Vientiane, capital city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, still preserves echoes of the French rule in Indochina. This old house was built during the colonial era. The formality and beauty of the gardens contrast to the peeling walls. The dark, saturated colors, and ghostly shadow cast on the wall by the open shutter door imply an atmosphere of decay and neglect. What once was elegant is now forlorn. The gaping black hole in the middle of the image suggests abandonment. Places that are decaying, neglected, forlorn and abandoned create atmospheres that affect both the emotions and the intellect. The French empire here is long gone, but it left a few ghosts in Vientiane.