Vientiane Art Museum — Attraction in Vientiane Prefecture

The sculptures are absolutely beautiful and from many cultures around Laos and beyond depicting Hmong, Miao, etc... (I also saw a large statue of Jesus and a Native American sculpture), but keep in mind theyre all modern works and a private collection. I especially liked the wood sculptures that hugged around stone, very creative. The artists that created those pieces are extremely talented and it was very cool to see how they interpeted and worked around the bark.

The rooms they're housed in are inconsistent, there's one beautiful room decorated like it was inside of a temple in Luang Prabang, Wat Xieng Thong I believe, a few with beautiful murals in wood and paint depicting Lao, Hmong and other people, others that look like winding museum rooms, and then some very bare ones. Sometimes the rooms lead to dark corners or storehouses with another museums worth of pieces. One room had big prints of various religions along with their religious texts on a wall along with Buddha starues for no particular reason, and the room filled with pedestals of what without context was random pieces of wood and pebbles with price tags (one of the logs with no art or carvings no bigger than my forearm priced at 750k clearly marked in US$, hope it meant LAK?).

And there's absolutely no information on any of the pieces and we didn't have a tour guide so had no one to ask. Security didn't seem to care that much about taking photos, it said not to take photos on the signs but one of the guards said it only applied to the ground floor and then didn't stop us taking them anyway. Some people said they were pointed out of rooms but as in many museums there's a set path to go through and we eventually went through them all.

Overall it does seem like a place to sell agarwood to Chinese tourists, Id say about half of the sculptures depicted figures and themes from Chinese mythology and these are definitely the type of sculptures you'd see in various somewhat tacky middle and higher class homes around the Sinosphere. If you planned more days in Vientiane than you need for your itinerary it's...

Lao culture is indeed rich and beautiful, characterized by its deep-rooted traditions, artistic expressions, and harmonious way of life. The people of Laos are known for their easygoing and family-centered lifestyle, with a strong emphasis on enjoyment and contentment.

Traditional Lao clothing reflects the country's cultural heritage, with intricate designs and vibrant colors that are both aesthetically pleasing and symbolic. The "sinh," a traditional skirt worn by Lao women, is a notable example of this cultural expression.

The Baci ceremony, a national folk ritual, is integral to Lao culture. Part of the "satsana phi" (spirit religion), it is performed during major life events to promote harmony and balance within the community.

Laos is also renowned for its traditional music and dance, which play a significant role in festivals and celebrations. The "lam vong" dance, for instance, is a popular folk dance that embodies the grace and elegance of Lao cultural aesthetics.

In summary, Lao culture is a tapestry of beautiful traditions, artistic expressions, and a way of life that emphasizes harmony, respect,...

Great museum for philistines — seems more like a showroom to sell agarwood sculptures to Chinese tourists!! Beautiful grounds, but 100K LAK to tour some private collection with little to no curatorial hand. A random mishmash of wooden sculptures. What a wacko fever dream— pass if you have other things in your itinerary in Vientiane.

There were no title cards / object labels for 95% of the works, with zero info on who the artists are. In my pic is an example of a rare object label. The tour guide also barely knows this information. What wood did they use for most of the works? When was it created? What province is it from? God knows.

Tour guide couldn’t answer or interpret art questions. I asked why the collector gravitate towards wood as a medium instead of canvases, marble sculptures, installations, etc and the reply was incoherent 😅

Rare plus, our guide was patient and let us take our time. Didn’t feel rushed at all :)

TBH it should be renamed “Lao Wooden Craftmanship Spare Room” the way things were just strewn about with no thought...