A Vertical Runway In Laos
A runway, by
definition, should be more or less horizontal. More or less, because
some runways in remote areas such as the Andes had to be constructed
over slopes, which makes approaching them a skills test for any modern-day
pilot.
An almost forgotten remnant of the Vietnam War is
the “Vertical Runway” in Vientiane, Laos.
The Laotian “Patuxay,” best translated
to “Gate of Triumph” is a war monument erected in memory
of the Laotian solders that gave their lives in the Indochinese wars
against the colonial powers of France.
Erected between 1957 and 1969 and also dubbed “Arc
de Triomphe of Vientiane”—both for its resemblance to the
French counterpart in Paris and its meaning for Laotian freedom from
foreign oppression—it shows a multitude of mythological Laotian
decorations, such as the “khinnary,” half bird, half woman.
Its five towers represent the five Buddhist principles
of honesty, flexibility, amiability, honorability, and prosperity.
Its nickname “Horizontal Runway” stems
from the fact that the concrete and steel used for its construction
had been earmarked by the U.S. government for the reconstruction and
expansion of the Vientiane Airport as a fighter airbase in the Vietnam
War.
The purchase agreement negotiated between the Royal
Laotian Government and the U.S. at that time expressly stipulated its
use for the airport expansion; however, since delivery of the materials
took place before the contract was signed, it was subsequently never
finalized, and the Laotian government didn’t feel bound to its
stipulations.
The Maoist Pathèt Lao overturned the monarchy
in 1975. Although the “Anouh Savaley” (meaning “memory”)
monument (that is how the monument used to be known in the Laotian language)
was soon renamed to “Patuchay” or “Patuxay”
and rededicated to the victory of the communist regime over the constitutional
Laotian monarchy, it continues to be an architectural gem in the skyline
of Vientiane, and a reminder to the U.S. government that “pacta
sunt servanda” applies only where such contracts have actually
been formally inked.
