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Top 10AsiaLaos

Top 10 Things To Do in Vientiane

Country
Laos
Best months
Nov · Dec · Jan
Population
821K
Language
Lao
Budget / day
$30–70
Quick answer

Spend the first morning on the two temples that survived 1828, Wat Sisaket and Haw Phra Kaew, which face each other and tell one story between them. Give the afternoon to the COPE Visitor Centre. Keep Pha That Luang and Patuxai for the hour before sunset, when the light is on the gilding, and finish on the Mekong embankment as the night market opens. Day two is Buddha Park, 25 km downriver.

Laos put its capital on a bend of the Mekong in 1560, lost it to a Siamese army in 1828, and rebuilt it under the French as a provincial town of tamarind-lined avenues. All three layers are still legible, and they sit inside about two square kilometres. It rewards two days of walking and one afternoon on the embankment.

The 10 best things to do in Vientiane

1

Pha That Luang

Landmark· That Luang Road, Xaysettha District, Vientiane

The national symbol, reproduced on the state seal and on the banknotes. Setthathirath moved the Lan Xang capital here in 1560 and raised the stupa in 1566; a Siamese army destroyed it in 1828, and what stands is a 1930s reconstruction worked up from drawings of the ruin. On the November full moon it is the focus of the largest religious gathering in the country.

Time45–60 min
CostTicketed
Best atLate afternoon
TipThe cloister's inner walk gives the clean view of the gilding
Map
2

COPE Visitor Centre

Museum· Khouvieng Road, Ban Thongkhankham, Vientiane

Between 1964 and 1973 the United States dropped around two million tonnes of ordnance on Laos, a large share of which failed to detonate and is still in the ground. COPE was set up in 1997 to fit prosthetic limbs, and this centre explains why the work exists. Direct without being lurid. Entry is free and donations fund the limbs, which is the argument for going.

Time60–90 min
CostFree, donations fund the work
Best atMorning
TipGive the documentary room its full running time
Map↗ Official site
3

Wat Sisaket

Temple· Lane Xang Avenue at Setthathirath Road, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane

The oldest temple still standing in Vientiane, and the only significant one to come through the sack of 1828 intact. Chao Anouvong built it in 1818 in the Siamese style rather than the Lao, which is the most persuasive explanation for why the Siamese left it alone. The reason to come is the cloister: thousands of small Buddha figures set into niches in the wall.

Time45 min
CostTicketed
Best atEarly morning
TipThe cloister, not the ordination hall, is what you came for. Walk it twice
Map
4

Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan)

Landmark· Thadeua Road, about 25 km southeast of the centre, Hatsayfong District

A meadow above the Mekong holding more than 200 concrete figures, cast from 1958 onward under Bunleua Sulilat, a monk who taught a mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and local animism and had the sculptures built to illustrate it. The pumpkin-shaped structure at the entrance has three levels read as hell, earth and heaven, reached by a stair that starts inside a demon's mouth.

Time1–2 hr
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipThe Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is on the same road
Map
5

Patuxai

Landmark· Lane Xang Avenue, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane

The victory gate that closes the head of Lane Xang Avenue, built between 1957 and 1968 for those who died in the fight for independence from France. The silhouette is the Arc de Triomphe; everything on it is not, from the kinnari figures to the Ramayana ceilings. It went up using cement the United States had sent for a runway.

Time45 min
CostTicketed for the terrace
Best atLate afternoon
TipThe climb
Map
6

Haw Phra Kaew

Museum· Setthathirath Road, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane

Setthathirath built this in 1565 as the royal temple for the Emerald Buddha, the jade image he had brought from Chiang Mai. A Siamese army took the image in 1779 and it has been in Bangkok ever since, which makes this the most famous empty room in Laos. It now serves as a museum of Lao Buddhist sculpture, with a quiet walled garden most visitors skip.

