“Many people think of skateboarding as a toy or fashion accessory. But actually it’s a difficult sport that requires a lot of practice and that you have to devote your body and mind to.”
Location: Vientiane, Laos
Established: 2023
Surface: 360m²
Build Volunteers: 12
Locals: @vientianeskatepark
Skate Classes: Saturdays & Sundays, 10am - 12pm
Sponsors: Online Fundraising
In January 2023 we built the first public skatepark in Laos at the Hi-5 Sports Field in the country’s capital Vientiane.
Skateboarding was introduced to Laos over 10 years ago. Despite the lack of public space and with no skatepark, the skate community in Vientiane has grown to include more than 50 people. As opposed to its neighbors, Laos was the only country in South East Asia with no skatepark. With the growth of skateboarding in Vientiane and limited access to safe spaces to skate, there was an urgent need for a skatepark.
In 2021, Australian long-distance skateboarder Tom Drury (@gordy.aboard) raised funds by skating 4200 km (average 80 km a day) up the Australian east coast. After a two-year period where no entry to Laos was permitted due to Covid, we made this project a reality in early 2023.
