when you are telling story of the old and new development,
it would be nice to show both photos side by side yes, to ge some perspective?

Anonymous wrote:

---

The history of a shadowy road in Vientiane

As he rose at 6am, Mr Bouaphet, 54, a resident of Khouvieng Road in Vientiane, felt like he was living in a quiet and peaceful jungle.

A photo of Khouvieng Road in 1991.

The year was 1989 and he and his family had just moved to live in the area. He remembers that there were almost no cars on the road and people used bicycles to get around.

But things have changed. Vientiane starting becoming more developed in 1994 and the changes have brought more cars, buildings and people to this once peaceful community.

Mr Bouaphet and his wife, who own a shop alongside Khouvieng Road, still remember the time when the narrow road was surrounded by trees, providing shade for cyclists and traders.

Khouvieng Road, in Simeuang village, still has green leafy trees on each side as it stretches from the Morning Market to the roundabout near Comcentre Administration College.

Alongside the road is the Nong Chan marsh, once an important source of food for many Vientiane residents, who collected wild vegetables and caught fish in its waters.

Over the years a slum developed next to the marsh, but local villagers decided to allocate the area for community development.

Photographs taken about 20 years ago show the vast changes that have occurred in the area. The small road was almost engulfed by huge leafy trees and further away there were also large trees interspersed with houses and fruit trees.

The road was only two metres wide, but this was of no concern as the vast majority of people travelled by bicycle.

Today the natural beauty has given way to development, with the road lined with businesses, houses and other signs of so-called progress.

The huge trees around the Nong Chan marsh were cut down to widen the road and build other infrastructure.

“After about 6pm the road was deserted because it was so dark and there was no electricity. People usually set off for their respective destinations at 6am,” Mr Bouaphet's wife recalled.

After school, children from throughout the community gathered to play games on the road and amongst the trees without the need for concern over traffic. These days, young children in the area have to be constantly warned not to play near the road.

“After the road was widened and development started it become very crowded, especially during the rush hour, and I had to keep a constant eye on my kids,” Mr Bouaphet's wife said.

One of Mr Bouaphet's favourite memories is of the times the whole community gathered to fish at the marsh at the onset of the rainy season.

After the first heavy rainstorm of the season, people would bring their fishing nets and rods down to the marsh and join each other in catching the plentiful stocks of fish.

“It was like a festival, with many people making the most of the occasion. Unfortunately events like this have been lost as the marsh has been developed for other purposes,” he said.

While development has meant the loss of a more relaxed way of life, the older residents are glad to have many of the basic things younger people take for granted these days, such as electricity.

The area surrounding Khouvieng Road is also home to an important historical site, the Khouvieng wall, which was build in ancient times to protect Vientiane from invaders.

Stretching for about 4 kilometres, the wall started at what is now Pakpasak Technical College and traversed through Khouvieng Road and onto present-day Thadeua Road in Sisattanak district.

“The wall was about 5 metres high and was used to protect the city against invaders during a period that included three wars,” said Deputy Director General of the National Heritage Department under the Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr Viengkeo Souksavatdy.

 

 

By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun

---

Oh! yes, remember it well, from the 70s when I go to the morning market with my mom, in the 90s and after the developed.  When I first visit in 1993 its just like the picture...I ran every morning from Wat Sokpalaung to the morning market with my sister inlaw... its nice both old and new....the old would have speaker hanging from the tree and you can listen to the news and Lao national anthem in the morning...LOL.

Although, I missed them trees but I am glad to see the way they are now...Just because its alot safer.


Nangdarling