Time30–45 min
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipRead it against Wat Sisaket across the road. The pair is a single story about 1828
Map
7

Chao Anouvong Park and the Mekong embankment

Park· Fa Ngum Road, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane

The riverside park is named for the king who rebelled against Siam in 1826 and lost the city for it, and his statue faces the Thai bank opposite. From late afternoon the promenade fills: open-air aerobics with speakers on the paving, families on the grass, and the night market unpacking under red canopies. It is the one place where the whole city turns out.

Time1–2 hr
CostFree
Best atSunset
TipCome while the light is still on the river
Map
8

Wat Si Muang

Temple· Setthathirath Road at Thanon Samsenthai, Sisattanak District, Vientiane

The city's guardian temple and the busiest working shrine in Vientiane. It was founded in 1563 on a site that already held a Khmer-era laterite pillar, and that pillar, treated as the foundation stone of the city, stands behind the altar. People come to ask for a blessing before a journey, and the wax castle procession that opens the That Luang festival forms up here.

Time30 min
CostFree
Best atMorning
TipThis is a place of worship before it is a sight
Map
9

Talat Sao morning market

Market· Lane Xang Avenue at Khu Vieng Road, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane

The name means morning market and the trading runs well past noon. The older halls hold the things worth carrying home: handwoven silk, the sinh skirts Lao women wear to work, silver and hill-tribe textiles, sold by weavers' families who will explain what a pattern means. The food section is where the tam mak hoong runs local heat.

Time1 hr
CostFree to browse
Best atMorning
TipTextiles are in the old halls
Map
10

Wat Sok Pa Luang

Temple· Sok Pa Luang Road, Sisattanak District, Vientiane

A forest temple in deep teak shade fifteen minutes south of the centre, and the counterweight to the gilded set pieces on Lane Xang Avenue. Novice monks hold an open conversation with visitors in the late afternoon, partly to practise their English, and a guided meditation follows: chanting, a seated sit, then walking meditation under the trees. Nobody sells anything.

Time1–2 hr
CostFree
Best atLate afternoon
TipThe monk conversation runs before the meditation
Map

5 of the 10, mapped

Vientiane · 5 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

Vientiane travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Vientiane?+
Two full days covers the city comfortably: one for the temples, COPE and the riverfront, one for Buddha Park and the markets. A third is worth adding only if you want the museums out at Xaythany or a day trip to Vang Vieng or Phou Khao Khouay.
Do I need a visa for Laos?+
Most nationalities do, and there are two routes. Visa on arrival is issued at Wattay airport and at the first Friendship Bridge for up to 30 days, extendable once. The alternative is the government's own eVisa, applied for before travel, which is worth doing in high season.
When is the best time to visit Vientiane?+
November to February. The cool dry season brings clear skies and nights that actually cool down. March to May is the hottest stretch of the year, and May to October is the wet season, when rain tends to arrive in heavy afternoon bursts rather than all day.
How do you get from Vientiane to Vang Vieng or Luang Prabang?+
By train on the Laos-China Railway, which reaches Vang Vieng in about an hour and Luang Prabang in under two. The station is 15 km northeast of the centre, seats go on sale three days ahead and sell out, and the operator's app is the only online channel. Buses still run the same routes more slowly.
Is Vientiane worth visiting, or should you go straight to Luang Prabang?+
Worth visiting, but for different reasons. Luang Prabang is the set piece; Vientiane is a working capital where the history is contested rather than curated. Wat Sisaket, Haw Phra Kaew and COPE tell you more about what happened to Laos than anywhere else in the country, and they take one day.
Temples

Best temples in Vientiane

Six more beyond the three in the Top 10, four of them within a block of each other in the old quarter.
All 6 temples →
Setthathirath Road

Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan

16th century · Working monastery

Founded in the sixteenth century, destroyed by the Siamese and rebuilt. It houses one of the country's main Buddhist schools, so the courtyard is full of student monks.

Map
Chanthakhoumane Road

That Dam

Unrestored · Free

The black stupa, marooned on a roundabout in the embassy quarter with grass growing out of its brickwork. Nobody has restored it, which is the appeal.

