Vientiane April 19th - 21st

Most people we talked to were a little disparaging about Vientiane, but we enjoyed our time here. This could be in part due to the fantastic croissants, pastries and breads at French bakeries, and in part due to the convenience of being in a capital city. While perhaps not as charismatic as Luang Prabang, we did find that Vientiane has its charms and was a nice city to hang out in, with a range of different options for places to eat. One night was chanced upon a family-style French restaurant serving food from l’Alsace and offering just the one dish – that day it was sauerkraut (choucroute) – and it was fantastic. Partly it was good to have something so different, although it was much heavier than we needed in the heat of Vientiane.  

For a few days, we rented bicycles to visit some of the city’s sights; Pha That Luang – national monument, impressive symbol of Lao sovereignty and Buddhism; and Patuxai – Vientiane’s version of the Arc de Triomphe, although with a distinctly Lao flavour. Funnily enough, Patuxai was built with cement given by the Americans intended for the construction of an airstrip, so it is affectionately known as the ‘vertical runway.’ Cycling along the Mekong riverfront and looking over at Thailand was also a lovely way to spend an evening.

We spent a bit of time at the COPE Visitor Centre (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE provides support and assistance to people with disabilities, but also in particular to victims of UXO; unexploded ordinance (primarily cluster bombs) left over from America’s ‘Secret War’ on Laos – during which time Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. The Visitor Centre also has a great deal of information about the war, and the everlasting effects on the country – with people still dying or being injured by cluster bombs each year. The National Museum was also quite informative, although at some points a little propaganda-like.