By air
Wattay International (VTE), ~4 km
Southeast Asia · Laos
Vientiane, Laos
A sleepy capital of gilded stupas
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to February — dry and cooler
Don't miss
Pha That Luang
Patuxai
Wat Si Saket
The COPE visitor centre
Things to do
Sunset on the Mekong promenade
The night market
A herbal sauna at Wat Sok Pa Luang
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Modest clothing for temples
A quieter corner
Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), concrete deities by the Mekong
Questions travellers ask
When should I visit Vientiane?
November to February, when it's dry and cooler. Pack modest clothing for temples such as Pha That Luang and Wat Si Saket.
Where can I watch the sunset in Vientiane?
On the Mekong promenade, before heading to the night market.
Which Lao dishes should I try in Vientiane?
Larb, sticky rice and Lao baguettes (khao jee).
Is there something unusual to see near Vientiane?
Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), with its concrete deities by the Mekong. Or try a herbal sauna at Wat Sok Pa Luang.
About Vientiane
- Riverside
Where it is
Vientiane is the capital of Laos, on a bend of the Mekong River facing Thailand across the water, in a broad plain in the centre-west of the country.
History
King Setthathirath made Vientiane the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom in the 1560s and built Pha That Luang, the great golden stupa. After Chao Anouvong's revolt against Siam, a Siamese army sacked the city in 1827–1828, leaving few buildings standing; under French rule it became the administrative capital of Laos, and it has been the capital of independent Laos since 1953.
People
Vientiane's people are mostly Lao, with Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai communities, and Lao is the language of daily life. Sticky rice, laap and grilled Mekong fish are everyday food, and the That Luang festival is celebrated each year at the great stupa.
Known for
- Pha That Luang, the national symbol
- Patuxai, the victory monument
- Wat Si Saket
- Sunsets on the Mekong promenade
- Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan)
Did you know?
Wat Si Saket, built in 1818, survived the Siamese sack of the city, probably because the invading army used it as its headquarters, and its cloister walls hold more than 2,000 small Buddha images.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.