Lao National Museum — Local services in Vientiane Capital

Old location at Rue Samsenethai is closed. This is a whole new museum/building (opened here 2020?) near the National Convention hall and next to Kaysone Phomvihan museum (easy to do both in one day.) 30,000 Kip for National Museum entry. 5 rooms of exhibits on 2 floors. Bathroom available. No restaurant or gift shop. M-F 8-12pm, 1-4pm. Room 1 is paleontological: dinosaur fossils, bricks, pottery, spears, drums, stone and iron age, and Lao history pre-Langxang Kingdom. Room 2: Lao history pre and during Lanxang Kingdom: excellent Howdah, palm leaf manuscripts (but no idea what's on them), buddhas, carved wood fragments. Room 5 (don't be confused--rooms 3 & 4 are upstairs): Ethnic groups in Lao: Mon-Khmer, Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Yao - good textile displays, harvest tools, baskets Room 3: Lao people's fight for national independence. Room 4 was closed but is planned as: national defense and policy, economic affairs, socio-cultural affairs, political and foreign affairs Many exhibits have both Lao and English information. Sadly, the English translations are often poor, but there's plenty of information to glean. I do wish museums would have native English writers help with the translations. Room 3 was my favorite for the Lao history. There is blue tape on the floor to "help guide you thru" the museum, but oddly some displays weren't oriented to see them following the arrows. Still many displays are empty and/or being assembled so more to come! Young kids would need to be super museum fans to enjoy this: the museum is dark, the displays aren't interactive or designed for youth. We took about an hour to go thru. Could be done in 30-45 (without Room 4). Not busy. Parking available on site. No...

Next door to the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum is the Lao National Museum, which broadens the focus from one man to the country as a whole. It spans millions of years, beginning with prehistoric fossils, through the wars and struggles of the 20th century, and ending with modern history.

The building isn’t as grand as its neighbour, but it still has an air of importance, with traditional Laos architectural flourishes. It feels more like a traditional museum: still solemn, but less overwhelming.

Inside, things are more relaxed. The museum was a little busy, though still far from crowded. Exhibits are divided into sections: Prehistory, Traditional Culture, The Laotian Civil War, and Modern History among them. The largest by far is the war section, filled with weapons, uniforms, and documentation from both sides of the conflict.

Some rooms feel sparse, with displays lining only the walls; others are densely packed with artefacts. It might give the impression that they don’t have much to show, but the reality is that what they do have...

You know about the museum, so what more is there to say?

In order to get here take the #13 bus from the bus depot, it will cost 8000k. I recommend showing the driver on the map where you want to get off before leavIng tbe depot. The bus fills up quickly, so be swift and grab a seat near the front, as crowded minibuses like this are hard to get off when packed, and it WILL get packed.

WARNING prepare the correct money ahead of time, pay quickly and get off. The bus is busy public transport for working class people who have no resources to travel any other way. No one wants to wait whilst some fuddy duddy tourist endlessly fumbles for change In their purse. Have some respect for the people and country in which you...