The Faculty of Architecture originated as the Vientiane School of Architecture, which was set up in 1979. It became a Department of the National University of Laos when the latter was set up in 1995 and finally a separate Faculty in March 2005. The Faculty currently offers five-year Bachelors degree programmes in Architecture, comprising one years’ foundation study at NUL’s main Dongdok campus plus four years’ professional study. The Department also runs a four-year Higher Diploma programme in Architecture. Staff of the Faculty of Architecture are very active in the field of research into the architectural heritage of Laos, undertaking surveys of temples on behalf of the Department of Museums and Archaeology of the Ministry of Information and Culture and conducting various research projects into the domestic architecture of Laos’ ethnic minority groups with funding assistance from overseas training institutes such as the University of Chiang Mai which has made several grants to the Faculty to study the close links between the architecture of Lanna and that of Luang Prabang. Undergraduates are required to write dissertations on traditional architecture based on original research up-country and the Faculty now has an important resource of information on this subject, albeit at this stage only in the Lao language. One of the most interesting of these is the project ‘About a Village’ – a series of eight field studies of different villages around the country. Five of these have already been completed, covering (i) the Lao Kang and Lao Luom village of Ban Nduang in Vangvieng District of Vientiane Province; (ii) the Oi village of Ban Rayaokang in Samakhisai District of Attapeu Province; (iii) the Lao Kang village of Ban Kasangkang in Lamai District of Sekong Province; (iv) the Tai village of Ban Koanetan in Mahaxai District of Khammouane Province; and (v) the Lavy village of Ban Paxom in Saravane District of Saravane Province. The remaining three will feature the Hmong village of Ban Nongkhet in Nongkhet District of Xieng Khouang Province and two other villages in Luang Namtha and Houaphanh Provinces respectively. The Faculty of Architecture is actively seeking funds to continue its work in this area.