Vientiane.
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Overview

Vientiane (Lao: ວຽງຈັນ, Vieng Chan) is the capital of Laos, with stunning temples, vibrant night markets, beautiful French-Indochinese architecture, lively street food stalls, and traditional craft markets.

Understand

Not too long ago, Vientiane was often described as sleepy and charming. However, the combination of exploding population — Vientiane has over doubled in size since 2000, reaching some 750,000 people in the 2020 census — and the frenetic Chinese-led investment boom and bust has led to considerable growing pains, with strip malls, traffic jams and abandoned construction sites throughout the city, and the French colonial villas of the old town now stand cheek to jowl with various concrete monstrosities, tied together with spiderwebs of power cables.

Nevertheless, the city has retained some charms, like plenty of gold-encrusted temples, a remarkably cosmopolitan dining scene and a pleasant riverside promenade by the Mekong River. So after you've done the round of temples, the best thing to do here has always been to wander down to the riverside, relax with a cold Beerlao, the Lao national beer, and watch the sun set on the Mekong.

History Settled since at least 1000 CE, Vientiane became an important administrative city of the Kingdom of Lan Xang ("million elephants") in 1545. Ransacked in 1828 by the Siamese, Vientiane sprung back to be again named the capital of the protectorate of Laos by the French, a position it kept after independence in 1953 and after the communists took over in 1975. Today Vientiane is far and away the largest city in Laos.

Orientation Vientiane stretches along the northeast bank of a bend in the Mekong River. From the riverbank inland, the main roads running parallel to the river are Fa Ngum Rd, Setthathirat Rd, and Samsenthai Rd. The central district, Chanthabuli, contains most of Vientiane's governmental offices, hotels, and restaurants. Vientiane's widest boulevard, Lane Xang Rd, runs from the Presidential Palace (now used for governmental offices and for state receptions) to the northeast around Patuxai, the Victory Gate, towards Pha That Luang, the That Luang Stupa, the most important religious monument in Laos.

Climate Vientiane has the same climate as most of Laos (and Thailand, for that matter). The hot season from March to May cranks the mercury as high as 40°C, and the humidity makes it feel like 50°C. The slightly cooler wet season is from May-Oct, when temperatures are around 30°C, tropical downpours are frequent (especially Jul-Aug), and some years the Mekong floods. The best but also busiest time to visit is the dry season from November to February, when daytime highs are around 30°C, nighttime lows a pleasant 20°C and rain is rare.

Get in

Note that boarding passes generated via online check-in are not accepted (Dec 2024). You need to use the check-in counters at the airport regardless of whether you checked in online. Also, at the exit immigration control they ask for a filled Departure Card. They are available on a desk once you pass security, use the long wait in the line to fill it out.

There are many international flights to Vientiane, especially from China. As of early 2025, you can fly direct to Vientiane from 15 Chinese cities, as well as from Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yangon, Busan, Seoul, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

From neighboring countries, it is often cheaper and relatively painless to travel to Vientiane overland rather than by air.

From Bangkok, many visitors fly into Udon Thani in Thailand, and cross the border by bus, as this domestic flight is considerably cheaper than a direct international flight to Vientiane. There is a direct shuttle from Udon Thani airport to the Thai/Lao border at Nong Khai (about 50 km away) for 200 baht, and there are also direct cross-border bus services from Udon Thani (the city, not the airport) to Vientiane. This option (flight, bus transfers and immigration clearance at 2 points) takes at least 2 hours longer than a direct Bangkok to Vientiane flight. You may have difficulty getting an international bus to Laos if you do not already hold a visa. Bus conductors sometimes check for this, as the buses do not wait at the border long enough for the painfully slow visa on arrival process.

Lao Skyway the second-biggest Lao airline, operates several flights weekly each between Vientiane and Huay Xai, Luangnamtha, Luang Prabang, and Oudomxay on small aircraft.

There is an Airport Shuttle Bus between Wattay International Airport, city center and Central Bus Station. The bus stop at the airport is at the International Arrivals exit; turn right upon exiting. You can buy a ticket at the helpful bus information desk inside the airport, or you can just buy one on the bus. Bus stops at the city center are along Setthathilath, Samsenthai and Pangkham Rd. The bus stop at the Central Bus Station is along Nongbone Road a few meters away from the International Bus Ticket Office.

Many hotels offer a pickup service from the airport. The touts will also tell you that rideshare drivers can't pickup in the airport area.

By train Vientiane has two separate train stations, which are 15 km apart and not connected by train. Neither is anywhere near the urban core. If leaving by train, be sure your ride is going to the right one!

Since April 2023, five high-speed trains per day run from Muang Xay via Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Phonhong to Vientiane.

One of these trains daily starts from Kunming South Station in China. The train stops at Mohan and Boten for 1.5 hours each to complete Chinese and Lao border formalities respectively, taking 9.5 hours altogether. The northbound train leaves Vientiane around 08:00 to reach Kunming at 19:40. These trains are much faster and more comfortable than buses, so they are very popular and sell out.

This app is not available in all regions. As of 2024 MasterCard payment is not supported yet, but Visa is. One can book tickets only up to three days ahead and those run out quick, so early booking is recommended. See more on trains on Laos–China Railway#Tickets for details.

, also signposted as the Lao-China Railway Station, is the south terminus of this railway, intended one day to reach Bangkok. It's on the northeast edge of the city towards the new National Stadium, 15 km from downtown in the middle of fields of grazing goats.

The station operates in a Chinese style, meaning that tickets and matching ID are required to enter the station and security inspections were in place, mostly looking for flammable sprays. Liquids are OK. Boarding closes 5 minutes before departure, but it’s recommended to be there about an hour early. Facilities at the station include a few shops, convenience stores, and cafes which have a smaller selection of hot foods. If you have more time to kill, there's a simple cafe in the 2nd floor "Shopping Area" outside security, plus a ramshackle collection of stalls a few hundred meters away outside.

Opened in July 2024, (Thai: สถานีรถไฟคำสะหวาด), also known as Vientiane-Tai (ວຽງຈັນ​ໃຕ້, "Vientiane South"), is 4.5 km from the city center and is now served by daily direct trains from Bangkok and Udon Thani, stopping at Nong Khai for Thai border inspections. Lao border inspections are conducted at Khamsavath station after you arrive. EVisas are now accepted at Khamsavath station, and you can obtain a visa-on-arrival here. The old Thanaleng station and the shuttle trains that used to serve it have been decommissioned.

Alternatively, you can also take any regular Thai train or bus to Nong Khai, then a tuk-tuk across the Friendship Bridge to Laos. Nong Khai railway station is 1.5 km short of the bridge, the bus station is further.

By bus Bus tickets can be bought from various travel agents in Vientiane. It may happen that instead of going to the bus terminal the songthaew will stop at the roadside near the bus terminal and you will wait there until the bus departures and comes to pick you up. Due to this arrangement you will get to choose the last available seats. According to the songthaew driver it's because the bus station is too crowded and it's more comfortable to wait at the roadside.

