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75°F / 24°C
(Clear. Mild.)
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Southeast Asia’s quiet backwater capital, Vientiane, unfolds over pot-holed roads, emerging through a haze of construction dust and flaming sunsets over the Mekong. To the careful observer, reminders of Vientiane’s complicated and colorful history abound. Streets filled with elaborate Buddhist temples, crumbling French colonial villas, modernist Soviet architecture and aid offices form the backdrop for a unique hybrid society of socialist kitsch, Western capitalism and a smattering of Thai pop culture.
Sitting on a quiet bend of the Mekong River, at the center of a vast, fertile, alluvial plain, Vientiane has been inhabited since the 10th century. Having been conquered and ruled repeatedly by the Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Siamese, the meuang, or fiefdom, of Vientiane was drawn into the Lao kingdom of Lane Xang (one million elephants). In 1560 King Setthathirath moved the capital of his kingdom there from Luang Prabang and ordered the That Luang (Great Stupa) to be built in the east of the city at the site of a Khmer temple. Rebuilt on numerous occasions this stupa remains the central icon to Lao Buddhist life in Vientiane and a symbol of Lao sovereignty.
Unfortunately for Vientiane, this golden period of Lao history waned as the kingdom declined. A dramatic raid by the Siamese left Vientiane in ruin. The only monastery left standing in the city after the raid was Wat Sisaket, built in 1818 by King Chao Anou. This peaceful and charming temple is now the oldest monastery in Vientiane and home to a marvelous collection of Buddha images.
When the French arrived in the late 19th century they found Vientiane virtually abandoned. Nonetheless, it was selected over Luang Prabang to be the capital of the new colony, and once more Vientiane was reborn as a city. Much of the city seen today dates from this period. Never as important as the other French Indochinese capitals of Hanoi, Saigon and Phnom Penh, Vientiane lacks the grand buildings of these cities, but the French influence is still apparent in the peaceful Nam Phu Square and the recently restored National Library.
Following the Second World War, various Lao groups struggled for autonomy from the French and independence was finally achieved in 1953. As Laos was slowly drawn into the war in neighboring Vietnam, the 1960s and ‘70s were catastrophic for most of the country and earned Laos the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily bombed nation per capita in the history of warfare. However, the war had a very different effect on the city of Vientiane.
United States aid money brought Vientiane insulation from the horror and devastation experienced in the rest of the country. The Vientiane economy boomed on the back of this money and income from services provided to US personnel stationed in the capital. Luxury mansions and large government offices sprung up. The city became known for its opium dens and sex shows. Most dramatically, the unforgettable Patuxai “Victory Arch on Lane Xang Avenue was constructed from United States supplied cement originally destined for a new airport runway.
Boomtown Vientiane ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. The Pathet Lao, the Lao communists, took advantage of the opportunity. They took over and declared the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The Lao Revolutionary Museum stands as a reminder of the communists’ account of their triumphant revolution against the “American imperialists. Overnight, life in Vientiane changed. All American and capitalist behavior was outlawed. Bell-bottom trousers and jeans for women were forbidden, and the green workers uniform became a common style around Vientiane. With the end of American aid, the city’s economy collapsed.
The revolution by the Pathet Lao also made its mark on the ceremonial life of Laotians. It forced King Sisavang Vatthana to abdicate the thrown and he and his family were exiled to "seminars" in Northern Laos. This marked the end of the royal lineage. All that remains of 600 years of monarchy in Vientiane is a sealed off Presidential Palace, now used for government guests’ accommodation and Ho Phrakeo, the former royal Buddhist temple now operating as a museum.
With the royal family overthrown, the government’s focus moved toward Buddhism as it tried to curtail religious practices. Attempted restrictions were eventually abandoned in 1977 due to mass dissent from the people. Today the thriving Buddhist culture is clearly evident all over Vientiane. Wat Ong Teu, Wat Hai Sok, Wat Mixay, Wat Inpeng, and the home to the city’s guardian spirit, Wat Si Muang still stand as testaments to Vientiane’s continuing Buddhist spirit.
With this change in political alignment, the face of Vientiane changed. Soviet and Vietnamese advisor's replaced those from the United States. Soviet jeeps appeared on the streets and Soviet funded and styled buildings were built around the city. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, though, the Lao Revolutionary Party was forced to rethink their opinions of capitalism. In search of new support, they began to open Laos to the rest of the world.
In 1994, the Friendship Bridge opened just south of Vientiane, creating the first bridge across the Mekong and an important symbolic link between Laos and the Western world. Since the opening of the bridge, life in Vientiane has continued to change. International aid money and business funds have flowed into Vientiane and along with it international employees. French, Italian and Japanese restaurants have opened to serve the growing cosmopolitan population of the city.
To this day, the revolutionary old guard remains firmly in control, but is heeding the trend toward globalization. International businesses tentatively open offices. The arrival of tourists has brought with it the opportunity for guest-houses, Internet cafes and handicraft stores to fill abandoned shops, waking the city’s dormant French squares. Golf courses offer distractions for expatriates, Asian investors and wealthy locals. Still, Vientiane remains a city of simple pleasures and a delightful place to sip a Beerlao and watch the beautiful crimson sunset over the Mekong.
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