Vientiane Off The Beaten Path

Located in a wooden mansion in lush garden next to city's most crowded interesections, there are quiet exhibition rooms with works of students from its Fine Arts School. Lower room exhibits sculptures and paintings as well as graphics selected for show through running year (and as well from some previous too) while upper room is actually both exhibition and working studio so you may actually find some students during work.
One can find anything between naive art that you can buy at night markets through modern conceptural works that are more rare and even more difficult to find in galleries. There is no admission and the exhibition closes at 4 pm, so you're welcome to step inside and have a look.

This Bibliotheque Nationale has been set up in an ancient French home right in city centre. You have to look inside of it as this is perhaps one of nicest public buildings here, and it's for free to have a look inside. Diecreetly and quietly of course - there a many people who find its rooms quiet oasis for reading.
The reading rooms remind to old colonial offices where strategic plans were drawn over a big tables in a secluded company of few. The propeller mixes winds at the ceiling, providing little better atmosphere than outside, but it is still hot. Shelves full of knowledge and trivia, most of it written in Lao, a lot of it in English and more... in French.
It feels like going back 50 years... that makes it unique comparing to libraries we know today. Good for the feeling, bad for the books.

Please leave bags at the counter.

It takes less than 10 kilometers east of capital to reach Vientiane's more interesting (well, more green) places but don't use Thadeua road towards Friendship bridge as that road is very crowded and views are not that nice. Instead better cycle closer to Mekong, pass villages with high coconut trees, you'll get to rice paddies, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens that feed whole city. Plenty of birds screen for insects here and life takes slowlier pace. Dry season can be so green thanks to this old irrigation system of well established canal network.

Well, you thought there is little to see in Vientiane but then you haven't been to military museum. Basically it covers a lot of history, not all with objective view, but then again... where in the world you'll find objectivity in military museums?

For few hours you can have a more or less detailed view in the machinery donated by Soviets or Chinese during 60'ties and 70'ties used to fight their 'external enemy'. As if this is the most important part of their history, the weapon used at that time expands over half of the building. Well, it is indeed best documented as before those things simply wouldn't be collected and photography was still in rudimental phase.

What is most interesting is the more or less ancient weaponry used still in Indochina wars, and to some extent... also during their latest wars such as poisoned bamboo arrows and all that what i cannot find name for in English. Lots of local population when they feel opressed and didn't have access to modern warfare simply turned to those ancient techniques purely out of desperation and defiance.

Well, i know it is not everybody's cup of a tea that kind of exhibitions but on other hand it tells a lot about where's country standing today.

Admission is 3000 KIP. Opened from 9 - 12, then 13- 16.00 or so. No photography allowed inside.

Good place to watch people here... good as well to watch football match of local teams. We came sometimes paying no entry as nobody sold tickets, and enjoyed the atmosphere with few other people. Usually they play in evenings or otherwise you'll fry under the sun. Makes sense. When you see lights turned on then there's something going on, so have a look.

It's near Phnom Penh road.

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The Wat That Foun temple and the surrounding garden are located between Lane Xang Avenue and Nong Bon Road. The garden is a nice place for a walk - and instead of just following Lane Xang Avenue to/from the Patuxai monument, you could consider strolling through the garden instead.

When you are walking towards Patuxai turn right at Dong Palan Road – or turn left at Sidamdouan Road when walking away from Pauxai.

Sorry, I don’t have any information about the Wat That Foun temple itself...

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As we walked around the salt ponds we came upon the bagged salt store. The staff were having a break and I asked if I could take their photo. Happily they agreed, all had huge smiles.

You can see the bagged salt inside the store and the loading ramp for deliveries.

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This looked like a very simple process. It works and I doubt if it has changed since the 1950's when the French left Laos.

There was no smell from the process and I would not expect any harmful chemicals are used in the process. For a small country like Laos, maybe there is no need to modernise the process. Everyone has a job, they look healthy, well clothed and happy.