Vientiane has the following bus terminals:

Central Bus Terminal (CBS). It's also called Talat Sao Station, Morning Market Station or Khua Din Bus Station. It is used by city buses (even though their existence might be vigorously denied by people you ask, as many have stakes in passenger transportation) and those circulating within Vientiane Prefecture and to Thailand. See below Get around - By Bus.

Southern Bus Terminal/Station (SBS). It is used for buses going south of the capital, like to Tha Khaek and Pakse. It's connected with the CBS via City Buses 23, 28 and 29, which run between 05:50 and 16:00 eleven times M-F 07:00-16:00, five times on Sa Su. Outside these times you are at the mercy of the tuk-tuks, starting from 15,000 kip if you are lucky. Scams are sometimes reported at this station. Ignore anyone telling you to pay an additional fee.

Northern Bus Terminal/Station (NBS). It is used for buses going north of the capital. It's connected with the CBS via City Bus 8, which runs between 06:00 and 17:00 every 30 minutes. A tuk-tuk will probably try to charge you about 50,000 kip. Don't pay more than 10,000 kip.

Bus Stop for Vang Vieng. Large VIP buses and mini-buses leave to Vang Vieng from here. Mini-vans will pick up passengers from hotels and bring them to this point. Avoid being picked up too early by walking to this location which is near to many guest houses and hotels.

Domestic travel Hobo Maps hosts a messy but fairly up-to-date set of timetables featuring travellers' photographs of departure boards. These are transcribed below in order from north to south. Note that prices may have already increased due to the devaluation of the kip.

The Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Saphan Mittaphap) over the Mekong river is the most common means of entry. It is open daily till around 22:00 (but check with the locals if unsure) and links the Thai border post in Nong Khai, Thailand with the Lao border post in Thanaleng, Laos, around 20 km southeast of Vientiane.

Bridge crossing is either - via your direct bus or - via the public shuttle bus; it goes frequently just from behind Thai emigration and charges 30 baht (Jan 2024). Foot or bicycle crossing is prohibited (however, people have been seen strolling the bridge); bicycles can be carried in buses' cargo compartments

If you need a Visa on arrival, the process is get stamped out at the Thai border post cross the bridge to the Laos border post at the immigration booth get an arrival form and fill it out hand in the filled-out form your passport two passport-sized photos. On weekends only you may be charged a 9,000 kip or 40 baht (2010) "overtime charge". you reach the parking lot on the western side of the immigration building

hourly between 07:20 and 18:05 according timetable) to Talat Sao (aka Morning Market Station, Central Bus Station, Vientiane Bus Station), charging 18,000 kip (Jan 2024).

Direct buses will not wait long enough for completion of the visa on arrival procedure. There are a couple of direct international cheap, comfortable, hassle-free, and popular -so book ahead or arrive early- buses to/from Talat Sao bus station (the timetable changes often): Nong Khai, 4 per day between 7:30 and 18:00 (55 baht) Khon Kaen, 2 per day (185 baht); leaving Khon Kaen Bus Terminal (Prab-argat) at 07:45 (usually delayed till 08:00) and 15:15; the trip takes around 4 hrs Udon Thani, 5 per day between 8:00 and 17:30 (80 baht) From Udon Thani airport, a 200-baht minibus ride can be purchased in the airport. You will be dropped off on the Thai border post.

For exiting Laos over the Friendship Bridge, Bus 14 goes from Talat Sao (Morning Market) to the border post approx. hourly between 06:15 and 17:00 according to the timetable, but it is common that schedules are not obeyed, and buses may even leave ahead of time. Ask the staff. Avoid the tuk-tuk/songthaew drivers insisting it is late, slow, or gone and wanting 50,000 kip to drive you to the border before dumping you there at the mercy of their Thai equivalents on the other side. There is no exit fee at the Laos border post. However, on weekends a 9,000 kip or 40 baht (2010) "overtime charge" might apply. Just walk past the exit fee booth; if no one stops you, you haven't done anything wrong.

There is a twice-weekly VIP bus (better seats) and a local bus that departs every day. With the local bus you're not certain of a seat and Vietnamese people tend to sit and never get up again until arrival.

The bus arrives to Southern Terminal where you have to bargain hard with tuk-tuks. The ride to town after midnight is 30,000 kip. There are local buses heading towards town from here that usually stop at the central market priced at about 10,000 kip.

This means you get a sleeper (bed) for the night portion of your trip. Unless, however, you have a partner you will share the rather small bed with a random passenger of the same gender. The bed is comfortable, though there have been reports of leaking windows and flooded mattresses.

At the Lao-Cambodian border, essentially the same form has to be filled out numerous times (to ensure each official gets his fee). If you can't carry your luggage 500 m from the Cambodian border post to the Lao, you're out of luck. The bus staff will have disappeared by now. The border process is hot, slow, and enervating.

Regardless of what the travel agent or bus company tells you, the Phnom Penh-Vientiane (or return) trip usually involves four separate buses, not two. The Phnom Penh-Lao border and Pakse-Vientiane legs are comfortable enough. However, between the border and Pakse (Southern Laos) you will be crammed into a minibus or open van, sit on other people's laps, etc., as the vehicle does the rounds of every guesthouse in the region. You will eventually be transferred into another van, and the process repeated. It can take 4-6 hours, and it is seldom clear where you are, where you are going, or who is in charge.

If the bus staff talks you into putting your luggage on a second bus, because of space problems, it is liable to vanish along the road. The bus trip between Phnom Penh and Vientiane averages 27 hours.

By boat Vientiane may be on the mighty Mekong, but it lives more in fear than in love with the river. There are no bridges across it in Vientiane, and there are no docks. A new levee is being built that will separate the town from the river by 100 m of parkland. As such, boat travel from Vientiane on the Mekong is extremely rare, slow, and expensive, especially travelling upstream. Due to smuggling, the Mekong riverbank in Vientiane has a curfew of 22:30. If you are in the area later than that, you may be detained and interrogated.

Get around

Getting around Vientiane is generally easy, as the traffic is far less murderous than in larger Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. Street signs are rather lacking, although in the centre more and more signs are appearing. Where there are signs displaying street names they are bilingual in Lao and French. The Lao word "thanon" on these signs is translated to "road", "rue", "avenue" or "boulevard", in many cases without any apparent logic.

When talking about directions or streets with "r" in them, Laotians pronounce "r" as "l" ("plied lice" rather than "fried rice"). An example is Rue Setthathirat pronounced as "Lue Setthathilat".

Perhaps because they are shy about their English skills, it is difficult to get street directions from Laotians, even from people in police uniforms.

Maps covering the city are available at bookshops and some mini-marts, but are not as detailed and not always to scale. Many shopfronts feature addresses in Roman letters, and these are often the best way to determine the street one is walking. People navigate using landmarks, so name the nearest embassy, hotel or temple near where you want to go.

In the centre of Vientiane, the through roads Setthathirat Rd and Samsenthai Rd and the side roads connecting them and down to the river have sealed surfaces and pavements, and there is decent street lighting. A one-way traffic regime is in place (but the police are not enforcing it), and parking regulations have also been introduced.

