Vientiane’s Patuxai Monument
From the main road of Th Lan Xang, it’s hard not to miss the very prominent monument of Patuxai. Even coming into Vientiane for the firs time, this Arch, which unmistakeably look similar to Paris Arc de Triomphe welcomed me coming from the southern bus station. But before I could take a picture and claimed I’ve been Lost in Paris, a closer inspection of this famed monument reveal their differences.
The Arc de Triomphe inspired Patuxai Monument at dusk
It’s a good thing Patuxai is a good walking distance from town. It’s not a short walk but enough to give your daily dose of cardio exercise. In face early morning and starting late in the afternoon, I have seen a lot of locals go here for a good jog or run. The surrounding oblong shaped park, which has been developed for some time and has been a favorite local hang out and to do a few laps.
The Archways of Patuxai
The Patuxai was actually built in the 1960s using a US-purchased cement that was supposed to be used for the construction of a new airport, thus it got the moniker of a “Vertical Runway”. Not only does the Patuxai has a striking similarity to its Parisian counterpart, but their names have the same meaning. In Lao, Patuu means “door” or “gateway” while Xai came from Sanskrit Jaya meaning “victory”.
Elaborately designed ceiling inside Patuxai
But the similarities end there, as unlike the Arc de Triomphe, the Patuxai has four arc gateways and a box-type construction, for me it actually stands like a monster on all fours especially at night. The designs, from the elaborate ceiling inside the monuments, the ornaments at the sides of the the monument as well as the cornices are distinctly Lao.
Lao designed bas relief and ornaments at the top sides of the monument
And from 8am to 4:30pm during Mondays to Fridays, and up to 5pm during the weekends the staircase going to the top of Patuxai is open. There is an entrance fee of 3000kip for the access. Before you reach the top viewing decks there’s a couple of floors filled with souvenir shops.
The popular Patuxai Park
The top floor offers 360 degree views of Vientiane City. Below is the view of the Patuxai Park. Aside from the vanishing horizon view of the city, it seems the viewing grounds are not being taken care of that much. Some vandalism on the walls and some constructions parts left behind already rusting. Photography was said to be prohibited there but there’s no one around to monitor.
Be amused at the musical fountain from afternoon till evening
As the sun sets the Musical Fountain starts to play. It’s a synchronized play of light and fountain to the tune of a local music. Delightful sight as the locals and foreigners seemed to enjoy it. The Musical fountain were donated by the Chinese. I’m not surprised as I’ve seen the same kind of fountain when I was at Chengdu, China. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were made by the same construction company.
I love the long exposure shot in the first photo. Hanep!
looking forward to your golden stupa post… very nice shots..
saw the fifth image in your flickr and liked it. nice to find it again here. not to say that the other shots weren’t great, especially the first one. it’s just that the fifth capture seems beautiful and eerie at the same time, especially with the full moon. interesting monument you featured again. will look for this one if and when i go to laos.
one can only imagine how you make your photos look consistently “brilliant”. you have a niche all your own. everytime i open your site, it always floored me… photos seemed to jump out… been around the mekong region myself – i thought they all look ‘generically’ the same – until i saw your featured country photos. amazing…
Thank you very much Dodong, Nice too see you here again.
The golden stupas coming up next Paul. Thanks!
Thanks Og! Had to do several shots here as I tried to do get the details of the full moon as well as the foreground details but rather failed. hehe. Still, am also happy on how this one turned out.
Thank you very much Derick! I really appreciate the kind words. The countries intersected by the Mekong River have a charm of their own. As for the process I take photos, I’ll talk about those on my upcoming site.
Hope you visit again.
the park pic is amazing! it’s neat, too. the pic with the moon gives it a soulful feel.
love the first photo as well! the majestic look of the place seemed to give me an impression that it’s not an asian country at first
Cool shots ferdz
I like the 1st & 5th (love the moon).
thanks ferdz… truth be told, i have your site linked to my blog list…
so i visit your site quite frequently… or should i say laging inaabangan ang susunod na kabanata… 
i am smitten by your photos… i couldn’t wait to know the link of your upcoming site (to know how you do it- hehehe – you are such a kind person – to share these stuff)… looking forward to it… cheers
There is always something wonderful to see and enjoy in your posts.
mauubos adjective ko sa mga photos mo. the best ang first pic.
Hi Bing! Vientiane is a pretty neat city and quite safe to walk around in. Love the soulful feel of the moonshot as well.
Thanks Jasper! If I didn’t say where this is and only took the front shot of Patuxai, it may be mistaken to be Paris.
Many thanks Millie!
HI Derick! Many thanks! My other site is now up at http://www.ferdzdecena.com. Do visit.
Thanks for the visit Photo Cache!
Salamat Oman!
your pics here reminds me of my travel in Laos last year…