Top most famous architectural works in Laos #2

Laos - the Land of a Million Elephants (Van Tuong) is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. The architectural style influenced by Buddhism is clearly shown through the typical works introduced in the article below, we invite readers to follow along.

Si Muang Temple

Si Muang Pagoda - sacred temple and the soul of Vientiane capital. The pagoda stands out with its bright yellow color and solemn tiled roof in a peaceful space, making visitors here feel like entering a sacred and mysterious Buddhist spiritual world. Si Muang Pagoda has an area of ​​about 2 hectares. With a traditional Lao temple structure, the temple includes the following works: The main church worshiping Buddha, the area worshiping Mother Si Muong. The temple grounds contain many Buddha statues, the most notable of which is the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha placed under the canopy of a Bodhi tree. 6 standing statues, one lying statue symbolizes the sacred protection of the Holy Mother


These statues are also an impressive highlight in the Si Muang Pagoda project. The main church is divided into two rooms, the front room is quite simple, there is a monk sitting and tying threads to the hands of people asking for blessings. The back room is the altar room - also an important room in the church, occupying most of the church area.


In the back hall of the pagoda, located in the middle space is a large and strange stone block. This stone pillar is penetrated straight into the ground and the altar is built around the stone pillar. It is known that this stone pillar is one of two pillars protecting the city of Vientiane and the pillar in Si Muang is the mother pillar, while the father pillar is located in That Luang protecting the Buddha's relics.

The inner space is also the main space in the temple, decorated very carefully, the decorative details are also sophisticated and extremely sophisticated. At the main gate of the palace, visitors can see paintings and bas-reliefs depicting the main stages and milestones of the legendary Mother Si Muang and Buddha. The temple was built on the ruins of a Khmer temple. Behind the main temple, there are still ruins of the old temple, the entrance and an old building with traditional Khmer style.

Buddha statue park

About 25 km southeast of the capital Vientiane, Buddha Park appears with a simple, peaceful and intimate scene. This place is a complex of hundreds of statues cast according to Buddhist legends.


Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan, was donated and built by monk Luang Pu Bunleua ​​Sulilat in 1958. In the park, there are more than 200 statues of Buddha, Hindu gods and also a statue of a monk. number of mascots, demons and people, all cast in cement.


In this complex, there is also a large structure called Hades Cave, shaped like a giant pumpkin. The cave door is over 2 meters high and is the mouth of the devil. Inside the cave you can climb the stairs and visit three floors symbolizing Hell, Earth and Heaven. In the center of the park is a giant reclining Buddha statue about 40 meters long, with a relaxed appearance like the posture of the Buddha entering Nirvana. The Buddha's face is simple and tolerant with a wide forehead, slightly closed eyes and smiling lips.

Patuxay Gate Arc de Triomphe

Patuxay located at the end of Lan Xang Avenue (Lang Xan) or Thanon Luang Avenue northeast of Vientiane capital is a symbol of victory for the Lao people. Most tourists coming to the capital of Laos spend time visiting Patuxay, which is considered the symbol of this city. Patuxay (or Patuxai) is compared to the city's triumphal arch by the people of the Land of a Million Elephants. The project was built to honor the soldiers in the resistance war against the French of the Lao people.


Patuxay is located in the middle of the main street of the most beautiful street in the capital, where no matter which direction you go from, you can recognize it from afar. In the middle of a street intersection, Patuxay welcomes the dawn of a new day and is also a place to watch the sunset clearly at night.


Patuxay has many other names such as vertical runway, cement monster or Champs Elysée of the East. The project was built from 1962 to 1968. After being unfinished many times due to lack of funding and many other reasons, until now Patuxay has not really been completed. For the people of Laos, the reason the project cannot continue to be built is because it represents part of the country's poor history. The project also serves as a message to future generations to know about the difficult past and strive to build the country in the future. Patuxay is somewhat similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris but has the identity of Lao culture. These are Kinari decorative images - half woman and half bird, reliefs depicting the epic poem Rama and towers with bold Lao style.

Following the spiral staircase, visitors will reach the 7th floor of the tower. The vast and expansive space stretching out to all directions of the capital Vientiane appears before visitors' eyes. The city hall, Pha That Luang (world cultural heritage, national symbol of Lao Theravada Buddhism), the largest market in Vientiane, the Morning Market... all can be viewed from Patuxay . This is an ideal place to take panoramic photos of the city.