Vientiane's rainwater drainage system, which also includes "grey water" from baths, sinks, laundries, etc., consists of gullies on the roadside, usually covered by concrete slabs. These slabs are sometimes damaged and very precariously balanced or even missing altogether. People rapidly learn to take care before stepping on anything that looks like a slab. Waste from toilets is, or should be, collected in septic tanks (at every house), but those gullies can nevertheless smell abominably. In the centre, upgrades to roads have improved this issue enormously. The smell from the gullies is now no longer very noticeable.

Do not rely exclusively on the Google Earth view of Vientiane for locating the sights: many locations put there by well-meaning users are clearly in the wrong place, not just a block or so away, but some even in a wrong part of the city.

By taxi Vientiane has a small fleet of genuine taxis retired from Bangkok, usually found lurking at the Friendship Bridge, the airport or in front of large hotels.

Taxi Vientiane Capital Lao Group Co. Ltd.. It advertises 20,000 kip for the first kilometer, then 2,000 kip every 300 m thereafter.

Can be useful to gauge how expensive a given trip should be. Works only in the city center of Vientiane, even returning from the outskirts it can be difficult to find a vehicle. Loca ride hailing - which has the advantage of being able to use international cards. By tuk-tuk or jumbo

Tuk-tuks and their bigger cousins, jumbos, are ubiquitous in Vientiane. In most cases, foreigners will find it difficult to get bargain prices. Shared jumbos running on set routes, e.g., Lan Xang Rd to Pha That Luang, charge a fixed 10,000 kip. Tuk-tuks lined up at Mekong riverside restaurants or other busy areas will try to charge you 30,000-50,000 kip even for short trips.

By bus Old Japanese buses and white minibuses connect the centre to the suburban districts, but they are not equipped with air-con and have no signage in English, although route numbers are usually posted on the front. A good bus map with real-time bus locations can be found here (mostly in Lao).

A three-day bus pass can be bought at the airport for 45,000 kip (2020).

City Routes from the Central Bus Station include Bus 8 to the Northern Bus Terminal, 5,000 kip Bus 10 to That Luang, ITECC, 4,000 kip (bus stop in front of Talat Sao Mall) Bus 14 to the Friendship Bridge, continues on to Buddha Park, 5,000/12,000 kip (Dec 2022) Bus 23 to the Southern bus station, continues to Tha Ngon Bus 28 to the Southern bus station, continues to the railway station of the LCR 15,000 kip (Nov 2022) Bus 29 to the Southern bus station, continues to the university, 4,000 kip Bus 31 to the university Bus 32 to southern Vientiane Airport Shuttle - temporarily suspended, see above Get in - By plane Lao ITECC Line - temporarily suspended, see above Get in - By plane

By bike Bicycles are perhaps the best way to get around the city. Most guesthouses and hotels can arrange bike rental for around 10,000 kip per day. The cheapest is Douang Deuane Hotel, 8,000 kip, though their bikes are in poor condition. Although the city's flat terrain makes for good biking, one-way streets can be difficult to identify. You can usually choose to leave your passport, your driver's licence, about 1,000 baht, or a comparable amount of kip or dollars as a deposit. Test the bike a bit, including the brakes, before renting.

Despite the poor standard of local driving, cycling is fairly safe in the city because the traffic is quite slow. But take extra care when the roads are wet, because many are unsurfaced (even in the city centre), and they can be muddy and slippery. Innocent-looking puddles sometimes conceal deep potholes.

On foot The city centre can be quite comfortably covered on foot, at least in the cool season. Pha That Luang, however, is 4 km away from the centre and thus a bit of a hike. Out of the city centre there are few footpaths so walking can be uncomfortable.

Crossing the street can be a nightmare. Traffic lights seem to be timed for cars only, leaving little or no time when the crosswalk is clear for pedestrians. Markings for pedestrian crossings are quite faded and the local drivers have always regarded them as decoration anyway. The crosswalk buttons and walk signals seem to be little more than decoration as well, and cars often run red lights. The only blessing is that the traffic usually moves slowly and there often isn't much of it.

By car In Laos there are many car rental companies. If you are looking for a Western level of service, try Europcar (Asia Vehicle Rental), on Samsenthai Rd, 5 minutes from Namphu Fountain.

See

Vientiane is best viewed as a comfortable transit point for other places in Laos, or as a recuperative stop on the way out. It's a pleasant enough place, but generally, there is little reason to spend more than a couple of days here.

COPE Visitor Centre. This centre explores the Lao legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and the National Rehabilitation Centre's efforts to expand prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation services across the country. There are exhibits, and visitors can watch short films on the subject. Exhibits are appropriate for all ages. An excellent gift shop offers fun, offbeat souvenirs that support a good cause. Free parking.

Kaysone Phomvihane Museum. A quiet museum celebrating Laotian war hero and prime minister Kaysone Phomvihane. Exhibits on the history of Laos from ancient times to the present, but the main focus is on the life of Kaysone Phomvihane. The exhibits are presented in rough chronological order, but somewhat disjointedly without a sense of narrative, so they're hard to follow if you're not already familiar with the broad strokes. Interesting for history buffs, though.

Lao National Museum. Formerly the Lao Revolutionary Museum. There are 5 exhibition rooms. Impressive architecture of the new museum from the outside, along with artifacts of the country’s prehistoric, wartime, political, and ethnic identity.

Patuxai. A local rendition of the Arc de Triomphe. Besides having elaborate Buddhist embellishment, it differs from the original in having four gates instead of two and being just a bit higher to spite the French. Reasonably impressive from afar, a surprisingly frank English sign inside the monument labels it a "monster of concrete" when seen up close. The concrete was donated by the US, although it was supposed to go towards a new airport instead: hence the nickname "the Vertical Runway". The monument itself aside, the palm tree-lined park around it complete with fountains is quite pleasant though lacking of shade during the daytime. You can climb up to the 7th story, stairs only, for a nice view of central Vientiane and three levels of souvenir shops with less than enthusiastic sales people sitting about. It features a musical fountain nearby that attracts visitors from around Laos and Asia, as well as a World Peace Gong presented by Indonesia. Roving cameramen will be happy to charge you for photos near these attractions.

Presidential Palace. The official residence of the President of Laos, completed in 1986 in a mostly beaux-arts architectural style, but with a traditional Lao roof, on the site of a former royal palace. The president does not live here, however, and it is only used to house government offices and for ceremonial purposes. Not open to the public, but may be viewed from outside the gates.

Lao Textile Museum. A beautiful semi-open-air museum of Lao textiles, clothing, weaving, and dyeing. The gift shop has a lovely selection of silk, cotton, and mulberry paper products.

Temples and stupas There are many more temples all over the town, but if you are out to admire temples Luang Prabang is the place to go, not Vientiane.

Some temples (indicated below) charge an entry fee 5,000 kip and are open 08:00-16:00, with a 12:00-13:00 lunch break. The monks at places that don’t charge a fee are grateful for a small donation.

Black Stupa. The mythical abode of a seven-headed dragon that protects Vientiane. It was renovated in 1995, but still has an attractive patina of age, and is slowly being overgrown again by lush grass vegetation. Take care as there have been dog attacks at night.

