Thongbay Phothisane explained that the provisional proposal would see the centre opened by late next year. He noted that the bureau still had to collaborate with UNESCO on where to site the centre so that it did not interfere with the majestic beauty of the temple ruins.
The Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation is providing the US$1.5 million needed to build the centre. Vat Phou was founded in about the fifth century AD, but the extant ruins visible today date from approximately the 12th century.
The 12GO ASIA travel team say Vat Phou is located in Champasak Province and is about 40kms to the south of the Mekong riverside town of Pakse. The town is the former royal capital of the Champasak Kingdom and 600kms from the Lao capital city of Vientiane.
Laos plans heritage centre for UNESCO listed Vat Phou Temple
News in Asia
The Laos Tourism Ministry has announced the construction of a heritage centre at the historic Vat Phou Temple complex in southern Champasak Province. A director at the ministry’s heritage bureau told reporters the centre would function as a museum and visitor centre and would house important artefacts from the 900-year-old temple.