Patuxai, Victory arch in Chanthabuly District, Laos.

Patuxai is a war monument at the end of Lane Xang Avenue in Vientiane, built between 1957 and 1968. It has five towers: a tall central tower with a pointed roof and four smaller corner towers, all with spires. Four gateways face the cardinal directions, each fronted by a pond, and Naga King statues adorn the corners.

Patuxai was built between 1957 and 1968 to honor Laotian soldiers who died in World War II and in the 1949 war of independence from France. It was originally called Anousavali. Designed by Tham Sayasthsena, a soldier and self-taught sculptor, it was funded with US money and cement meant for a new airbase, earning the nickname "vertical runway". In 1975 the Pathet Lao renamed it Patuxai, meaning Victory Gate.

The name Patuxai combines 'patu', a gate, with 'xai' from the Sanskrit 'jaya', victory. The monument is decorated in the Lan Xang style with kinnari and naga figures and Hindu-Brahmin deities. Its five towers stand for the five Buddhist principles of thoughtful amiability, flexibility, honesty, honour and prosperity.

Visitors can climb seven floors to reach an observation deck offering complete views of Vientiane and the Mekong River landscape. Comfortable footwear is wise since climbing interior stairs in the heat can be tiring.

The concrete used to build this monument came from materials originally intended for an airport runway funded by the U.S. government. This unexpected source of construction materials reflects an intriguing connection to Cold War era politics.