Hophakaew Museum. A stunning, elegant, and majestic structure, King Setthathirat's former royal temple, which housed the magical Emerald Buddha (pha kaew) after it was taken from Lanna (Chiang Mai). The Siamese took it back in 1779, and is now housed in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew. Later the Thais returned in 1828 to raze the temple. The present structure is a 1942 reconstruction of dubious provenance. Today, the temple no longer operates and the interior has been turned into a small jumbled museum housing Buddha images. Look for the beautiful tall, lithe, long-armed Buddha in the hands-down "calling for rain" pose.

Pha That Luang. The national symbol and most important religious monument of the country, That Luang is a three-layered gilded stupa. The current version dates from 1566, although it has been ransacked and renovated numerous times since then. Accessing the inner courtyard gives you a slightly closer view of the stupa, and lots of Buddha statues. Vientiane's most important festival, Bun That Luang, is held here in Nov on the night of the full moon. There are two temples beside That Luang: Wat That Luang Neua (north) and Wat That Luang Tai (south), which are being renovated.

Wats Onteu, Inpeng, Mixay & Haisok. Given their location, the temples most likely to be visited by tourists.

Wat Si Muang. Disney-esque and gaudy in set-up, one would not think that it's a religious compound. Despite its small size, the temple is very active. Followers believe that lifting the small Buddha statue 3 times from its cushion means that your prayers or questions will be answered. The city pillar is being housed in a pagoda-like structure now being constructed separately on another block northwest across the street.

Wat Si Saket. With very contemplative ambience, probably the oldest standing temple in Vientiane and among the most atmospheric. Built in 1818 by Chao Anou in the Bangkok-style and hence left unsacked when much of Vientiane was razed in a Siamese raid in 1828. Within the cloister walls are hundreds of niches housing Buddha images large and small, made of wood, stone, silver and bronze. In the centre of the courtyard is a five-tier-roofed sim (ordination hall) housing yet more Buddha niches and beautiful, but fading murals of the Buddha's past lives.

Buddha Park. An outdoor collection of huge concrete sculptures of Buddhist and Hindu deities, and real and religious beasts. The reclining Buddha is especially impressive. The Park was built in 1958 by the mystic Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. In 1978 he fled to Thailand, following the communist take-over and went on to create a larger version of the Park (Sala Keoku or Sala Kaew Ku) across the river in Nong Khai, Thailand. There are two travel options. Hire a taxi/tuk tuk from Vientiane, say 100,000 kip. The second, take a public bus. Bus #14 travels from the Khua Din (central Vientiane) station, past the Friendship Bridge, all the way to the Buddha Park for 6,000 kip, one-way. For your return there are always tuk tuks at the Park waiting for customers, or take the bus back. The last bus back to Vientiane departs from the park at 16:45. Entrance 15,000 kip (10,000 kip for Laos citizens).

National Ethnic Cultural Park. Here, typical houses of various ethnic groups are on display, though only from the outside unless you happen to meet some kind of custodian who will unlock some of them and show the inside. There also are some statues of dinosaurs and a rather dismal looking small "zoo". Most times the only activity seems to be the kiosks where they sell soft drinks and crisps/chips, but there are said to be occasional cultural shows. Tour operators often take their guests here before or after a visit to the Buddha Park. Not worth a trip.

Do

Champakham Massage & Spa. Here you can enjoy traditional Lao massage in private cabins. Friendly owner & staff. If you choose full body massage you'll get your feet washed before starting. If you wish to take a shower after your (oil) massage, you're welcome to do so. Spa services include body scrub, bathtub... Wifi available.

French Cultural Centre. Has a French library and a small theatre that shows plays and films.

Kuanjai Sikhot Boxing Gym. The national sport of Lao PDR. Similar to muay Thai, but is not a tourist trap unlike many gyms in Thailand.

Lao Experiences Cooking Course and Food Tours. Learn about Lao cooking and culture. Cook Lao-style in the garden on a quiet stretch of the Mekong River.

Lao Massage. This massage shop is particularly delightful. The massage parlor does not really have a name, and the most prominent sign merely says "now open". Your masseur or masseuse will be grateful for a tip. The staff will be happy if you have the decency to take a shower before you go. They won't say anything to your face, but smelly foreigners make their job less than pleasant.

Monk Chat. Once a month, local monks gather for chats with tourists.

Nam Ngum Lake. A local favourite. There are floating restaurants along the lakeshore; their specialty is fish fresh from the lake. Cruises among the lake's islands can be booked here, which makes for a relaxing couple of hours. Just enquire at your guest house/hotel or at any travel agency (where they will then try to sell their tours).

Tour via Vientiane ByCycle. Vientiane ByCycle offers awesome guided bicycle tours through and around Vientiane. They take you off the beaten track to places where you usually would not go ordinarily. Along villages, temples, school yards, bank of Mekong River, crematoria, markets and local businesses. They have excellent quality mountain bikes.

Hire a bicycle from Lao Bike. Explore the region with a good quality bicycle. Rent by the day or longer. This shop also sells and repairs bicycles.

Buy

Vientiane State Import/Export Enterprises. A duty-free, state-owned liquor store. Limited selection but the cheapest prices in town for popular brand name liquor by the bottle. This place is pretty good in terms of product authenticity but nothing is 100% guaranteed.

Banking Banks and money changers are plentiful in the city centre. Credit cards are accepted by travel agencies and in better restaurants and shops, but many charge a non-negotiable 3% fee.

BCEL. Foreign exchange counters at various locations.

Phongsavanh Bank. A privately owned bank that operates a currency exchange until about 20:30 on weekdays, and for shorter hours on weekends.

ATMs ATMs are plentiful, but often cause problems such as out of cash or "eaten card" and sometimes do not accept the major international credit and debit card networks. In addition, most have withdrawal limits of 700,000-2,000,000 kip and charge additional fees. For preventing such trouble, tourists should withdraw money only at ATMs at bank branches.

ANZV. Allows withdrawals of up to 2,000,000 kip per transaction with a 40,000-kip transaction fee. Supports both Visa and Maestro. There are 2 branches in Vientiane. The first is at the main ANZV office mid-way down Lane Xang. There are now also various ANZV ATMs, for example on the corner of Fa Ngum Rd and Rue Chao Anou and at various minimarts, like the City minimart and at some M Point marts.

BCEL. Withdrawals are limited to 2,000,000 kip (Dec 2024) per transaction; however, you may make up to ten of these in one day. MasterCard and Maestro are accepted; Visa also. BCEL charges a fee of 30,000 kip (Dec 2024) per transaction.

Joint Development Bank. Possible to withdraw up to 1,000,000 kip per transaction with a 30,000 kip transaction fee. Supports both Visa and Maestro.

May Bank. Possible to withdraw at least up to 1,500,000 kip per transaction with no transaction fee.

Bicycles Chinese bicycles and mountain bikes can be found in the Morning Market (Talat Sao) and in a few shops in the surrounding streets. In the tourist areas, bikes are rented out for 10,000 kip per day (Feb 2012).

Top Cycle Zone. The place to go if you want to buy a decent Western style bicycle or spare parts for one.

Monument Books. Offers a good selection of English and French language books and magazines.

