Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan)★★
The Most Bizarre Sculpture Park in Southeast Asia
25 km southeast of Vientiane, right on the Mekong, lies one of the most surreal places you will ever visit: the Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan). In a garden stand over 200 gigantic concrete sculptures — Buddhist, Hindu, and animistic figures of all sizes, from tiny meditators to the 40 m long reclining Buddha.
The History
The park was created in 1958 by Bunleua Sulilat, a mystical priest/shaman who merged Buddhism, Hinduism, and animism into his own religion. The sculptures are not ancient artifacts but concrete works from the 1950s–70s — yet their impact is no less overwhelming. Sulilat fled to Thailand after the communist revolution in 1975, where he built an even crazier sculpture park on the other side of the Mekong (Sala Kaew Ku in Nong Khai).
Highlights
- The Reclining Buddha: 40 m long, impossible to miss at the entrance
- The Pumpkin: A giant walkable pumpkin with three levels — hell, earth, and heaven. Climb inside (narrow entrance!) and ascend the floors for a view over the park
- Multi-armed Gods: Hindu deities with dozens of arms, snake kings, Garudas
- Meditating Buddha under the Naga: The park's most iconic motif — Buddha, protected by the seven-headed Naga snake
💡 Tipp
Combine the Buddha Park with a visit to the Friendship Bridge (Thai-Laos border bridge, 5 km before). By Tuk-Tuk from Vientiane: approx. 250,000 LAK return (with 1–2h waiting time). Or Bus No. 14 from Talat Sao Bus Station (8,000 LAK, 45 min).
