater forests can be witnessed.
The return journey to Vientiane can be made by an alternative route
passing through beautiful hillside villages of Ban Keun, famed for
its boat races, zoological gardens and traditional salt extraction
site. |
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Vang Vieng
 is a famous
part of Vientiane province is located far from Vientiane about 160
km containing a lot of mysterious places such as Caves Patho Nokham,
Patang, Tham Chang, Nam Song river etc.. It is situated for those
who are looking the place to be relaxed throughout quiet atmosphere
and natural attraction, beautiful stalactite and stalactite caves.
LUANG PRABANG (The
World Heritage City)
was the city where the first Lao
Kingdom Lane Xang, which was consolidated in 1353 by the Khmer
supported conqueror Fangum. The city has an immensely rich cultural
heritage and features many monasteries, monuments and customs.
Pi Mai Lao,
 the Lao New Year, is
celebrated around mid-April when the Prabang, is paraded through
streets full of revelers, while the boat races in September attract
visitors from all around the country.
Wat
Xieng Thong
the most temple represents the classic
temple architecture richly decorated as well as the mosaic setting
on red background on the walls with roofs that sweep low to the
ground.
Phousi Hill
Getting up to the top takes 328 steps, but there is
an excellent view of the town.
Other temples such as Wat Visun, Wat Mai, and Wat Pak
Khe can also be visited
National
Museum (former Royal Palace)
It is a good place to visit, the
building constructed in 1904 is laid out in a cruciform shape with
the en-trance on one side. Various royal religious objects are
displayed in the large hall. The most gift-arti-facts including
Prabang, the gold standing Buddha image from 14th century, are
collected at the cor-ner room.
Pak Ou cave
 About 30 km by boat from Luang Prabang
upstream on the Mekong River, housing thousands of all styles and
sizes of Buddha images. The visit is combined with a stopover to see
the rice wine distilla -tion at Ban Xang Hai.
Khouang Si
waterfall
 South of Luang Prabang about 30 km,
tumbles over multi-tiered limestone formations into cool, clear pool
ideal for swimming and relaxation.
 
XIENG KHOUANG (Phonesavanh) PLAIN
OF JARS
 Northeast of
Vientiane, an area of wide plateau and mountains, which used to be
heavily bombed during the Indochina’s and Lao wars. The famous plain
of jars is located near Phonesavanh, the main city. It is reached by
plane from Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The second and third site of
the plan of jars is about 25 km far from Phonesavanh.
The giant jars are
carved out of solid hunks of rock from mountains surrounding the
valley and are estimated to be between 2500 to 3000 years old. It is
believed that Stone Age men who lived in this part of Laos then made
them.
BOKEO (Houei Xay)
Bokeo province in northern Laos is
know as the land of sapphires. The province stretches along the
Mekong to the area where the borders of Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and
Thailand meet. The Golden Triangle. The capital is Houei Xay, an
important river port and border crossing. The province is the home
of many ethnic groups and of gold- and gem prospectors. |
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LUANG NAMTHA (Luang Namtha)
This picturesque
province lies in the northwest of Laos, bordered by Myanmar and
China, and contains 39 ethnic groups. Ancient temples abound of
noticeably different style to temples in other parts of the country,
although some suffered great damage during the war years. A
beautiful winding and road follows the Nam Luang River offering
wonderful vistas of wild countryside. Perched on the hillside,
overlooking and small clearings are the villages of the Tai Luan
tribe.
MOUANG SING
The
main market town where trade between Lao and Chinese traders
bustles. The border post of Boten and a traditional salt extraction
site are nearby.
OUDOMXAY (Muang Say)
 Oudomxay is an extremely mountainous
province wedged between Luang Prabang, Phongsaly and Sayabouri
provinces and sharing a short boundary with China. H’mong. Ikor,
Lamet and Tai Dam people are prominent among the population. The
capital Muang Say, lies between two strings of H’mong villages. A
pretty waterfall lies eleven kilometers from the town. Also around
are a salt site and hot springs.