Book Cafe. A small bookstore selling new and used books in English, German, and French, with a selection of nonfiction about Laos and Southeast Asia. Also buys used books if you have some to get rid of. Beware, if you buy a book wrapped in plastic it's likely to be a low-quality pirated version.

Seng Lao DVDs. Vientiane boasts one of the best DVD shops in Southeast Asia, with 10,000 titles of quality European, Asian and US movies. Seng Lao has dozens of books displaying DVD covers: you browse the books, and list your choices on a piece of paper they provide, at 10,000 kip each. The nearby and better-marked Seng Dao DVD shop has inferior service and choice. Mind the possible consequences of importing large amounts of illegally copied DVDs into your country.

Handicrafts Look for the Stay Another Day: Laos booklet for a guide to non-profit handicraft shops, sustainable manufacturing and other NGO stuff in Vientiane and elsewhere in Laos.

The Art of Silk. Silk and cotton weavings in both traditional and modern designs.

Kanchana. Traditional Lao silk weavings, hand-woven fabrics, textiles and clothing using natural dyes.

Laha Boutique. Naturally dyed textiles (mainly cotton) from the south (Savannakhet).

Lao Textiles. Founded 1990 by an American woman (Carol Cassidy), who now employs some 40 artisans, this firm offers modern cotton weavings using traditional motifs and. They are not particularly welcoming to visitors, including a locked front door, a bell that needs to be rung to request entry and very prominent "No photography" signs.

Mixay Boutic (sic). They weave handmade textiles of the shop's own design on the premises, and you are welcome to watch. Also on sale are shirts and skirts, scarves, cushion covers and anything made of fabric.

Mulberries Lao Sericulture Company. The sales outlet of a not-for-profit organisation that operates in about five hundred villages in Northern Laos, seeking to create income-generating opportunities. Naturally-dyed, handmade Lao silk products.

TShop Lai. Sells oils, shampoos, soaps, etc., made by Les Artisans Lao as well as honey and some nice handicrafts. Les Artisans Lao is a social venture allowing disadvantaged, uneducated and often marginalised people to receive apprenticeships.

Home Ideal. Large one-stop shop for assorted products from stationery to housewares, clothing to luggage. Prices are fixed and reasonable.

Morning Market. A large collection of indoor stalls selling, well, pretty much anything. There are two floors: the first floor sells mostly textiles, electronics (watch out as nearly all of them are counterfeit), and watches. The second floor has clothing, gold and jewellery. Depending on the product, you should negotiate. Discounts can vary from 10% to 33%.

Talat Sao Mall. Has 3 floors and is the first public building in Vientiane with indoor parking. On weekends folks from the countryside come and marvel at the escalators (which one Lao magazine referred to in English as "electricity ladders"), and at the bravery of those who venture onto them. The mall boasts a few cafés and a Thai-style food court. The front side of the market has space for parking. The toilets are not far from the entrance and can be used for a very small fee. Souvenir tee-shirts, three for 200 baht. Brand-name products are often fake.

Khua Din Market. Local market. Mostly sells clothes and fabric, especially traditional Lao clothes, but there's an array of food and other products too. The entrances can be hard to spot, but when you go in it's huge.

Supermarkets Most supermarkets offer groceries from Europe, wines from all over the world (thanks to the low taxation in Laos these are astonishingly low-priced considering the distances involved); dairy products from Laos itself and Thailand (milk, yoghurt), butter and cheese from Europe and New Zealand, and everything else one may need.

City Minimart. Maybe the shop with the most extensive range of merchandise in the town, and somewhat cheaper than the shops in the centre.

M-Point Mart. At least five locations in Vientiane. Much like a 7-Eleven. Stop by around 18:00 and there will be a Thai food cart right in front. Has the best pad Thai in town. You can choose from pad Thai, fried baby mussels, fried rice, and mixed seafood platter. 15,000 kip per plate.

Phimphone Minimart. An almost a full-grown supermarket. A second shop with the same name (the owners are related, the shops are not) is on Samsenthai Rd at the corner of Chantha Kumman Rd. Excellent, European-style bread is usually available (on Setthathirat), though the delivery schedule is a bit erratic.

V-Shop. Outside in front is a small café where they serve some of the best coffee specialties in town (Lao Mountain Coffee), shakes, fruit juices, waffles, doughnuts. Good for people watching on the edge of the Chinese quarter.

Eat

Along the river. Dozens of unpretentious restaurants and beer gardens (those upstream from the main beach promenade are generally cheaper). All are pleasant places for a beer and a snack or a complete meal while the sun goes down over the river. One of these is one-time famous John's Restaurant, but since the owner married an Australian and left town there is nothing to distinguish it from the other places left and right. All serve inexpensive (but not really cheap for Laos) Lao, Thai, and some Western food. Among the best is the grilled fish, served by many of them. Take care when you're in for boiled eggs: what you get here are incubated duck eggs. When you open them you're in for a surprise (but at least the little bird does not chirp). The Lao love them and they are hugely popular. Some of the restaurants along the river has Lao-style reed mats on the ground with low rattan "tables" (kantoke). Diners sit cross-legged on the mat around the table. They are much nicer than the rickety metal tables and plastic chairs that are the standard of all but the better restaurants in Laos. The riverside open-air restaurants have been known to use two menus, a cheaper one for locals and an expensive one for foreigners.

Ban Anou Night Market. Has some of the best cheap meals in the city despite being only about a block long. Starts setting up at sundown. There's a wide range of street snacks available, including pho made with hand pulled noodles, little lettuce-wrapped snacks with peanut filling (miang), all types of grilled skewered meats, grilled sticky rice, local beverages made from coconut, chai tea, cornm grass jelly and more. Particularly worth trying are the small rice pancakes, two hemispheres of rice-based batter fried in a tin, filled with minced pork and beansprouts and put together. About the size of a flattened tennis ball, absolutely delicious.

Delicious Noodle - Quan Banh Canh Ngon. For an authentic Lao dining experience there is this noodle soup shop. This restaurant offers the best Lao white thick slimy rice noodles with some pieces of chicken, fried pork, quail's eggs, etc., and the usual vegetable servings: spring onions, cilantro, mung bean sprouts (unlimited serve-yourself quantities). There is also "kanom ku" (Chinese doughnuts) on the side, served ready for pick on every table. Excellent value as it's all for 10,000 kip plus 1,000 kip per kanom ku consumed, on the honour system. Most importantly, the noodle soup tastes great, the broth is delicious.

Name Unknown. A small group of stalls offering local food patronized by office workers. The ambiance is similar to the morning and night street food markets in Luang Prabang and the vendors seemingly have not been adulterated by touristy mindset. At 09:30, flies hover rarely and the food is steaming hot, having just been lifted out of the cooking fire.

Nazim Indian Restaurant. Decent Indian food. Their toilet is not the cleanest in the country, perhaps because the patrons of some of the restaurants on the river bank are directed here for certain needs when they are not sent down to the reeds at the water's edge. Nazim has opened another branch in Pang Kham Rd, opposite the offices of Lao Airlines. There are at least 4 other Indian restaurants in the city centre, and all quite similar.

