Vientiane
Travel Guide > Asia > Laos > Vientiane Province > Vientiane
Introduction
Vientiane, the Laotian national capital is a quiet city by Asian standards, despite being the busiest city in the country. Situated on the Mekong river, the city is a blend of French colonial architecture and gilded temples. The city first became a capital in 1560, when it was the capital of the kingdom of Lan Xang. In 1828 it was ransacked by the Siamese, who controlled the city for over a hundred years. When the French eventually took control of the city in the late 19th century, it became the capital of the French protectorate of Laos, a position it retained after independence.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
- Buddha Park, about 24 km out of the city, has a large collection of Buddhas and Hindu deities.
- Haw Phra Kaew, a former temple, now museum and small shops
- Lao National Museum (Location: Thanon Samsenthai. Open: 8am-4pm daily. Entry: 5000K)
- Patuxai, the local take on Paris' Arc de Triomphe. Climb the stairs to the top for views of the city.
- Pha That Luang, Buddhist stupa
- Talat Sao Morning Market
- That Dam, large stupa
- Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan
- Wat Si Muang
- Wat Si Saket, Buddhist wat
- Wat Sok Pa Luang, Buddhist temple
Events and Festivals
Weather
Getting There
By Plane
Wattay International Airport (VTE) is located 3km outside of the city. There are only a limited number of airlines servicing the airport, including Thai Airways International, Vietnam Airlines and AirAsia. Lao Airlines is based at the airport and has connections to Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
There are numerous guesthouses in Vientiane. These are a few of the popular ones.
- RD Guest House provides dorm rooms. (Location: 037/1 Rd, Nokeokoummane)
- Sabaidy Guesthouse (Location: 203, Setthathilath Road, Mixay 12)
- Vayakorn Guest House (Location: 91 Thanon Nokeo Kumman)
Mid-Range
Upscale
Work
Learn
This is version 3. Last edited at 6:10 on May 15, 08 by GeoBot (+54). 3 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License