Vientiane, Laos 20th-century restoration of 1566 original Legendarily considered an Ashokan foundation, the site was determined by archaeologists to date originally back to Khmer times (11th-13th century). The stupa, seen here, was built in 1566 during the reign of King Setthathirat, destroyed in the 1828-1829 sack of Vientiane, and rebuilt in the 1930s.