Architecture

Laos has a 21% urban concentration, with the largest city being capital of Vientiane (est. 500,000 population). The rate of urbanization is growing in Laos but is considerably lower than any of the bordering countries of Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia. Most of the Lao population is agrarian.

The ancient capital of Lan Xang, which is today’s capital of Vientiane, was thoroughly destroyed as a consequence of the Annouvong Rebellion of the 1820s. As part of French Indochina, the ancient capital was rebuilt as a conscious political statement to both the Laoand Thai of Western power and legitimacy. French building programs extended to Luang Prabang, Savannahket, Xieng Khuang andPakse as well and many French colonial era buildings can still be found in Lao cities throughout the country.

Most Lao people live in rural villages clustered around a temple (wat). Traditional Lao homes (heuan) are simple, often constructed entirely from woven bamboo thatching or wood, with few rooms. Homes were built on piers or stilts to provide ventilation and protection, and the practice became an important cultural distinction. According to legend, the first peace agreement between Fa Ngum and the Dai Viet established that Lao lands began where the rivers and streams feed the Mekong and the people live in houses built on stilts. Many modern homes reflect Western, Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese influence. The use of concrete, stucco, brick and tile is common with constructions since the 1940s.

Religious Architecture

As a devout Buddhist country, stupas and temples are the most culturally significant buildings in Laos. Lao architecture experienced aGolden Age during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when many buildings of cultural significance were sponsored by KingsVisoun, Photisarath, and Setthathirath. The most significant buildings include the national symbol of That Luang an important stupafor Buddhist pilgrimage, the Haw Phra Kaew which formerly housed the Emerald Buddha, Wat Sisaket which was built by King Annouvong in the Bangkok style and was spared destruction in the 1820s, and Wat Xieng Thong which was built in 1560 when the capital of Lan Xang was moved to Vientiane.

There are three distinct types of temple construction in Laos depending on the region and the age of the temple. The Luang Prabangstyle of temple is best exemplified by Wat Xieng Thong, which shows a low sweeping tiered roof. The Vientiane style of temple is characterized by an open veranda and overhanging tiered roof which have symbolic meaning as levels of Buddhist cosmology, and are crowned by elaborately carved naga at the peak of each roof level. Lastly the Xieng Khouang style is the rarest, due to the extent of fighting which took place in the region during the Lao Civil War. Xieng Khouang style temples are similar to those in Luang Prabang but were often wider and built upon a raised platform with less ornamentation than the other styles.

Lao stupas also have a distinct character, with That Luang being the most recognizable example, but would also include the That Phanom in Isan, Thailand, That Dam inVientiane, and That Sikhottabong (That Ing Hang) in Thakhek. Lao stupas are characterized by a pyramidal base with an upward sloping spire which is elongated to represent a closed lotus blossom. The stupas are significant Buddhist sites of pilgrimage and are customarily built over important religious relics.

World Heritage Sites

Laos holds two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and two tentative sites for their cultural and historic importance.

Wat Phu is a proto-Khmer site located in Champassak Province, which is more than 1,000 years old. The temple was built around a mountain with a natural formation reminiscent of a Shiva lingam. The Khmer built two cities on the banks of the Mekong and used the site (approximately 10 km) to create an earthly representation of the Hindu Mt. Meru using both natural and human construction. The site was abandoned as a Hindu place of worship, but over the centuries has become a site of Buddhist pilgrimage.

The old city of Luang Prabang is also a recognized World Heritage Site. Luang Prabang is the most heavily visited city in Laos, and was chosen for both its architectural and artistic heritage in fusing traditional Lao and French colonial architecture. There are more than 30 active temples in Luang Prabang, and was the seat of the Kingdom of Lan Xang from 1353-1560 and the Kingdom of Luang Prabang from 1707-1946.

The stupa That Luang and the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang were both nominated for UNESCO status in 1992. That Luang was nominated for its religious significance as a site of Buddhist pilgrimage and the Plain of Jars for its importance as a major archaeological site of Iron Age culture in Southeast Asia