Vientiane Destination Guide

Vientiane still has much of the Eurasian feel that characterized the former French Indochinese cities. French Colonial architecture, broad tree-lined avenues and freshly baked French bread are as integral a part of the scenery as saffron robed monks, Buddhist temples and street stalls selling noodle soup. There are also elements of the Thais, Khmers, Chinese, Vietnamese, Soviets, Hindus and Christians who have contributed to varying degrees to the city's history and character.

Being quite small, it is very easy to get around on your Vientiane holiday, and traffic, while increasing, is still nothing compared to the chaos that characterizes most Asian metropolises.

This charming town is a popular tourist destination so there is a wide range of Vientiane hotels there to suit every budget, including upscale luxury hotels, serviced apartments, French colonial style boutique hotels and Lao-style guesthouses with a family atmosphere. Click on Vientiane Accommodation to find and book Vientiane hotels or Vientiane guesthouses. Alternatively, use our Vientiane Map to search for Vientiane hotels by their location.

Vientiane Destination Guide

In addition to visiting the sites listed below on your Vientiane holiday or Vientiane visa run, there are quite a few things to do. Early to mid-November there is the That Luang Festival which is the largest temple fair in Laos. Festivities climax on the morning of the full moon at which time thousands of monks from all over the country receive offerings of food and alms from Laos' Buddhist faithful.

In October is the Bun Nam (River Festival) during which there are boat races and festivities for three days. When visiting during these festivities, it is important to plan ahead and book your Vientiane hotel in advance. And of course there's shopping - everything made anywhere in Laos practically can be bought in Vientiane. See the Vientiane Shopping page for more details. So venture outside your comfortable Vientiane hotel room and see what this city has to offer!

Attractions in and around Vientiane

Pha That Luang (The Great Stupa or Sacred Reliquary) is located 1 km north of downtown Vientiane, and is the most famous landmark of Vientiane and an important national symbol representing both Buddhism and sovereignty. It was constructed in 1566 by King Setthathirat and restored in 1935. It is also the site of a major festival in early November during which time it is lit up.

Legend dates its founding do the 3rd century BC where a shrine was erected to enclose one of the breastbones of the Lord Buddha. However physical remains show the earliest religious occupation of the site to date from the 12th century.

In the mid-16th century King Setthathirat moved his capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and ordered construction of That Luang. Work began in 1566. Covered in gold leaf, it repeatedly was plundered by Burmese, Siamese and Chinese. A Siamese invasion of 1828 led to massive destruction of the capital and virtual abandonment of That Luang.

That Luang is a multi-tiered stupa, with each level representing a different stage of enlightenment. The stupa is surrounded by a quadrangular cloister and contains fine examples of classic Lao and Khmer sculptures.

Patuxai, or Victory Monument, is situated at the north end of Lane Xang Avenue, this arch was built to commemorate the Laos who died in pre-Revolutionary wars. During the day, the monument can be climbed and makes an excellent vantage point from which to survey the city.

Patuxai was built in 1969 with cement from the US that which was supposed to be used for the construction of a new airport, but ended up on this monument (hence one of its unofficial names – the vertical runway). Beneath the arch is a doorway with staircase that leads to the top of the monument, from where you gain an impressive view of Vientiane.

Wat Sisaket temple was built in 1818 and is the oldest surviving temple in Vientiane. It features over 6,800 Buddha images of various sizes, styles and materials including silver, ceramic, wood, bronze and stone. Most of the images are older than the temple itself, coming from between the 15th and 19th centuries.

The main feature of Wat Sisaket is the square cloister that encloses the sim. On the interior walls of the cloister are more than 2,000 small alcoves, each of housing a small Buddha image. All these Buddha statues and figures are the temple’s most unique feature, but the ordination hall (or sim) is worth exploring to view its ceiling.

There is a distinct old world charm as you enter into the courtyard with a covered terrace housing thousands of Buddhas. The high ceiling sim shows the temples age with the dilapidated reliefs that magnificently cover the walls. No photos are allowed in here, but do look up and take it all in.

Buddha Park is situated about 25 minutes drive outside the city centre. The park was designed and built in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a yogi-priest-shaman who merged Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, iconography and mythology. It is fascinating for its many unusual concrete sculptures of virtually every Hindu and Buddhist deity. The huge reclining Buddha is outstanding; you can climb on its arm for a photo. There is also a large pumpkin-shaped dome to climb, itself filled with sculptures.

The museum is housed in a large, old French colonial building on Thanon Samsenthai and shows a collection of artifacts, photographs and paintings of the history of the Lao People's Revolution. From the French Colonial period to the struggle for independence to the resistance to American imperialism, it ends finally in 1975 with the Pathet Lao Communist victory. There are also small cultural and geographical exhibits.

Situated next to the Presidential Palace is the large temple of the former Lao Royal family which has been converted into a museum. Thought to be built in 1565 by order of King Setthatirat, Wat Ho Prakeo once housed the Emerald Buddha that was taken by the Thais in 1779, was razed in 1828 during the Siamese-Lao war and rebuilt between 1936 and 1942.

The temple sits very stately surrounded by well-manicured gardens. The crafted stone staircases with the sweeping Nagas on the bannister give a dramatic effect. The museum is to the rear of the temple and the Buddha’s are obviously revered by other visitors who have left offerings on the Buddhas. It is a small, but interesting collection of Buddhas and relics of olden times.

