The Peth Rama -- Thakaek, Khammuane province, Laos

The Peth Rama was not the most interesting old theater to photograph, as signs of its erstwhile career are gone, save for the massive auditorium and ticket window. Nonetheless, it still stands. As you can see it was undergoing renovations at the time of my visit, though what it will be was vague. Everybody I asked said that it had been torn down and houses were being built in its place. One sam lor driver, however, knew that wasn't so.

I asked the sam lor driver with the good memory if he had ever seen a film there. "Sure," he said proudly, knowing that he was in some way part of the Peth Rama's history. "I used to watch Indian movies here."

"And Thai?" I asked.

"No, never Thai movies. You know, in the past Thailand and Laos didn't get along. Communists vs. capitalists."

The ticket window endures

The Peth Rama closed in the late 1980's. Its name translates to "Diamond Rama," but this gem is long gone.

Van Dara Theater - Thakaek, Khammuane province, Laos

Thakaek is a rusty old city on the Mekong in south central Laos. It was memorable for its waterfront nightlife which mainly consisted of packs of teenagers flying around on motorbikes, while everybody else drank beer and ate. I liked it there.

Most of the people I spoke to in Thakaek were convinced that all the theaters had been destroyed. Fortunately they were wrong, as the Van Dara Theater lives on, if only as a shell.

Wasn't able to glean much info about this place, only that the owner one day just picked up and left. It's been dormant since, apparently. The only person I found who remembered watching movies there said that it - like all the Lao theaters that survived past 75' - showed Vietnamese, Indian and Soviet movies.

Close-up of facade

They used to park their bikes under here.

Maybe the old ticket window?

If you're in Thakaek and want see the Van Dara Theater for yourself, it's right behind the Mekong Hotel, one street back from the river. It's an attractive, yet unimposing building.