Buddha Park, Vientiane

Buddha Park, also known as Xiang Khuan, located on the bank of the Mekong River 23 km from Vientiane city centre, is a popular tourist attraction. The cheapest way to get there is to take a local bus (Bus #14) from Vientiane Central Bus Station. By bus the journey takes 40 minutes to an hour and costs 8,000 Lao Kip which you pay on the bus.

• Opening hours: 08:00 to 16:00 Monday to Sunday
• Entrance fee: 15,000 Lao Kip per person

About the Buddha Park

The Buddha Park was established in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. Bunleua Sulilat was a religious mystic, sometimes described as a priest or a shaman, whose beliefs were a combination of Hunduism and Buddhism. The sculptures in the park relate to both religions, and although the site is described as ‘Buddha Park’ there are also statues of Hindu deities and references to Hindu mythology alongside representations of the Lord Buddha. The park also has Western style toilets and an adjacent restaurant which is useful because there is not much else in the vicinity of the park.

There are over 200 statues to see in Buddha Park. Depending upon your level of interest in religious statues you could spend anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours wandering around looking at things. The statues are in a well kept garden. The two most notable statues are the large reclining Buddha, which is 40 metres long, and a large concrete structure resembling a pumpkin which you can go inside. The pumpkin represents the Buddhist and Hindu concepts of heaven and hell. The entrance is through the mouth of a large demon sculpture which takes you to the lower level representing hell. From there you follow a staircase taking you to a middle level representing earth and finally to the top level which represents heaven. On each level there are sculptures, the most striking of which are the demon like statues in the lower level. It is worth also looking at other smaller statues in the park some of which are well known images and others bizarre and nightmarish.

Location of the Buddha Park

The Buddha Park is located 8.4 km by road from Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.

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