This artificial lake, created by the damming of the Ngum river for a hydroelectric plant, forms an area 250 sq km and contains many attractive islets. Boats can be hired by the hour to explore the area and visit the islands which were briefly used to banish law offenders after 1975.

Phou Khao Khouay, meaning Buffalo Horn Mountain, is one of Laos’ most beautiful nature reserves and it is only 40 km northeast of Vientiane. Most famous for being home to several herds of wild elephants, it is now possible to visit the park on a Vientiane Tour and even to stay overnight at the Elephant Watching Tower in Ban Na for a hope of catching a glimpse of these magnificent wild beasts. While there are elephant parks further north in Luang Prabang, these is the best opportunity for catching these animals in the wild.

Phou Khao Khouay NPA is also home to several beautiful waterfalls, although the park’s internal infrastructure is poor. The best way to visit the park would be as part of a tour of Phou Khao Khouay.

About 30km from Vientiane, 4km from the road to Luang Prabang, is Don Savang - a small island in the middle of a lake at the Nam Houn Dam. Here, locals enjoy the afternoon spending their time eating, drinking and playing water sports. There are a number of floating shelters where you can relax, as well as a small restaurant.

We work directly with farmers and farmer groups to assure that the beans are processed according to specialty coffee standards - ripe, fresh cherries, disciplined processing and professional grading and sorting. We sample all of our beans before we buy them to assure quality and consistency, and for the best beans, we pay the highest prices in Laos. We understand that freshness is possibly the most important part of making a good cup of coffee, and that's why our retail coffee is roasted-to-order to ensure freshness (look for the roast date on the package).

To work as closely with the coffee farmers as we can, we have developed a relationship with the Jhai Coffee Farmer Cooperative (JCFC), a Fair Trade certified co-op on the Bolaven Plateau. The Jhai Coffee farmers are one of the few groups in Laos that makes pure Arabica Typica coffee beans, and their certification meant the farmers receive all of the income generated by their coffee.

As the only exporter of specialty coffee beans in Laos, Jhai reaches markets in Europe, the US and Australia. Jhai Coffee is the first and only coffee co-op to be certified Fair Trade in Laos and we are proud to support them. For more information, go to www.fairtrade.net.

Our Orchid Farm was created in 2006, born from a passion for orchids and the desire to be part of the conservation of the unique Lao biodiversity while at the same time impacting economic and social development. Through our Orchid Trek in the Phou Khou Khouay NPA we:

- Promote awareness to local people on the consequences of the extinction of species and their natural habitats, in particular, orchids.
- Give local forestry poachers an alternative to their unlawful activities with properly paid lasting jobs.
- Promote responsible business practices, which cooperate closely with local authorities and people to support poverty alleviation and deliver conservation benefits.
- Provide a source of income to conserve and sustain the Phu Kwa Kwai protected area

We provide medical care, non-formal education, vocational training, life skills education, psychological support, games, sports, dancing, and painting for participants up to 21 years of age. Their families are also supported by helping them to set up home-based businesses and access to health care. We provide parents with counseling and life skills training, so they are better prepared to accept their children back into the family.

ChildSafe is building a network to protect vulnerable children from all forms of abuse. Tourists have an essential role to play in protecting children. Please do not give money to children on the streets; it encourages them to stay on the streets and reinforces the idea in their family, that children are more useful on the streets than in school. To constructively support the children to get an education, please support the Peuan Mit projects and buy ChildSafe products.

Makphet Restaurant, our newly-opened vocational training restaurant, is run by the instructors and the students. We uphold the highest standards of hygiene, use only naturally-grown ingredients and no MSG. The décor, food and the music are purely Laotian and profits help fund our activities for street children. Once training is completed, Peuan Mit helps the students find other full time employment .

Our Noi-Noi Shop (meaning ‘small-small') sells ChildSafe® products made by parents in vulnerable communities of Vientiane. Parents receive regular payments for their products, and all profits help sustain the project and support basic welfare services for the families. These products are ChildSafe®, as the income generated enables families to pay for their children's education which helps prevent them returning to the streets. We will soon be implementing the regional ChildSafe program in Lao PDR.

Big Brother Mouse is a new project that publishes books that make it fun and easy to learn to read. Today, few books are available in Laos, and they rarely reach the villages where most people live. Most children, especially in the countryside, have never read a book except for a few school textbooks, and some have not even read those. Few Lao people think that reading could be enjoyable, add to their knowledge, or improve their quality of life.

MAG, a co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, is a humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of local communities worldwide.

MAG currently works in 11 countries around the world and has been clearing UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) in Lao PDR since 1994. Our UXO Visitor Information Centre on the Mekong River in Vientaine provides visitors with the complete UXO story.

In Laos, if you need an artificial limb (prosthesis), a limb support device (an orthosis), a walking aid or a wheelchair, you go to COPE (Co-operative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE is currently the main source of these devices in the country and serves those injured by unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as in traffic and other accidents.

COPE was established in 1997 as a joint venture between the Ministry of Health and a number of international organizations concerned with disability in Laos. The operation is directed entirely by COPE staff, who work with the staff of the National Rehabilitation Centre in Vientiane and four provincial Rehabilitation Centres located in Luang Prabang, Xieng Khouang, Savannakhet and Pakse.

Rugby has come a long way in the Lao PDR since it was reborn in the late 1990's. The Lao Rugby Federation now has associate International Rugby Board (IRB) Status, full membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) and most importantly, has been recognised by the National Sports Committee of the Lao PDR since May 2004.