Yes, that's my former school: "LYCEE de VIENTIANE". That building had been painted and repainted many, many times, but still deterioted due to the ages. I'd rather see them tear it down and build a new modern one.
If you torn the old building of Vientiane Highschool down and build a new and modern one, and we will have only photos to show our next generation how this school look like before.
All that depends more on the quality of the renovation and ongoing maintenance. If both of them are down, no matter how many times you do them, it'll be the same.
Tearing is an option only when the building can't be renovated anymore.
ບັນດາຕົ້ນ palm trees are good, no need to change it to Champa trees. We have so many of that trees along the streets. The Christmas is coming, so these palm tree will be used for light decoration.
Everybody has their own opinion, I think Champa tree has a lot 0f meaning. In western country palm tree is the best but palm tree represents asaian tree anyway. Champa tree goes with Laos.
I did love Vientiane in 2002! Only motorbikes tuktuks and a FEWWWWW cars. Not so many trafic jams... easy to cross the streets when you walk, fast to cross the city by bus...
Now, many parts of Vientiane are much more beautifull (park arount Pathuxay, night light...) but the traffic at rush our turn the city into hell.... like most of modern capital cities in the world. Vientiane is loosing a part of its peasant specificity... I hope autorities can solve this problem in the next years and not let things turn worse and worse as the country enrich!