Noodle Shops. They typically serve rice noodle soups ("feu", a close cousin to Vietnamese phở and Chinese 粉 fan2), often also fried rice and other rice or noodle-based dishes.

Ray's Grille Burgers & Mexican (Formerly Ray's Grille). Serves delicious Philly cheesesteaks, kebabs and quesadillas. Baguettes are freshly baked each day, and sandwiches are given generous amounts of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Middle Eastern options are accompanied by homemade tahini or tzatziki sauce. Also possible is a traditional family-style Thai feast. The quality of the food is rivalled only by the friendliness of the chef.

Stay Hungry Burger. Stay Hungry Burger's claim is true as you really do stay hungry after eating there: their burgers are the smallest in the city.

Taj Mahal Restaurant. Good Indian food at good prices if you don't mind listening to American pop music.

Ban Lao Beer Garden. Cheap Thai food (14,000 kip) and cheap beer (9,000 kip, for the cheap one, 10,000 kip for Lao beer) Nice quiet garden, nice people. (Thai Spoken).

Banneton Café. Croissants and pastries, simple lunches and excellent baguettes. Tasty, not just something to chew. Their coffee is among the best in Vientiane, on a par with that at JoMa.

Benoni Cafe. Offers a wide range of reasonably priced Asian and European dishes. The owners are Lao, but speak fluent English, French and German. Daily specials and home roasted coffee beans, the basis for one of the best coffees in town. Busy at lunchtime, discounts after 14:00.

Chokdee Café Restaurant & Belgian Beer Bar. Restaurant & beer bar, owned by a friendly Belgian citizen who speaks a good English and so does the staff. Some finger food such as mini cheese burgers (35,000 kip). Famous for its beers too, including trappist ones, with around 100 different crafted bottled beers to choose from, plus a dozen on tap. As Belgium is also famous for its comic books, the place is decorated accordingly, with statues & paintings of Tintin and alikes... cosy atmosphere.

Dai Japanese restaurant. Japanese restaurant with a Japanese owner and chef, Takashi, who is friendly and speaks an excellent English. Very large selection (sushi, sashimi, miso soup, gyoza, tempura, teriyaki, soba, udon, ramen, curry, taiyaki) and drinks (Asashi beers, sake, potato schochu, rice shochu, shochu sour [which can be confused with fruit juice — watch out if you don't drink alcohol]). Japanese TV on to feel even more like home for Japanese people.

Dinner Cruises. Two different companies, on boats moored opposite Wat Chan and one 300 m upriver. Not very impressive, neither the boat trip (1 hour, departure around 19:00, 1 km upstream then 2 downstream and back, only when the water level is high enough) nor the food. Very relaxing.

Full Moon Café. Nice interior with comfortable seating arrangements and relaxed atmosphere. Asian/European fusion cuisine. Friendly but unfocused staff and reasonable prices. Manager named Khamfanh speaks good English and can help with orders or information about Laos. Free book exchange. Free Wi-Fi.

Khao Nieow. Not something for the hottest months of the year, but nice around year's end when temperatures drop.

Kong View Bar and Restaurant. With the ongoing construction of the flood management levee and river park in Vientiane, this restaurant offers the most optimal dining views of the Mekong. Thai-owned, it features an extensive menu of what is best termed Thai-Lao fusion. Not incredibly exciting food, but good, although portions are on the small side. Also, the staff will invariably mess up your order. Keep a close eye on the bill, as well, as items tend to make it on there that you didn't order.

Kop Kap. Thai food. A favourite among expats living nearby. Packed at lunch, the restaurant is known for its excellent Penang curry.

Kualao. Upscale restaurant in a historic colonial building serving authentic Lao food with a good selection of vegetarian dishes. Traditional Lao music and dance performances in the evening.

Moon the Night Restaurant. A very pleasant spot to eat excellent Lao food. A large place, an extensive menu, competent and friendly service. Background music not too loud.

Phonethip Coca Suki Restaurant. Part of a chain that also has restaurants in Thailand and Indonesia. Good Lao, Thai, Chinese, and Western food. Reasonable prices and good, attentive service. Very popular at lunchtime with office workers and students.

Sticky Fingers. High quality Western-style food at reasonable prices. They have won a national award for their grasshopper/cricket tacos. Also offer a wide selection of vegetarian options. Open for breakfast and lunch on weekends only. Free Wi-Fi. Hangout for expats and NGO volunteers.

Swedish Pizza & Baking House. Huge selection of excellent pizzas for around 45,000 kip. The mocha shakes are particularly tasty. Also has a wide variety of fresh baked breads, pastries and cakes.

La Terrasse. Popular with expats and tourists. It is one of the best French restaurants in Vientiane.

Via Via. Good selection of Belgian beers.

Osaka. Japanese restaurant. Well located. Many item pictures can as well be seen, with a colored A4 page for each, on the walls. All of this making it so easy to know what's on offer, and order with confidence. Owned & managed by a friendly Japanese citizen and his Lao wife, who live in the premises with their teenage kids. Quiet, clean, air conditioned.

Xang Khoo. Crêperie - Lao French Bistrot. Owned by a friendly French citizen who speaks great English. Staff can as well communicate in English. Mix of Western (mainly French) food with Asian (mainly Lao). Galettes (French buckwheat pancakes) are their signature food and are gluten free (starting at 45,000 kip; they also have pizza, salads, soups. Different desserts such as crepes indeed. Drinks: French wine (for 30,000 kip), beer, tea, coffee. In addition, "Menu of the day" offers everyday a different meal that's not on the main menu, coming along a salad and as well a dessert or coffee; 45,000 kip. Every item on the menu can be ordered any time during the opening hours. 2 rooms including one with terrace. Relax atmosphere with jazz music in the background.

Papillon. French restaurant owned and managed by an experienced French cook, who used to be the Western French cook at Novotel. Speaks English, and so does his staff. Features traditional food and chef specials, such as andouillettes, rognons blancs (mutton testicles) and tripes à la mode de Caen. There's a 3-course "Menu of the day" in addition to the main menu, for 45,000-65,000 kip. Drinks include French wine. This is a good value.

Privet. Classical range of Russian/ex-Soviet dishes, staples and specialties alike, served amid amusingly mixed ambience with various Soviet paraphernalia lining the walls. A rare chance to taste authentic Russian soft drinks like kvass, kefir and mors, or Russian alcohol. Run and staffed by Russian expats.

Balkan House. Traditional Yugoslav and Mediterranean homemade dishes, prepared by Montenegrin chef.

La Scala Italian Restaurant. Excellent Italian food. Romantic setting in a beautifully maintained colonial home. Offers a lunchtime buffet Monday-Friday. Tasty Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Chinese The massive influx of Chinese investment into Laos may be controversial, but one area in which it has had an undeniably positive impact is the vastly increased quality of Chinese restaurants in Vientiane. Vientiane has a growing selection of authentic regional Chinese cuisine, particularly from the southwest.

Classic Lao Di Fang. Chinese vegetarian. The owner is Taiwanese, so this place seemed promising, as vegetarian cuisine is very popular in Taiwan, and done to an extraordinary standard. Unfortunately, that level of quality did not follow this owner into Laos. The food is lacklustre, and the management of the restaurant appears to suffer from neglect, possibly because the owner is rarely in Laos.

