KAYSONE PHOMVIHANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM

This memorial museum, located about 5 km north of Patuxai, was inaugurated in 1995 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of former President Kaysone Phomvihane. He was born in 1920 to a Vietnamese father and a Lao mother, and died in 1992. He was the leader of the Pathet Lao, although the "Red Prince" Souphanouvong was then officially in charge, and then of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, from 1955 until his death. He was Prime Minister and then President of the Republic of Laos from 1991 until his death.

On the road you will not be able to miss it, a huge bronze statue of him is enthroned outside. You can also admire two Soviet-style sculptures facing each other: one depicts revolutionary soldiers under a communist red flag, the other the people under the Laotian national flag. This museum contains a variety of artefacts and objects that have belonged to him (photos, letters, weapons, objects of daily life...). The exterior is designed in a traditional Lao style, while the interior design is strongly reminiscent of the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi. Moreover, this museum was built with a financial participation from Vietnam. Upstairs a photo exhibition retraces his life and career in the revolutionary context. You will notice that his face appears on all notes over 2,000 kips. Please note that pictures are not allowed inside the museum.