The department has allocated a budget of US$775,000 that will cover the cost of replacing the roof and ceiling at Wat Ho Phra Keo as well as repairing windows and shutters. The budget also covers the cost of repainting the temple and this will be done after the renovation work is completed.
The company that won the contract to renew Wat Ho Phra Keo is Meephounsap Construction. Company president Bounmy Sonemixay added his signature to the contract at the official ceremony last week to mark the occasion.
Vientiane council gave the green light for the Wat Ho Phra Keo restoration project last month. City residents and businesses have chipped in around US$120,000 in donations to the project.
Although the temple has housed the Laos National Museum since 1942, it is an important part of the country’s history. It was built in the 1560s as a consecrated chapel for the royal family and at one time housed the famous Emerald Buddha statue.
Laos to restore landmark Vientiane temple
News in Asia
City officials in the Laos capital of Vientiane have signed a contract to restore one of its most beloved landmarks. Lao media sources say Vanpheng Keonakhone, the city’s Culture and Tourism Department director, has signed off on the first stage of the restoration.