Vientiane
Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos.
Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos. Comprising the 5 urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture, the city is located on the banks of the Mekong, close to the border with Thailand. Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule. The city had a population of 840,000 as of the 2023 census. Pha That Luang, an icon of Buddhism, is located in Vientiane. Other Buddhist temples can be found there, such as Haw Phra Kaew, which formerly housed the Emerald Buddha.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Vientiane
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01National University of Laos
The National University of Laos is a national public university in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Founded in 1996, with departments brought in from other existing colleges, it is the only national university in the country.
6.3 km · public university in Laos · Wikipedia - 02Patuxai
Patuxai is a war monument in Downtown Vientiane, Laos, built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France.
1.6 km · monument in Laos · Wikipedia - 03Laos National Stadium
The Laos National Stadium or formally Anouvong Stadium, also known as Vientiane Provincial stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Vientiane, Laos. It is named after Chao Anouvong, King of Vientiane.
2.7 km · multi-purpose stadium in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia - 04Lao National Museum
The Lao National Museum is a building located in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The structure was originally built in 1925 as the French governor's residence and today presents the history of the nation, highlighting the Lao people's struggle to free the country from foreign occupation.
2.8 km · building in Laos · Wikipedia - 05National Library of Laos
The National Library of Laos is a library located in Vientiane, Laos. First established on 1 July 1956, it moved to its current location in 1988.
2.9 km · national library · Wikipedia - 06Presidential Palace
The Presidential Palace is the official residence of the President of Laos, who, by convention, also holds the position of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. It is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the capital city, Vientiane.
2.9 km · Presidential Palace in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia - 07Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan
Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan is one of many Buddhist monasteries in the city of Vientiane in Laos. This name is given to the temple due to the large, bronze Phra Ong Teu Buddha image that is in the temple: the largest Buddha in Vientiane.
3.2 km · Buddhist monastery in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia - 08Vientiane Jamia Mosque
The Vientiane Jamia Mosque, also called Jamia Masjid or the Congregational Mosque, is a Sunni Islamic mosque that worships in the Hanafi school tradition, located in a lane near the Nam Phu Fountain, in Vientiane, Laos. It is the oldest mosque in Laos.
2.8 km · mosque in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia - 09Sacred Heart Cathedral, Vientiane
The Sacred Heart Cathedral, also called Vientiane Cathedral, is the name given to a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The temple is situated at the Rue de la Mission and near the French Embassy in Laos.
2.6 km · church in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia - 10Kaysone Phomvihane Museum
Kaysone Phomvihane Museum is a memorial named after the first leader of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. It opened on December 13, 1995, and is located in Vientiane.
3.3 km · museum in Vientiane, Laos · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Vientiane is best viewed as a comfortable transit point for other places in Laos, or as a recuperative stop on the way out. It's a pleasant enough place, but generally, there is little reason to spend more than a couple of days here.
- 01COPE Visitor Centre
- 02Kaysone Phomvihane Museum
A quiet museum celebrating Laotian war hero and prime minister Kaysone Phomvihane.
- 03Lao National Museum
- 04Patuxai
A local rendition of the Arc de Triomphe.
- 05President Souphanouvong Memorial
Kaysone Phomvihane Rd, Ban Phonsa-art,.
- 06Presidential Palace
The official residence of the President of Laos, completed in 1986 in a mostly beaux-arts architectural style, but with a traditional Lao roof, on the site of a former royal palace.
From Wikivoyage: Vientiane, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Champakham Massage & Spa
Rue Francois Ngin (in the center of Vientiane, next to Fuji restaurant), cpkspa@gmail.com.
- 02Lao National Stadium
- 03Patuxay Park
Tour via Vientiane ByCycle, Ban Sithan Neua (Tours start in front of Spirit House Cafe),.
- 04Hire a bicycle from Lao Bike
Explore the region with a good quality bicycle.
From Wikivoyage: Vientiane, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Along the river (from opposite the BCEL Bank along the Mekong for approximately 2 km upriver). Dozens of unpretentious restaurants and beer gardens (those upstream from the main beach promenade are generally cheaper). All are pleasant places for a beer and a snack or a complete meal while the sun goes down over the river.
- 01Taj Mahal Restaurant
- 02Ban Lao Beer Garden
Cheap Thai food (14,000 kip) and cheap beer (9,000 kip, for the cheap one, 10,000 kip for Lao beer) Nice quiet garden, nice people.
- 03Chokdee Café Restaurant & Belgian Beer Bar
- 04Dai Japanese
Setthatirath road, izakayadai@hotmail.com.
- 05Kong View Bar and Restaurant
With the ongoing construction of the flood management levee and river park in Vientiane, this restaurant offers the most optimal dining views of the Mekong.
From Wikivoyage: Vientiane, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Vientiane
- Airports
- Wattay (VTE), 7 km · Udon Thani (UTH), 68 km · Luang Phabang (LPQ), 219 km
- Stations
- Wattay International Airport, 7.1 km · Vientiane Railway Station, 9.8 km · Khamsavath Station, 5.4 km
- Luang Phabang → Vientiane107 km · quickest by road, 4h 22m · ฿345–465
- Pakse → Vientiane465 km · quickest by air, 3h 51m · $130–190
- Udon Thani → Vientiane64 km · quickest by road, 1h 47m · ฿125–165
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Vientiane
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Vientiane. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inAlternatively, you can also take any regular Thai train or bus to Nong Khai, then a tuk-tuk across the Friendship Bridge to Laos.
- Get inTransport by songthaew to designated bus terminal is invariably included in the price.
- Get inIt may happen that instead of going to the bus terminal the songthaew will stop at the roadside near the bus terminal and you will wait there until the bus departures and comes to pick you up.
- Get inAccording to the songthaew driver it's because the bus station is too crowded and it's more comfortable to wait at the roadside.
- Get inThere are a couple of direct international cheap, comfortable, hassle-free, and popular -so book ahead or arrive early- buses to/from Talat Sao bus station (the timetable changes often): Nong Khai, 4 per day between 7:30 and 18:00 (55 baht) Khon Kaen, 2 per day (185 baht); leaving Khon Kaen Bus Terminal (Prab-argat) at 07:45 (usually delayed till 08:00) and 15:15; the trip takes around 4 hrs Udon Thani, 5 per day between 8:00 and 17:30 (80 baht) From Udon Thani airport, a 200-baht minibus ride can be purchased in the airport.
From Wikivoyage: Vientiane, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Vientiane – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Vientiane
- Si Chiang Maidistrict in Nong Khai province, Thailand5 km
- Chanthabulydistrict of Laos3.6 km
- Xaysetthadistrict in Vientiane Prefecture, Laos8.3 km
- Sisattanak Districtdistrict of Laos4.5 km