PAKBENG
Pakbeng lies on the Mekong at the
border of Sayabouri
and Bokeo Province. This is a
good transit point for road trips north to Muang Say and Houei Xai.
PHONGSALY (Phongsaly)
 Phongsaly is at the northern tip of
the country, bordering both China and Vietnam. The districts of
Phongsaly are inhabited by more than twenty ethnic groups including
the Loma, Ikor, Pusang and Tai Dam. From Phongsaly it is possible to
reach Muang Say, Yunnan province in China and Luang Prabang.
SAYABOURI (Sayabouri)
 This is the only remaining Lao
province west of the Mekong and has some custom not found elsewhere
in Laos. The territory is mountainous, with several peaks of over a
thousand meters, and densely forested, yet it is one of the
country’s chief agricultural regions. Sayabouri tow is best reached
by road and ferry from Luang Prabang. It is famous for its elephants
and timber products. Look out for walking canes fashioned as snakes.
These have long been used to divine future events by the locals.
HUAPHANH (Viengxay)
Huaphanh province,
a mysterious, beautiful and abundant land, is situated in the North
East of Laos, bordered by Xieng Khouang and Luang Prabang to the
west and Vietnam to the east.
It was the base of
the Lao People’s Revolutionary activities and especially the
historic interest as the geographical heart of the liberation
struggle. The principal town is Viengxay the former name know as
Nakai, according to the former time this area had many of birds,
reptiles, wild animals.
The province is
also a famous by limestone mountains and caves: more than one
hundred caves are located in this area, such as Tham Than
Souphanouvong, Tham Than Kaysone and Tham Than Khamtay. Salen and
Nasala villages are well known for their weaving and local
handicrafts. Located in Xiengkho district on route 6, about 125 km
out of Sam Neua. |
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BOLIKHAMXAY (Paksan)
Is located in the
central Laos in the narrow “neck” with moderately high mountains
sloping southwest into the Mekong valley. Vientiane and Xieng
Khouang provinces lie to the north, Khammouane pro-vince to the
south. Paksan the capital town is a commercial center. In
Bolikhamxay province, between Vientiane and the provincial capital
Paksan, a “footprint of Buddha” - shrine at Wat Phra Bat is an
im-portant pilgrimage site.
The most famous
attraction of the region is the striking landscape. At Ban Nahin,
Poupha Mane, a stone forest featuring thousands of rock pinnacles,
can be found. Due its proximity to Lak Xao, the letter is within
easy reach for tourists crossing to Vietnam. South of Lak Xao, the
still pristine forests of Nam Thuen, protected area with varieties
of wild life.
Lak Xao
 Touted as the government’s “model
community” Lak Xao is a relatively young city. Built on the back of
the hydro-power industry, the area has been heavily populated since
1984, when there were just seven huts in the village. Lak Xao has
now a population of more than 40.000 people, including a wide
variety of ethnic minorities.
KHAMMOUANE (Thakhek)
 The central province of Khammouane
formed part of the ancient kingdom of Sikhotabong. Eight kilometers
along the Mekong bank from Thakhek, the provincial capital, stands
the Ninth Century That Sikhotabong. The ruins of the “Sikhotabong
Great Wall” surrounded the area. Eighteen kilometers from Thakhek is
Tham Nang Ell, the “cave of angels”, famed for its cool breeze which
is explained by local legend as the welcoming fan for guest of
Sikhotabong Kingdom.
SARAVAN (Saravan)
The remote
province of Saravan offers some of the most spectacular natural
scenery in the country. Visit the Tad Xet waterfalls and explore the
area on the back on an elephant. Comfortable bungalows hang over the
edge of the falls for a romantic overnight stay. This is the
Bolavens plateau, inhabited by some of the
  
world’s most secluded
tribes people. Their reliance on primitive tools and their
fascination animist rituals endear them to visitors who have the
privilege to meet them. The Bolavens has a cooler climate than most
of Laos and was used by the French to develop agriculture. The
coffee plantation grows delicious coffee, which can be enjoyed in
the most beautiful of surroundings.