Dihao Hunan Restaurant. Spicy Hunan food from China. Hunanese-owned and operated (the Hunan Chamber of Commerce is on the 4th floor). Staff speak Chinese and Lao, and the menu is same, but every dish has its own photo. Order anything containing chilies, and you can't go wrong.

Fu Man Lou. This has two locations. The one on the road to the airport is the best by far. It is the most established of the better Chinese restaurants in the city, and the Chinese diplomats posted to Laos often dine here. Food selection is multi-regional, but the Sichuan dishes are well done.

Hong Kong Restaurant. There have been reports of them padding the bill. Check the bill carefully before paying, which is something you should do everywhere: in a country where they use a calculator to subtract 7 from 10 it comes as no surprise that their counting of beers consumed is not always accurate, although to be fair the mistakes are not always to the disadvantage of the customer.

Jiu-Jiu Restaurant. An unheralded gem, this restaurant offers fantastic southwestern Chinese cuisine. The chef hails from Qujing 曲靖 in Yunnan Province. The food is best described as Yunnan-Sichuan fusion. Helps if you know Chinese, but the staff can speak Lao as well. Menu contains plenty of photographs, so if all else fails, just point.

Restaurant Chengdu. The owner/manager claims the chef is from Chengdu, but the heavily Manchurian-influenced food from the kitchen clearly puts the lie to that claim.

Fathima. A Malaysian-Indian restaurant. Numerous vegetarian options for 6,000-50,000 kip. Friendly staff and excellent service. Dish quality is extremely variable even for several exact-same dishes ordered on the same day. A bit of a pot-luck option.

Vegetarian in the Golden Age. A reasonably-priced vegan Vietnamese restaurant with an assortment of delicious vegetable, noodle, and mock meat dishes. Staff nice, place clean, they speak some English.

Vegan Food Stall at Sao Market Food Court. Buffet plates, excellent spring rolls and noodle soups available.

Vegan Restaurant at Khuadin Market. Offers a lunch buffet serving Laotian vegan food.

Drink

Vientiane has a few bars and clubs, but there's no shortage of places for a quiet Beerlao. In particular, the Mekong shoreline has long been the epicentre of low-key nightlife, although a massive construction project to build a flood management levee system and a riverside park has seen most of the bamboo-and-thatch beer gardens here disappear.

CCC Bar. The second of two gay bars in downtown Vientiane, next to Silapa Restaurant and diagonally across from Vat Inpeng. Friendly atmosphere and staff with good dance beats. Mixed drinks average around 30,000 kip, with happy hour from 19:00-21:00. Second floor has a pool table.

Champa. Vietnamese-owned "super" club. Place to go for loud techno music.

Deja Vu. A very classy and cosy bar, owned and run by Japanese-speaking Lao owner. Great drinks. Approximately 50,000 kip per cocktail.

Don Chan Palace Hotel Nightclub. Everything is supposed to close down before midnight, before the start of the unofficial curfew, although clubs generally stay open until 01:00-01:30. The most notable exception is this extremely popular spot which is open until 04:00 weekends. It's an after-hours club popular with working girls among others.

GQ Bar and Massage. One of two gay bars in central Vientiane. Friendly staff, cheap drinks and occasional cabaret shows around 23:00.

Jazzy-Brick. A classy and expensive bar. The sign out front states "no shorts, no flip-flops allowed".

Khop Chai Deu. The name means "thank you very much". Popular with tourists, expats and Lao hi-so types. OK food, mid-range prices, large selection of Western, Thai and classic Lao dishes. Great place to drink beer in the centre of town.

Marina. Happening all nights of the week. Crowd changes from beginning, midweek, to weekend. Bowling alley and karaoke next door, same owner. Diverse crowd and music.

Martini Lounge. Movies shown M-W at 20:00. Thursdays are Salsa nights and most Fridays a DJ is spinning. Possibly plays the most eclectic music in Vientiane.

Samlo Pub. Once this was one of only a few bars in town, and was packed every evening, especially between 23:00-02:00 after other bars around town are closed. Perhaps quieter now that there is more competition. Has a pool table and shows sports, but the background music often drowns the TV commentary. Drinkers from Bor Pen Nyang often come here when it closes, then move on again to the Don Chan Palace nightclub once Samlo closes.

Wind West. Different cover bands play throughout the night. Maybe the only country-western bar in Laos. A sit and listen to live band place, not a dance club.

Highland Bar. Nice drinking hole and sports bar by the river, good spot for viewing sunsets.

Gallery Risto Cafe & Restaurant. Excellent live blues music nightly from 21:45

Sleep

Online booking platforms work as of 2024, but most accommodation in Laos has no online presence. Therefore, your best bet is to get into the town centre (for instance, Nam Phu Square) and start looking around along Setthathirat Rd and its side streets. You’ll find something within minutes except in "peak season" (Jan), when it will be really difficult to find a room. Book in advance.

High season is roughly Oct-Apr or May; low season, Jun-Sep.

Some places insist on an early nightly curfew and lock the front door without giving you a key. If you wish to enjoy the nightlife (what there is of it), make sure that you will be able to stay out and, more importantly, get in again. Often there will be a doorman who sleeps near the main entrance doors and can be woken up to get in, but it's wise to check the system they have in place for getting back in during the wee hours.

Benacam Guest House. Clean, nice rooms, great value. Nice baths with great water pressure, a real shower, clean linens. Rooms can be small, but have a fridge and cable TV. There is Wi-Fi, but the signal can be weak in areas.

Dhaka Hostel. Basic and uninspiring but cheap hostel above an Indian restaurant. A little rundown but cleanish and comfortable beds. No air-con, just fan rooms.

Lucky Backpackers Hostel. Hostel offering dorms and private rooms. Free western breakfast included (07:00-10:00). Clean. No bed bugs (something important to check when booking a room in Vientiane). Very efficiently air conditioned rooms. Dorm beds come with big lockers. Free Wifi & even computer to use in the lobby. Extra services available such as motorbikes rental, transportation tickets. Very good location right by night market, the river front & most restaurants... and yet quiet.

Mixay Guesthouse. A simple room with fan and shared bath. Friendly staff. Clean, but has ventilation issues in some rooms (especially on the top floor where there is a smoking section). Watch your head on the stairs, watch your step, and sometimes you have to be patient with the staff. Free Wi-Fi, but only between 09:00-23:00.

Mixay Paradise. Partner to Mixay Guesthouse and just one block away. Nice guesthouse with many generally small rooms, all with a padlockable draw and good Wi-Fi with either fan or air-con. Cheap food menu, many items for 15,000 kip plus 5,000 kip for rice. 2 rooms on each floor are without windows to the outside.

RD Guesthouse. The "Relax and Dream away" Guesthouse isn't very dreamy, but does have a padded ceiling above the stairs (good for tall people) and a modest library.

Sabaidy Guest House. Has lockers to keep your belongings. Close to the centre. Good Internet, but no Wi-Fi throughout. Mainly in the restaurant downstairs. Friendly stuff, shared toilets. Laundry for 9,000 kip/kg. Warning: bedbugs (May 2013).

