The Lao National Museum is located in Vientiane, Laos. It was founded as the national museum highlighting the revolution of the 1970s and is located in a French colonial building. In 2007, the United States donated a grant to help develop the museum. This museum, which was originally built in 1925 as the French governor’s residence, presents the history of Laos, highlighting the Laotian people’s struggle to free the country from foreign occupiers and imperialist forces. It is located on Samsenthai road, opposite the Cultural Hall.
Reaching the tourist hotspots in the city via public transport can be through a tuk-tuk ride, bus, taxi, or bike. These four are the most common means of getting around the city for those looking for cheaper ways of exploring the sights. For the tuk-tuk and taxi, you can ask the driver to drop you off right at the entrance to the Lao National Museum in Vientiane – Laos. For the buses, these can drop you off to the nearest point from which you can easily walk towards the museum.
On the first floor, you will see various artifacts that illustrate the country’s early history. These items include tools and implements from the Stone Age and theBronze Age.
The second floor provides a more in-depth look at how the country struggled against foreign powers that wanted to take hold of the nation. The items here may be as ordinary as they come such as pairs of socks used by members of Politburo during the time they broke out of prison; but these provide visitors with glimpses of how the struggle must have been like for the people.
There is also an exhibit on the Laotian Kingdom of the 18th Century. Finally, the tour culminates at the photo exhibit depicting some of the country’s important issues.
Archive for December, 2011
Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan is asculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, Laos in a meadow by the Mekong River. Although it is not a temple (Wat), the park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan , since it contains numerous religious images. The name Xieng Khuan means Spirit City. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhiststatues.The socialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park.
The statues are made of reinforced concrete and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design. The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons. There are numerous sculptures of Buddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs like Avalokiteshvara, and characters of Hindu lore, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Arjuna. These sculptures were presumably cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. 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-talldemon 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. Another sculpture, an enormous 120-metre-long (390 ft) reclining Buddha, is also a park attraction.