Communist-era theater in Oudomxai, Laos demolished

"Long live the Lao People's Democratic Republic," proclaimed a banner above the stage at the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship. Directly beneath the one slogan, another read: "Long live the glory of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party."

While both LPDR and the Party are today alive and well, the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship is no more.

Word of the communist-era theater's demise reached the SEA Theater Project thanks to a traveler who sought out the ruinous structure while passing through Oudomxai. Only the right wing of the building was standing upon arrival, he wrote.

Socialist realism in cinema form

        

Auditorium of the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship

A gift from the Vietnamese government to their comrades in the city of Oudomxai, the theater was built during the height of Laos' short-lived experiment with a centrally planned economy. By 1986, the commune system was completely abandoned on the heels of "big brother" Vietnam's switch to a market economy.

Many architecture enthusiasts, loath to the bulky plainness inherent in socialist realism architecture, will welcome the loss of the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship. Personally, I look at such buildings as symbolic of the ideals, or lack thereof, of the times in which they were contracted. Despite its "ugliness," the building had worth, if only in its instructiveness. Its demolition is indeed a loss.

Laos never built much in the way of socialist realism to begin with. Now one of the finest examples of it in the north of the country is no more.

The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship, 1981-2012.

Click here and here for some older posts about the theater.

Ruins of a Socialist Cinema Hall: The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship revisited

This was my second visit to Udomxay, and I still find myself captivated by its withering hulk of socialist architecture. Its lone cinema hall - The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship.

I wrote about this theater a few years ago after my initial visit. In sum, it was built as a gift to the city of Udomxay by the Vietnamese government. Big comrade to little comrade, back when the honorific had a place in the regional lexicon.

Standing in front of it you can feel the communist ideology radiating out. The glory of the Party, its infallibility, its omnipresent weight leading the way to a workers paradise.

This architecture and this ideology seem so distant when juxtaposed with the hideous shape of capitalism that has taken root in Udomxay. Of course, one might argue that the Lao-Viet C.H.F. is pretty repulsive in its own right.

Party slogans "Long live the People's Democratic Republic of Laos, long live the Lao People's Party" hang above where the screen once was.

Two years after my first visit, the place is noticeably deteriorated. There is simply no way that it will be around much longer. So if you are traveling through northern Laos, I recommend a trip to Udomxay just to see it. Bask, for a few moments, in the remnants of a failed system. You will not be disappointed.

For a little bit of make-believe perspective.

The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship - Oudomxay, Laos

Facade from the right side

Facade from the left side. The two wings off the central hall serve as the offices for the provincial branch of the Ministry of Culture.

The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship was an instant personal favorite. I've come across numerous and sometimes architecturally attractive movie theaters while doing this research here in Southeast Asia. A handful of the old stand-alones that I've encountered have some pretty fascinating histories and interesting circumstances behind their inception. But this one was on another level. What makes the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship such a noteworthy movie theater for me? Simple: it was a gift from the communist Vietnamese government to their Lao comrades in the city of Oudomxay. Much like the French giving the Statue of Liberty to the Americans, this was an act of political diplomacy, only in movie theater form. Could their possibly be a kinder act of friendship?

This testament to late Soviet era functionalist design was built in 1981, 6 years after the triumph of the Lao communists over the American-backed royalist government. Had the latter emerged victorious, Hollywood films would have rolled through Lao projectors and graced Lao silver screens. Instead, Russian propaganda dubbed in Lao, along with Indian and occasionally Vietnamese films were the primary features in the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship. All theaters across the country followed this standard.

The banner above where the screen used to be says:

Long Live the Lao People's Democratic Republic!

Glory to the People's Revolutionary Party Forever!

Looking across the tile stage, where the screen was positioned behind the proscenium.

Old reels of film and rusting projection equipment. I'd love to see what's on those reels.

The town of Oudomxay is currently undergoing a sort of commercial and industrial renaissance thanks to an influx of mainland Chinese entrepreneurs. More than any place in peninsular Southeast Asia I've been to (besides a few towns on the Chinese border), Oudomxay feels like small Chinese trading center, not the Theravada domains typical of this part of the world. The lush mountains surrounding it, dotted with ethnic Khmu and Hmong villages, tower over this gritty little city, bustling with new denizens and new life. Sadly, however, the town's sole remaining movie theater has been dormant since 1988. The Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship now hosts a youth activities center, run by the Ministry of Culture.

Local kids from the youth activities center pose in front of the Lao-Viet Cultural Hall of Friendship. If only they had the chance to experience the joys of film!