We were only planning to do a walk around but upon arrival we stayed and sat in the shade and people watched. We then decided to go up and see the view, but every stair way or door was locked shut. We could not see any signs on where to go. This was on a Wednesday at 2pm. It is... More

Go and visit this statement of power and superiority built with American-funded cement intended for much worse course! Forget the whining about the pidgeons and the bats; excellent view over Vientiane from the top, some nice souvenir shoppiing on the mezzanine floor and a befitting receipt back to the Americans for the unbelievable damage they left behind; all in the... More

Patouxay is the Lao take on the Arc de Triumph, their very own Victory Gate, in the center of Patouxay Boulevard, their version of “Champs Elysees”. Supposedly, the top part was modeled on the Taj Mahal. It did indeed look like Mumbai’s India Gate monument. It was built in the 1960s to commemorate those Laotians who had died in various... More

Nice from far away. Please see the other listing for more reviews as well. More

Worth the climb (and entrance fee) for the great views over Vientiane, plus admission into possibly the most laid back of the tacky souvenir shops in S.E. Asia. More

Described as a concrete monstrosity and that was the Lao themselves describing this monument. Rumours had it, the concrete was supplied by the Americans to build an airport runway and some got diverted to form their version of a kind of victory monument. Described by others as the vertical runmway. I thought it wasn't that bad and worth a visit... More

From what we learned, the US gov't funded for an airport runway at this site; however, they used the money to build this monument. Interesting architecture; however, badly kept (bats, swallows and pigeons are everywhere). More

I'm not much of a fan of these post-Independence monuments that were built all over the developing world. Jakarta's Monas? To us it is just an ugly concrete pole. Bangkok's Democracy Monument? A good way to ruin a traffic circle. Laos also tries hard with Patuxai, but why would you want to establish independence from France by building something which... More

MUST visit place at Vientiane. Located in the end of main road, this place combine east and weat architecture style. Night time a lot of locals do exercise here. One of favourute place where locals like to relax and enjoy family day here. More