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Located on the bank of Mekong River, Vientiane is the beautiful capital city of Laos. Unlike most of the capital cities of South East Asia countries, Vientiane is amazingly calm and relaxing as it is a small and peaceful town. However, due to the booming tourism industry, Vientiane is completely not a sleepy city with a lot of interesting destinations.
Being the capital of Laos since at least 1000 CE, here still remained a lot of old structures in Vientiane. Vientiane offers travelers amazing Buddhist art, graceful temples and lovely gardens. Most impressive destinations will be listed in the following:
Being the most important national monument of Laos, Pha That Luang is covered by gold which can be easily recognized from distance. Besides, Pha That Luang is the pride of Lao people as it is the symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty. Inside Pha That Luong, there are many priceless Buddha statues in well-preserved condition.
Wat Si Saket was built between 1819 and 1824 by Chao Anou. The Lao believe that Wat Si Saket is the oldest surviving wat in Vientiane. In the past, Wat Si Saket used to display priceless Buddha Statue by gem, however, it disappeared during the 1828 Lao Rebellion. Nowadays, along the “sim” (Main Pagoda) are more than 2000 Buddha Statues made in the 16-19th century.
Also knows as The Victory Gate, Patuxai is the most famous monument in Vientiane. It was built in the 1960s to commemorate people who died in prerevolutionary wars. Patuxai brings the beauty of traditional architecture and culture of Laos.
Built in 1566, Wat Si Muang is the soul of Vientiane where most of the people come to pray for peace and happiness. Wat Si Muang is a large pagoda with 2 main rooms: The Front Room and The Rear Room.
Besides, there are a lot of amazing places in Vientiane which are Xieng Khuan (located 25km southeast of central Vientiane), Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan (one of the most important temples in Laos), That Dam (Golden Stupa), Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, etc.
Vientiane has a lot of specialties which are Tam mak hoong (specific papaya hot salad of Laotian), Khao Poon (standard noodles soup in Laos), Khao Jee (Laos baguette), Laos Pho (vermicelli with beef), etc.
There are many restaurants, coffee shops, bars in Vientiane, such as Nam Phou, L'Opera, Le Central, Le Silapa, Le Nadao, La Belle Epoque, Balkan House, Bor Pen Nyang, Martini Lounge, Jazzy-Brick, Samlo Pub, Khop Chai Deu, Deja Vu. They offer a wide selection of cuisines, from Chinese specialities to Tex-Mex.
The best time to visit Vientiane is from November to March when the temperature gets cooler. However, this is also the peak season so it gets more crowded and more expensive as traveling in Vientiane.