Map
Setthathirath Road

Wat Inpeng

Central · Free

Just off Setthathirath behind a gilded gate, with a facade and ceiling worked in gold leaf. Small, central and easy to fold into a walk to the river.

Map
Setthathirath Road

Wat Mixay

Old quarter · Free

One of the four temples that box in Wat Ong Teu, with a wide terrace and heavy guardians at the gate. Most visitors pass it on the way to the night market.

Map
Setthathirath Road

Wat Hai Sok

Old quarter · Free

Worth the two-minute detour for its roof alone: a stacked, multi-tiered structure of the kind Vientiane lost almost everywhere else. Quiet at midday.

Map
Quai Fa Ngum

Wat Chan

Riverfront · Free

The riverside member of the Wat Ong Teu cluster, with a bronze Buddha salvaged from the temple that stood here before 1828. Combine it with the sunset walk.

Map
Restaurants

Best restaurants in Vientiane

Five that cook Lao food properly, from a chef-run kitchen with a daily menu to the riverside veranda everyone ends up on.
All 5 restaurants →
Ban Naxay

Doi Ka Noi

Lao · Daily changing menu

Chef Noi cooks a short menu that changes with what the farms send in, and it is the most serious Lao cooking in the city. Lunch-focused, and it fills.

Map
Samsenthai Road

Kualao Restaurant

Lao · Dance performance

The formal end of Lao dining, in a colonial-era house: tam mak hoong, Mekong fish and sai oua, with a dance performance most evenings. Book ahead.

Map
Heng Boun Road

Lao Kitchen

Lao · Central

Lao classics served without the tourist dilution, a short walk from the river. The menu marks heat levels honestly, which is a small kindness.

Map
Ban Chommany, upstream

Kong View

Lao and Thai · Riverside

A wooden veranda over the Mekong upstream of the centre, with grilled river fish and the best sunset table in Vientiane. Arrive before the light goes.

Map
Setthathirath Road

Khop Chai Deu

Lao and international · Late

The old-quarter institution in a French-era villa: Lao standards, a long bar and a terrace that runs late. The easiest first night in the city.

Map
Cafes & bakeries

Best cafes and bakeries in Vientiane

Laos grows coffee on the Bolaven Plateau and inherited the baguette from France. Vientiane is where both land.
All 5 cafes & bakeries →
Nokeokoummane Road

Le Banneton

French bakery · Breakfast

The French bakery the expat quarter runs on, and the reference for croissants here. Breakfast at a pavement table before the heat arrives.

Map
Manthatourath Road

Naked Espresso

Lao beans · Espresso bar

A small Lao-owned roastery near the embankment, taking Lao beans seriously enough to serve them as espresso. The best straight cup in the centre.

Map
Setthathirath Road

Joma Bakery Cafe

Cafe chain · Wifi

The regional chain half of Vientiane treats as an office: reliable coffee, air conditioning and power sockets. Not a discovery, but useful.

Map
Ban Naxay

Common Grounds

Cafe · Family friendly

A garden cafe with a bakery counter and enough space for children to be children. The family option in an otherwise backpacker centre.

Map
Khouvieng Road

Karma Cafe

Coffee · Proceeds to COPE

The cafe in the grounds of the COPE centre, pouring Lao coffee with the takings going back into rehabilitation work. Most people need the twenty minutes.

Map↗ COPE
Markets & shopping

Best markets and shopping in Vientiane

Four beyond Talat Sao: two food markets the city actually shops at, the riverside stalls, and a silk workshop.
All 4 markets & shopping →
Nong Bone Road

Talat Khua Din

Fresh market · Mornings

The fresh market behind the bus station: produce, river fish, herbs by the armful and grilled skewers. Go for the food stalls rather than to buy.

Map
Thong Khan Kham

Talat Thong Khan Kham

Fresh market · Local

The biggest fresh market in the city, north of the centre and almost entirely local. The one to visit to see how Vientiane feeds itself.

Map
Quai Fa Ngum

Vientiane night market

Night market · Riverfront

Red-canopied rows that unpack along the embankment each afternoon and run until late: textiles, souvenirs and a food row at the northern end.

