Activities: Join Vientiane city tour
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our city tour by visiting the oldest Wat Sisaket which houses thousands of tiny Buddha images and row after row of seated Buddhas. Our next destination is Haw Phra Kaew, the royal temple that once enshrined the Emerald Buddha. Today it is a museum where there resides a tremendous collection of religious art. We will end the day at the svelte and golden Pha That Luang, the most important national monument in Laos – a symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty. The stupa of this temple is 40m high and covered with gold that can be seen from kilometres away. Then visit the COPE Museum.
After that, transfer to the amazing Buddha Park (also called Wat Xieng Khouane) which is definitely worth a visit during your tour to the capital of a million elephants. Upon arrival, take your time to explore more than 200 religious statues, including an enormous 40-meter-long reclining Buddha.
Experiences:
Stop at highlighted attractions in Vientiane: Wat Sisaket, That Luang monument, Victory Monument
Contrary to popular belief of a modern and busy city, Vientiane is, in fact, the laidback capital of Laos with unique and hidden charms. To unveil the true lure of Vientiane, let’s join our city tour that takes you to some of the best sights in town. Start with a visit to Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple in the city built in the Siamese style of Buddhist architecture, you will see a huge exhibition of over 2,000 Buddha images well displayed on a cloister wall. Next, it’s on to That Luang monument, a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa which is generally regarded as the national symbol of Laos. This is also the scene of the Boun That Luang, Laos’ most important Buddhist festival. Finally, make your way to Patuxai, the Victory Monument dedicated to those who gave their lives for independence from France. Built to resemble Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, Patuxai offers a stunning view of the town and the Mekong River. Touring around different highlights of Vientiane to gain a better understanding of this charming capital will surely an unforgettable experience that makes your day in Laos.
Enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures at Buddha Park in Vientiane
Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan or Spirit City, is an open-air sculpture garden housing a large number of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. The park was built in 1958 by Bounleua Sulilat, a priest-shaman and sculpture artist on the bank of the Mekong River, around 25km southeast of Vientiane. There are more than 200 sculptures made from reinforced concrete displayed in the park that vary in sizes and shapes. Some are statues of Buddha and Hindu gods, the others are sculptures of demons, deities, and mythological creatures. The most striking spot is a giant pumpkin with three floors representing Hell, Earth, and Heaven. You can enter inside the pumpkin through a demon head’s mouth serving as the entrance, climb staircases and you will reach a vantage point that offers the entire park view. Another notable attraction is an enormous 40-meter-long reclining Buddha.
Former royal temple of Haw Phrakeo
Haw Phrakeo is a former royal temple in Vientiane where the royal family uses as a personal place of worship. The temple is also called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as it was first built in 1565 by King Setthathirath to house the Emerald Buddha figurine. After several destructions and rebuilds, Haw Phrakeo now serves as a museum where you can see many precious artifacts and some of the finest examples of Laos religious art such as a 2,000-year-old stone jar from the Plain of Jars, displays of Buddha statues, and a wooden copy of Phra Bang. You will also have the great opportunity to marvel at the temple’s carved wooden features, Khmer stone sculptures, and ancient stone tablets. Outside, Haw Phrakeo temple is surrounded by a well-kept landscaped garden, a wonderful place to rest and take in the peaceful sights.
COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane
COPE (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise) is a non-profit organization in Laos created in 1996. For years, COPE follows the mission to help people with mobility-related disabilities by proving more than one thousand walking aids, artificial limbs, and wheelchairs in Laos each year. Coming to COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane, you will find it as a small amazing museum with many informative multimedia exhibits about prosthetics, the stories about victims of bombs and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as the work of COPE to help Lao people with mobility-related disabilities move on. Several short documentaries about UXO and COPE are shown in the Cave Cinema, and there are a café and gift shop beside the center where you can enjoy a drink or buy a souvenir, and all the proceeds will help support the work of COPE.