We covered most of the attractions in Vientiane in the second day in Laos. It was a beautiful day with just a few fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. The golden stupa glared shiningly under the bright blue sky which made it the most dazzling attraction in Vientiane.

That (pronounced as Thut) Luang Stupa was first built in 236 of the Buddhist Calendar (307 years before A.D.), by the first governor of Vientiane. It was like a kiln of about 9 meters high and 10 meters wide.

That Luang means ‘Great Stupa’

The contrast of the bright blue sky against the dazzling gold of the stupa looked particularly charming.

It’s a perfect day for photographing.

The golden stupa is 45 meters tall and is believed to contain a relic of the Lord Buddha. The gold centerpiece of this stupa echoes the curve of an elonated Lotus bud. Today this is the most important national cultural monument.

Statue of King Sayasetthathirath, who built That Luang Stupa in 1566.

That Luang Stupa was restored in 1953 and it’s in perfect condition, almost flawless. We were blown away of the splendour and magnificence of the stupa. I never really like gold until this moment when I finally realized the power of the gold, which is so brilliant and mind-blowing.

Laotians like praying, this is my observation after spending a week in Laos. They pray to the statue of King Sayasetthethirath, and they pray to the golden stupa too.

I saw locals pray with the joss sticks at the door, even though there wasn’t any altar or incense burner.

We didn’t get to go inside the stupa ground due to lack of research done. We thought the best time to visit outdoor tourist sites would be in the evening to avoid the hot sun and the crowd. But we neglected the opening time of the place to the public. It actually closes at 4 p.m., which is unexpectedly early!

I like how the color of my shirt set off the beautiful background.

Originally, there were four wats on each side of That  Luang, but today, only two remained, the one on the south, Wat That  Luang Tai, and the one to the north, Wat That Luang Neua.

Wat That Luang Tai ~ we didn’t get a chance to visit it due to the sky was turning dark and we wanted to visit Patuxai before the darkness falls upon the land.

Wat That Luang Neua (picture below) is the residence of the Supreme Patriach (Pha Sangkharat) of Lao Buddhism.

Kids were having fun in the park. I observed that Laotians emphasize health very much. There is a big open ground before That Luang where many Laotians jog there in the evening. The joggers were in all ages and some came together with whole family. The same sight was found in Patuxai as well where it was packed with joggers running round the monument.

If you visit Vientiane in the mid of November, you might get a chance to watch That Luang Festival which is held in That Luang annually. The festival is celebrated for 7 days and nights during the twelfth full moon of the Buddhist lunar calendar. Monks are presented with flower offerings and residents enjoy traditional cultural performances.

Enjoy the video of That Luang Festival that I found in youtube contributed by mickspatz.

How to Get There:

Travel around Vientiane is best done by bicycle, scooter or tuk-tuk as most of the city’s attractions are close to the tourist centre at Nam Phou fountain. However, since we were there for only 2 days, we didn’t want to risk wasting time on looking for the direction to each site by biking on our own. Thus we hired a tuk-tuk for a half day trip to visit few sites in the city. Tuk-tuks were just everywhere in Vientiane town, so you don’t have to be worried about the transportation but remember to haggle. The tourist price was ridiculous and we finally haggled the price down to 80,000 kip from 150,000 kip.

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Opening Times: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Mondays and Public Holidays

Admission: 3,000 kip

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More information about That Luang:

Wiki -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pha_That_Luang

Lonely Planet -> http://www.lonelyplanet.com/laos/vientiane/sights/

Things to Do by TripAdvisor -> http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293950-Activities-Vientiane.html