Vientiane

About

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos. Comprising the 5 urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture, the city is located on the banks of the Mekong, close to the border with Thailand. Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule. The city had a population of 840,000 as of the 2023 census. Pha That Luang, an icon of Buddhism, is located in Vientiane. Other Buddhist temples can be found there, such as Haw Phra Kaew, which formerly housed the Emerald Buddha.

Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vientiane, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.

Why visit

Visit Vientiane for music, theater, and performance, religious and civic architecture. Use Vientiane to connect cultural institutions with streets, food, public space, and nearby landscape rather than treating each stop separately. A good itinerary should stay selective. Use one main anchor in Vientiane, then build outward only to places that sit naturally nearby. That gives Vientiane room to show itself without turning the day into unrelated stops. If the strongest material around Vientiane sits outside the center, give it its own time rather than forcing it into the same day.

When to avoid

The least practical period for a visit to Vientiane, Laos for a trip is during the rainy season, which typically occurs from May to October. Heavy rainfall can lead to flooding and transportation disruptions, making it challenging to navigate the city. Additionally, the high humidity during this time can be uncomfortable for travelers not accustomed to such conditions. It is advisable to plan your trip during the dry season, from November to April, to avoid potential weather-related issues and read all that Vientiane has to offer.

The next week in Vientiane

7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).

Year-round climate

Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).

Airports near Vientiane

2 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is Wattay International Airport (VTE) at 7 km.

Getting around Vientiane

Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.

Operators and modes aggregated by TransitLand from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications (subway / tram / rail / bus / etc) come from each feed’s GTFS route_type codes.