Map
Nokeokoummane Road

Lao Textiles by Carol Cassidy

Handwoven silk · Workshop

A weaving atelier in a restored colonial mansion three blocks from the river, founded in 1990. Silk made on site by Lao weavers, and the looms are part of the visit.

Map
Museums & memorials

Best museums and memorials in Vientiane

Four beyond COPE. Two of them are out at the northern edge of the city and are best done in one trip.
All 4 museums & memorials →
Sivilay, Xaythany District

Lao National Museum

National collection · Xaythany

The national collection has moved out of the 1925 governor's residence into a purpose-built hall at Sivilay, 6 km out, so it is now a deliberate trip rather than a walk.

Map
Xaythany District

Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial Museum

Opened 1995 · Beside the National Museum

Opened in 1995 for the first leader of the ruling party, and the clearest statement of how the state tells its own story. Next to the new National Museum.

Map
Nongtha, northeast of the centre

Lao Textile Museum

Founded 2003 · Weaving demonstrations

Set up in 2003 by the Sisane family: traditional houses on a garden plot, looms in use, and labelling that explains what the patterns on a sinh say.

Map
Phonekheng, north of the centre

Lao People's Army History Museum

Military history · Founded 1976

Captured hardware, campaign photography and a narrative of the war years told entirely from the victors' side, which is why it is worth an hour.

Map
Neighborhoods

Best neighborhoods in Vientiane

The centre is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes. These four are the parts worth crossing it for.
All 4 neighborhoods →
Chanthabouly District

The old quarter around Nam Phou

Colonial grid · Chanthabouly

The fountain square is the pivot of the colonial grid, with most of the French-era villas, restaurants and bars within three blocks. Lit at night, quiet by day.

Map
Chanthabouly District

Quai Fa Ngum riverfront

Embankment · Evenings

The embankment road along the Mekong, with the park, the night market and the sunset bars. Where the city goes at six in the evening.

Map
Chanthabouly District

Ban Anou

Budget beds · Street food

A grid of guesthouses, noodle shops and an evening street-food market north of the centre, and the cheapest beds within walking distance.

Map
Xaysettha District

The That Luang quarter

Ministries · Xaysettha

Northeast of Patuxai, where the ministries, the parade ground and the national stupa sit on a scale the rest of the city never attempts.

Map
Day trips

Best day trips from Vientiane

One train ride, one reservoir, one national protected area and a border crossing, all inside a day.
All 4 day trips →
Vientiane Province

Vang Vieng

About 1 hr by train · North

The karst valley on the Nam Song, and the trip the railway changed: a little over an hour where the road took a morning. Caves, lagoons and a river.

Map
Vientiane Province

Nam Ngum Reservoir

Reservoir · Boat trips

The lake behind the Nam Ngum dam, whose hydropower is one of the country's main exports. Islands, boat trips and grilled fish, two hours north.

Map
East of the city

Phou Khao Khouay

Protected since 1993 · Trekking

The nearest protected area to the capital, some 2,000 square kilometres of sandstone plateau, waterfalls and forest trails, under an hour by road.

Map
Thailand

Nong Khai, Thailand

Border crossing · Sala Kaew Ku

Across the first Friendship Bridge, 25 km out. Sala Kaew Ku, the larger sculpture park the creator of Buddha Park built after leaving Laos, is the reason.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Vientiane (2026)

The religious calendar sets almost every date here, and it moves with the moon.
November (full moon)

Boun Pha That Luang

The largest religious festival in Laos, around the full moon of the twelfth lunar month.

13–16 April

Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year)

The biggest holiday of the year, in the hottest week of the year, and the two facts are related.

October (full moon)

Boun Ok Phansa and the Vientiane boat races

The end of Lent and the rainy season together: candlelit floats on the Mekong, then the biggest boat races in Laos.

July (full moon)

Boun Khao Phansa

The start of Buddhist Lent, when monks enter the three-month rains retreat. Candle offerings, and the quietest major date.