SAVANNAKHET (Khanthabouly)
Savannakhet province is located in the
central part of the country. The importance of Savannakhet province
rests on its strategic position for communication an commerce via
the road to Danang Vietnam. It is also the country’s most populous
province. Its main tourist attractions are surrounding villages,
which are among the most typical and beautiful of the country,
especially Kengkok. The sanctuary of That Ing Hang hold special
ceremonies in the third month of the year. Interesting Khmer ruin
are found at Ban Heuane Hine, Wat Xayaphoume is renovated for its
pali ancient.
Dinosaur
exhibition hall
Located in the provincial capital on
Khanthabouly Road, the Hall houses an impressive collection of
fossils excavated from the 1930s onward. |
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That Ing Hang
stupa
 A sacred religious site of national
importance, Ing Hang stupa is located about 15 km to the east of
Khanthabouly. It was built during the reign of king Sikhotabong and
is meant to the mark place where the Buddha rested while visiting
the kingdom of Sikhotabong.
Heuane Hine
Heuane Hine (Stone House) is a shrine
built by the ancient Khmer to the glory Empire. It is located in Ban
Dong, Dokmay Songkhone district.
Wat
Xayaphoume temple
Wat Xayaphoume is one of the oldest
temples in Savannakhet and is located in the center of the province.
The temple was constructed after 1542 and restored in 1917.
That Phone stupa
That Phone, a sacred stupa in
Savannakhet, was constructed over a long period, between 557 and
700. Every year, during the February full moon, the festival of the
stupa is celebrated, reminiscent of the days when the temple served
a shrine for offerings made to Shiva and other Hindu Gods.
ATTAPEU (Attapeu) & SEKONG (Sekong)
 Accessible by road from Pakse or
Saravan, Attapeu and Sekong are the most isolated and wild provinces
in the country. Home to people with a reputation for ferocity and
supernatural customs, this area offers large tracts of pristine
forest and almost in accessible mountain villages. Wild elephant and
tigers are said to still roam in these provinces, which contain no
towns of any size and little in the way of modern facilities. The
tribes here include the Katu, Alack, Nge and Lave. A lucky visitor
may glimpse the famous buffalo dance of the Katu, but everyone is
impressed by the natural beautiful of the area and the unchanging
ways of its people.
CHAMPASAK (Pakse)
An hour’s flight
south from Vientiane lays the ancient kingdom of Champasak and its
modern capital, Pakse. Established by the French at the confluence
of the Mekong and Se Don river, the city is known for its silk and
cotton hand-woven materials, Two hours by boat down the Mekong
brings you to the old capital Champasak, and the magnificent Wat
Phou.
Wat Phou
 This temple is
dating from the seventh or Eight century. Is the work of Khmer
stonemasons and is contemporary with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Wat Phou
is part of a huge city complex, which is still almost entirely
covered by thick forest. The temple is built at the foot and on the
slopes of a sacred mountain topped by a lingo like summit. The area
is rich in history and natural beauty. Wat Phou festival in February
is an unforgettable experience as thousands of pilgrims flock the
site carrying flowers, candles, in-cense and scented water. At this
time the sacred Champa trees lining the great walkway are in bloom,
and visitors gazing at the Hindu and early Buddhist iconography are
further enchanted by the perfume of Lao’s national flower.
Si Phan Don
  Further down the
Mekong, near the Cambodia border, are the Si Phan Don, or Four
Thousand Is-lands. The river is white here and fresh water Irrawaddy
dolphins can be seen around the rapids. The biggest of the islands
is Don Khong, which enjoys a tropical climate and offers beautiful
walks. An old colonial railroad and bridge survive and there are
many boat trips available to the smaller islands.
Khone Phapheng waterfall
Around 60 km from Pakse, on the
Cambodian border is the grand Khonephapheng waterfall, the most
famous
in Laos and a site well north seeing.
LAOS A NEVER ENDING DISCOVERY. |
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