| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
Vientiane (wee-en- chan ) is one of the few world capitals that lack the look and feel of what most Westerners would consider a "city," much less a capital. Quiet, provincial, sleepy: These are terms that come to mind on seeing Vientiane for the first time. And if you drive into town, you might not even realize when you're actually in the city proper, as "metropolitan" Vientiane blends seamlessly with the countryside. Just a short ride in any direction from Lane Xang, the main north-south avenue, will quickly carry you into the beginnings of rural Laos. But for better or worse, the slow march to modernity seems inevitable, as the massive influx of foreign aid and manpower from both foreign governments and NGOs is bound to reshape the city and dramatically affect those who inhabit it. While recent infrastructure and telecommunications improvements portend greater future transformation, change has still come slowly in Vientiane. Traffic is only a trickle on the city center's beautiful tree-lined boulevard, the people are always armed with their easy and ready smiles, and the city is asleep by 11pm every night. The city was ransacked by the Siamese in 1828, so it lacks some of the ancient history you find in the former capital of Luang Prabang, but many of Vientiane's temples have been beautifully reconstructed. That Luang is the preeminent Buddhist temple in the country and the scene of a huge festival every November. The Patuxay Victory Monument is a peculiarly L
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | Southeast Asia’s quiet backwater capital, Vientiane, unfolds over pot-holed roads, emerging through a haze of construction dust and flaming sunsets over the Mekong. To the careful observer, reminders of Vientiane’s complicated and colorful history abound. Streets filled with elaborate Buddhist temples, crumbling French colonial villas, modernist Soviet architecture and aid offices form the backdrop for a unique hybrid society of socialist kitsch, Western capitalism and a smattering of Thai pop culture. Sitting on a quiet bend of the Mekong River, at the center of a vast, fertile, alluvial plain, Vientiane has been inhabited since the 10th century. Having been conquered and ruled repeatedly by the Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Siamese, the meuang , or fiefdom, of Vientiane was drawn into the Lao kingdom of Lane Xang (one million elephants). In 1560 King Setthathirath moved the capital of his kingdom there from Luang Prabang and ordered the That Luang (Great Stupa ) to be built in the east of the city at the site of a Khmer temple. Rebuilt on numerous occasions this stupa remains the central icon to Lao Buddhist life in Vientiane and a symbol of Lao sovereignty. Unfortunately for Vientiane, this golden period of Lao history waned as the kingdom declined. A dramatic raid by the Siamese left Vientiane in ruin. The only monastery left standing in the city after the raid was Wat Sisaket , built in 1818 by King Chao Anou. This peaceful and charming temple is now th
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| How To Get There (Source: WCities) | Top | Getting There: By Air: The Wattay International Airport ( VTE ) is located just outside the city of Vientiane and is one of Laos’s few international airports. Major airlines serving this airport include: Lao Airlines: ( +66 26 640 6612/ http://www.laos-airlines.com/ ) Bangkok Airways: ( +66 02 265 5555/ http://www.bangkokair.com/ ) EVA Air: ( +1 800 695 1188/ http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/ ) Thai Airways: ( +1 800 426 5204/ http://www.thaiairways.com/ ) Vietnam Airlines: ( +856 21 217 562/ http://www.vietnamairlines.com/ ) By Train: State Railways of Thailand ( +66 02 225 0300 ) has a station in Nong Khai which is directly across the Mekong River from Vientiane. By Bus: There are several bus lines that come into the Talat Sao Bus Terminal in Vientiane. These can also take you to all the provinces of Laos. Getting Around: By Taxi: The small fleet of taxis in Vientiane are generally found around the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, and can be hired for a trip or for an entire day. By Bus: The buses are mostly used by locals on their way to market carrying produce and live animals. This is not an ideal travel method for tourists, unless you’re destination is the Friendship Bridge By Bicycle: This are the most preferred method of getting around and most hotels offer rentals. The city’s flat terrain is ideal for bicycling, but watch out for one-way streets.
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | While entertainment options in Vientiane can be somewhat limited, if you like drinking, dancing, karaoke or live music, you are in for a good time. The bad news is that there is a government-imposed curfew of 11.30pm; the good news is that many places either ignore it or have an understanding with the local police, which allows them to stay open until around 1am, and even later in some cases. A word of advice--transportation is difficult to find after about 10pm, especially in areas outside the city center such as KM4, so if you are planning a late night, paying a tuk-tuk driver to wait for you is well worth the money. If your preference is for more highbrow cultural pursuits than drinking and dancing, they are a little harder to find, but it can be done with a bit of persistence. The best way to find out what is happening on the cultural front is to check the English language newspaper, The Vientiane Times , for listings. Also check the window of Phimphone Market as one-off events such as concerts, drama performances and film showings are often advertised there. Nightlife There is a good variety of clubs, discos and watering holes to choose from, ranging from those catering mostly to foreign visitors to those with much more local flavor. The Samlo and Rose & Crown pubs are on the foreign end of the scale, with a British feel to them. Similarly, Khop Chai Deu Food Garden is a popular drinking hangout for both expatriates and backpackers. For somethi
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