May

Boun Bang Fai (rocket festival)

Home-made bamboo rockets fired into the sky to petition for rain, with processions and music.

February (full moon)

Makha Bousa

Marks the gathering of 1,250 disciples before the Buddha. Candlelit circumambulations, and a good night to be at a temple.

August or September

Boun Khao Padap Din

The rite of the dead, when families make offerings for ancestors who have no one left to feed them.

2 December

Lao National Day

Marks the founding of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975. Flags along Lane Xang Avenue and a public holiday.

Getting around

Vientiane transport & airports

An airport 3 km out, two railways and a bridge to Thailand.
VTE

Wattay International Airport

The main gateway to Laos, about 3 km from the centre, with regional routes to Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and southern China. A taxi into town takes around fifteen minutes.

Map↗ Lao Airlines
Rail

Laos-China Railway

The line opened in December 2021 and runs to the Chinese border, putting Vang Vieng about an hour away and Luang Prabang under two. The station is 15 km northeast, and seats sell out three days ahead.

Map
Khamsavath

Trains from Thailand

Since July 2024 the through service from Bangkok runs to Khamsavath station, 7 km from the centre. From Nong Khai it takes half an hour; the Bangkok sleeper is the classic slow arrival.

Map
Local

Getting around the city

The centre is walkable end to end. Beyond it, tuk-tuks are negotiated rather than metered, so agree the fare first, and LOCA, the licensed Lao ride-hailing app, prices the trip for you.

↗ LOCA
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Vientiane, Laos

Sticky rice with everything, and a baguette left behind by the French.

Laap

The national dish: minced meat or fish with lime, fish sauce, chilli, mint and toasted ground rice.

Tam mak hoong

Green papaya pounded with chilli, lime, garlic and padaek, the fermented sauce that is not Thai som tam.

Khao piak sen

Breakfast in a bowl: hand-cut rice and tapioca noodles, thick and slippery, in broth with fried garlic.

Khao jee pate

The clearest thing France left behind: a baguette with pate, cold cuts, pickled carrot and chilli.

Ping kai

Chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root and fish sauce, flattened between bamboo tongs and grilled.

Sai oua

The coiled Lao sausage, heavy on lemongrass, kaffir lime and galangal, grilled until the skin blisters.

Mok pa

River fish with dill, lemongrass and chilli, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed until it sets.

Khao poon

Fermented rice vermicelli in a pork, chicken or fish broth, with raw herbs and banana flower to add yourself.

Vientiane fact sheet

Vientiane at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic)
Region
Mekong valley, central Laos, on the Thai border
Population
820,940 in Vientiane Capital (2015 census, Lao Statistics Bureau)
Founded
Capital of the Lan Xang kingdom from 1560, of Laos since the French protectorate
Name
From viang (walled city) and chan, from the Sanskrit for sandalwood, so the walled city of sandalwood
Language
Lao. French survives on street signs and in older institutions, English is common in tourism
Currency
Lao kip (LAK). Thai baht and US dollars are taken in some tourist businesses
Time zone
Indochina Time (UTC+7), no daylight saving
Calling code
+856, with 21 for Vientiane
Airport
Wattay International (VTE), about 3 km from the centre
Power
230 V, 50 Hz. Sockets take European round pins and flat American pins
Emergency
191 police, 195 ambulance, 190 fire
Ideal length
2–3 days
Getting around
On foot in the centre, LOCA or tuk-tuk beyond it
Tourism board
↗ Website

Interesting facts

  • The name reads as the walled city of sandalwood: viang for a walled city, chan from the Sanskrit candana.
  • Patuxai went up between 1957 and 1968 using cement the United States had supplied for an airport runway.
  • The Emerald Buddha in Bangkok was Vientiane's for two centuries. Setthathirath built Haw Phra Kaew for it; Siam took it in 1779.
  • Between 1964 and 1973 around two million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Laos, and much of it did not go off.
  • The Laos-China Railway opened in December 2021 and gave a country with almost no track more than 400 km of it, to the Chinese border.

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