Patuxai

Patuxai is a compound word, 'Patuu' or 'patu' meaning a "door" or "gateway" and 'Xai', derivative of the Sanskrit 'Jaya', which means "victory". Thus it means “Victory Gate”.[1][2] The Patuxai was built during a turbulent period Lao history. It was built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy and was originally known simply as the "Anousavali" ("Monument"), dedicated memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war from France in 1949.

The monument was built using American funds and cement actually intended to build a new airport.[3] The Royal Laotian Government instead built the monument, which earned it the nickname of the "vertical runway".[1][4]

The monument was designed by Laotian “soldier, former journalist and self-taught sculptor”[5] Tham Sayasthsena. In 1957, his plans were selected from those submitted by the Public Works Department, the Military Engineering Department, and numerous private architects. Tham received 30,000 kips for his work. The cost of construction was estimated at 63 million kips.[6]

In May 1975, the communist Pathet Lao overthrew the coalition government and seized power, ending the ancient monarchy and installing a half-Vietnamese prime minister. They renamed the monument Patuxai in honor of the victory that was handed to them by the North Vietnamese Army.[7][2][8]

^ a b Cite error: The named reference arch was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ a b "Patuxay In Vientiane". Retrieved March 30, 2010. ^ "Vientiane - Patou Say" (in German). Sgoldbach. Retrieved March 30, 2010. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fay was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Roger Nelson, “Phnom Penh's Independence Monument and Vientiane's Patuxai: Complex Symbols of Postcolonial Nationhood in Cold War-Era Southeast Asia." In Monument Culture: International Perspectives on the Future of Monuments in a Changing World, edited by Laura A. Macaluso, London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019, 35-48 (37). ^ Cite error: The named reference Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Cite error: The named reference White was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ Laos Diplomatic Handbook. Int'l Business Publications. 2007. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-4330-2885-4. Retrieved March 30, 2010.