The Patuxai monument in Vientiane was built in the 1960s using concrete intended for a new airport — supplied by the United States — a fact the Lao government has never formally denied. Construction was funded by the Lao state during the pre-revolutionary period, making it a notably awkward symbol for the communist government that later adopted it as a national icon. This 2008 bullion issue was part of a broader Bank of the Lao PDR program producing fractional gold pieces targeting the collector market rather than circulation.
The Patuxai monument in Vientiane was built in the 1960s using concrete intended for a new airport — supplied by the United States — a fact the Lao government has never formally denied. Construction was funded by the Lao state during the pre-revolutionary period, making it a notably awkward symbol for the communist government that later adopted it as a national icon. This 2008 bullion issue was part of a broader Bank of the Lao PDR program producing fractional gold pieces targeting the collector market rather than circulation.