Vientiane Travel Essentials
Ideal duration: 1 day
Best Time: November to February Read More
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"Laos laid-back capital with Buddhist stupas and colonial charm"
Vientiane Tourism
Vientiane is the capital of Laos. This city unlike the other busy or noisy places present in Southeast Asia, is very quite as well as is a place where you can relax. This city is set up on the banks of the Mekong river and is designed as per the French architecture. This place which was initially laid back a bit is now experiencing rapid growth and is recieving investment from the outside companies as well as firms. This place is home to numerous temples as well as to other bars and restaurants and has an ambience that will definitely keep your mesmerised.
Vientiane the capital of a developing nation Laos was intiially a laid back state with its design inspired by the French. This place is situated on the banks of the river Mekong and has numerous temples which you can visit and pray in. The name of this city has been derive from the french word "Wiang Jan" which means "The city of Sandalwood". Visiting this place you would find numerous hotels, bars and cafes with high end features, however the city has a laid back feel to it. The lifestyle of the people over here is usually slow and you won't see much hustle bustle even on weekends. This is one of smallest capitals in South East Asia and has a population of only 8,50,000. Over the years this city is expanding and there have been numerous investments from the foreign people in to this place. The tourism industry of this area is fast expanding.
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Things To Do In Vientiane
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Shopping in Vientiane
This place has developed quite gradually and you can easily find shopping malls as well as shops which sell numerous products. If you ask what to buy here then we would suggest you to go for hill tribe silk, jewellery, textiles as well as some art or home furnishing.
Currency in Vientiane
Kips is the main currency in Laos and is accepted widely in all restaurants as well as eateries. There are tons of ATM's available hence withdrawing money may not be an issue.
Nightlife in Vientiane
There are numerous clubs as well as pubs present in this location which offer exquisite night life. There are locations which offer a great view along with a some good alcohol. Places such as beer garden, blue sky bar are famous among the tourists for there ambience as well as servic. One of the most well known bar in this locatio is Bor Pen Nyang which offers you a sunset roof as well as rocking late night music and dance.
History of Vientiane
Vientiane has been the capital of Laos since the year 1563 after there was news about the Burmese invasion from the North. The main colonisation of this place began in the year 1893 by the French. It were the French who restored numerous structures in this place. Today, this is the largest city in Laos and is known to have a population of about 8,50,000.
Language of Vientiane
Lao is the official language of this place and is something that most people would be speaking. You can also found certain smaller groups speaking French. The younger people or the youth of this country also speak English and they speak it pretty well.
Vientiane Customs
In the city of Vientiane you would see member of the kings family as well as the member of court wearing sampot which is in a manner similar to the Indian Dhoti. You would find women wearing Sinh which is a long skirt made out of silk. However this is something that you would see few people wearing. MOst of the people in Lao have now switched to tradtional suits as well as blazers as these are considered as the symbol of wealth. For people who are visiting this place for the first place try and dress in a diligent manner and don't visit the temples in around this place wearing something short or too fancy. However in case you are not having something else then the temples over here would lend you a cloth to wrap around your skirts or shoulders. When you meet people here they might say you "Saba Dee" which is a way of welcoming you so in case you recieve one over here then make sure that you respond to them in the same way by saying the exact same words.
Religion of Vientiane
Talking about the small city of Vientiane you would find 40-50 percent of people practicing Theravada Buddhism, while about 30 percent of people over here are known to practice Satsana Phi. Apart from this the remaining population practices religions such as Christianity and other CHinese Folk Religions.
Best Time to Visit Vientiane
Nearby Places
How to Reach Vientiane
How to Reach Overview
You can enter the city of Vientiane by reaching to this place at Wattay Airport located 4 K.m. outside the city. There are railway options available to be considered in case you want to travel to this city through Bangkok .
How to reach Vientiane by flight
As mentioned before you can enter this city through the international flights which would help you land on the Wattay Airport located 4 k.m. North of the city.
How to reach Vientiane by road
You can reach to the Wattay airport and from there you can find tons of cabs which would take you to your booked hotels.
How to reach Vientiane by train
You can reach here through the medium of train by reaching to Bangkok and then taking a trail from there which would leave you near this city from where you can hire shuttle services.
How to reach Vientiane by bus
You can visit this place by roads through the common Friendship bridge shared by the country of Thailand. There are frequent shuttle services to this location. You arenêt allowed to cross this bridge either on cycle or on foot. Other ways of entering this place through bus is by taking one from Vietnam or from Cambodia each of which takes a minium of 20 hours to reach this city.
How to reach Vientiane by waterways
There isn't any route to Vientianne by Sea.
Local transport in Vientiane
You would be able to travel comfortably through this city as there isn't much traffic to be seen on the roads. In case you want to known the directions then try asking people around about the nearest locations to those places. Also make sure that in this city people pronouce "R" as "L". You would be able to find in some taxis which would take you to the locations that you like and are ususally the best means of communtating. However you can even travel by tuk-tuk which is something of a auto rikshaw, or you can choose bus services from travelling within districts.
Vientiane Photos
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FAQs on Vientiane
What are the places near Vientiane?
The top places near to Vientiane are Udomxai which is 2 km from Vientiane, Luang prabang which is located 218 km from Vientiane, Luang namtha which is located 91 km from Vientiane, Phonsavan which is located 175 km from Vientiane, Chiang mai which is located 394 km from Vientiane
What are the things to do in Vientiane?
The top things to do in Vientiane are Pha That Luang, Wat Ong Theu, Haw Phra Kaew, Lao Textile Museum, National Lao Museum, Patuxai. You can see all the places to visit in Vientiane here
What is the best way to reach Vientiane?
You can enter the city of Vientiane by reaching to this place at Wattay Airport located 4 K.m. outside the city. There are railway options available to be considered in case you want to travel to this city through Bangkok .
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What is the local food in Vientiane?
Rice is one of the common foods which are eaten in this area. People usually tends to utilise chopsticks to consume food rather than spoon. Forks and spoon are used to serve any food item along with rice. People eat sticky rice directly by dipping them into chilly paste or a paste made out of fish. Soup is something very common eaten in countryside where people also do tend to consume raw meat and gather food from any nearby forest.
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What is the best time to visit Vientiane?
This location is known to have a tropical climate and is mostly dry. The best time to visit this place is during the months of November to February when the atmosphere is usually cool as well as contain a bit of warmth. During all other times the weather is either too hot to handle or it is extremely rainy and humid.
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