Buddha Park in Vientiane

Trust me when I say strange and unique, but after you see the photos of this park, you too will want to visit here one day.

When I travel, I not only want to see commercial places but often love to explore the unique off-the-beaten-path places in any country. And here in Vientiane, this was one of them visited in 2009.

This quirky but meaningful park was built in 1958 and features various Buddha sculptures, characters of Hindu Lore, Gods, Animals, and even Demons.

Buddha Park is also located along the great Mekong River’s shores, outside the main Vientiane city area. Foreigners and locals would visit this wonderful place locally known as Xieng Khuan.

Fortunately for me, we rented a motorcycle to make our exciting trip there. It was one of our best adventures while travelling in Laos.

Riding over 25 kilometres and getting lost was adventurous and exciting for us.

We even met some other foreigners on rented bikes during our journey and were equally lost, so we went in a small convoy for the last few kilometres. Laos is a safe and beautiful place; the people are friendly and helpful.

After parking, there is a ticket counter where you pay 2,000 KIP to enter the park, and once inside, you will be amazed by the statues and sculptures in the park. I spent a good 3 hours just relaxing and enjoying the moment with my partner Lilian.

I was told by a local that the three stories apparently resemble the three levels in life: Heaven, Hell, and Earth.

The strange but interesting entrance to one of the attractions here.

To enter this giant pumpkin, one must go through the structure’s mouth, as in the picture above. Once inside, you walk around the pumpkin to find a stone ladder leading to the next level until the top.

Then I asked myself how and why someone built such a unique and beautiful park and the objective of this park.

Walking around, you will encounter all sorts of strange statues, but there needs to be English information about them. So the lesson here is to engage a local English-speaking guide.

Many statues and sculptures may look ancient, but the park was only built around 1958, so it is less than a century old.

And if you continue to walk to the end of the park, you will reach a Mekong River section, but the area is sealed off.

You can find a local canteen or cafeteria at the end of the park that sells local food and drink, which is highly popular among visitors here.

I noticed many foreigners having some cold Lao Beer admiring the Mekong River’s beauty and surroundings.

I recommend buying some as they are really nice and much cheaper than those around Vientiane. A public toilet is available, and I had to use it due to the long journey back.

They taste similar to what we can get in Malaysia, where we call it Goreng Pisang. The lady also sold some meat and fish balls on a stick which were quite nice and cheap.

I made multiple stops along the Mekong River along my journey back, as there were many photo opportunities.