Buddha Park sits about 25 kilometres south of Vientiane along the Mekong. Built in 1958 by a mystic monk named Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, it is a surreal sculpture garden filled with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues, some enormous. The centrepiece is a giant pumpkin-shaped structure you can climb through for views over the park. It is not ancient, but it is fascinating and unlike anything else in Laos. Tuk-tuks from the city center charge around $10-15 for the round trip.
Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan)
Surreal sculpture garden with 200+ Buddhist and Hindu statues