Saysouly Guesthouse. Nice, atmospheric. Family suite upstairs is huge, clean, very comfortable, and an excellent value.

Seng Lao Hotel. Clean rooms with air-con and TV. Very helpful staff can let you know where to find more local stuff in addition to normal tourist things.

Soutchai Travel. Clean dorm rooms, moderately fast 24-hour Wi-Fi, small balcony, fan and air-con, lamp, locker/cabinet, towel, and water refill for 40,000 kip. Two common rooms, one with TV. Friendly staff.

Youth Inn 2. Very clean, rooms with air-con, fan, en suite bath. Helpful and friendly staff. Free drinking water in room, bicycle hires 10,000 kip. 12 hr free Wi-Fi with captive portal. The original, older Youth Inn is closed. Avoid the 4th floor in cool season.

Baan Champa Lao Heritage Hotel. Clean, modest and relatively new hotel in a quiet area. It's family-run. Can book bus to Luang Prabang, and train tickets to Bangkok. They are extremely kind and helpful.

Beau Rivage Mekong Hotel. Very nice. All rooms have Wi-Fi, courtesy of the HBRM Spirit House next door.

D'Rose Hotel. Mid-size boutique hotel with the warmth of Laotian hospitality. Laundry service, free Wi-Fi, airport transfer and it also accepts credit card with secure facilities.

Douang Deuane Hotel. Has rooms with air-con, TV, and minibar. There have been reports of guests being presented with larger than agreed bills at check-out.

New iHouse Hotel. A modern, comfortable hotel in the city centre. There are specials and promotions when reserving a room through their website.

Inter City Hotel. Ask for a room with a view of the river. Has rooms and corridors filled with countless statues with fierce faces, which generates a spooky feeling for some. Rooms are equally spooky with creaking floorboards, so check out the room before you check-in. Wi-Fi is free and there are also two free computers in the lobby. The hotel also runs the Inter Stone House in the same building round the corner. Western and Thai/Lao food. Their specialty is the sizzling steak on a stone platter. Offers little for vegetarians. Note: the hotel location is not marked on the map, though it is given in the map legend (H6) - it is where the Inter Restaurant is marked (Restaurant 8).

Lani Guest House. An old, French colonial-style house in a small garden set back from the main road next to a temple. A quiet place to relax, yet right in the centre. Breakfast, wi-fi, garden. breakfast (prices shown on website are considerably cheaper than what they actually charge).

Lane Xang Hotel. A majestic old hotel from decades ago, built 1960. It is one of the oldest hotels in Vientiane. Boasted the first elevator in the country. The charm of past glory, see the bathroom fittings. Hunter S. Thompson wrote dispatches from here after scrambling out of Saigon as it fell. They claim that English, French, Japanese, Thai, Russian, Vietnamese and Lao are spoken. The restaurant has traditional Lao music and dance performances every evening from about 19:00, which you watch while eating your dinner of (recommended) Lao food. Get there early to secure a table with a good view of the stage

Leuxay Hotel. Decent hotel in a slightly out of the way location. Free Wi-Fi in rooms plus computers for guest use in lobby. Small but pleasant garden that is mostly occupied by a clean swimming pool. Quiet environment, also not much noise between rooms. On-site restaurant is reasonable but by no means the best. Breakfast options are limited but make reasonable start to the day. Friendly staff. Air-ticket and tour booking service. Most expensive rooms have large balconies overlooking swimming pool. Good business hotel or for tourists who don't mind being a little out of the way.

Mali Namphu Guest House. Great central location near the fountain. Clean rooms with air-con and private bath. A simple breakfast is included and is different every day, served in a nice garden setting. Wi-Fi. Their laundry service is good for neither your clothes nor your budget.

Mixok Guest House and Mixok Inn. Mixok Guest House and Mixok Inn are next to each other in city centre. All rooms are equipped with cable TV, private bath with hot shower, free Wi-Fi in the room and free breakfast. Can also help you to book transfer to airport or bus station, as well as bus and train tickets.

New Lao Paris Hotel. Renovated, very clean hotel with quiet spacious rooms. French-run French restaurant on the premises. You can book a bus to Nong Kai, Udon Thani, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang at the desk. Airport pick up available upon request. Receptionists speak English, and all staff are kind and helpful.

Orchid Guest House. Friendly staff and nice location on the river.

Sinnakhone Hotel. Clean with air-con, private bath, free Wi-Fi.

Soupanphone Guesthouse. Clean guesthouse. Free Wi-Fi, TV, air-con, warm water. Possibility of breakfast, but not included as standard. Nice large rooms with en-suite bath.

Vayakorn Guest House. Very clean, rooms with wooden floors, air-con, hot water. Helpful and friendly staff. Free Wi-Fi, but only reaches first floor rooms and lobby.

Villa Lao. Comfortable two-building hotel in a quiet area. Has garden with seating area and hammocks. Rooms are traditional Lao-style and unique, although a bit dark. Rooms have fan and air-con. Breakfast not included. Good value.

Somerset Vientiane. The property offers 116 units of studio, one and two bedroom apartments. Facilities include business centre, tennis court, lap pool and a gymnasium.

Chanthapanya Hotel. Owned and operated by the Chanthapanya family, the hotel offers the charm of a family guest house while providing the comfort of a hotel. All rooms have air-con, Wi-Fi, personal safe, cable TV, 24-hr hot water. Wi-Fi access points are on floors 2 and 4, and reception is best there. Has swimming pool and small gym. Beware unpleasant smells from air-con in some top floor rooms, and ask for a room with a view rather than a view of the neighbour's wall. They lock up early, check with reception.

Don Chan Palace. This hotel was completed in 2004, almost complying with the municipality's by-laws which at the time limited buildings in Vientiane to 7 storeys (Don Chan has 14). It has a swimming pool overlooking the Mekong and a popular open-air beer garden overlooking the Mekong which gets crowded late in the evening. Rooms are showing their age, and often smell of stale cigarettes. Slightly far from the centre, but hotel provides shuttle service to city centre. Careful when shopping for jewellery in the shops in the lobby.

Green Park Boutique Hotel and Resort. A hotel built in Lao style, several buildings in a garden setting. Nice pool. It is somewhat away from the centre, but ideal to get away from the bustle. Guest complaints about lost or stolen items have been verified by local authorities. Be careful with your belongings at this hotel. Shuttle bus to the city centre every hour until 22:00.

Mercure Vientiane. The former Novotel in new premises. Friendly staff with surprisingly good English, a peaceful courtyard with spotless pool, fitness centre, and steam bath. Family friendly. Sunday brunch (11:00-15:00) at 130,000 kip including use of pool and fitness centre. Saturday and Sunday poolside BBQ (15:00-18:00).

Salana Boutique Hotel. Named by Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine as one of the best boutique hotels in the world. Salana is the old Xaysana Hotel revamped. With 41 rooms, Salana has an excellent location in the centre of the city near the river and Chao Anou Park. The hotel is well-known to business travellers and tourists, and has received many positive reviews. Has a restaurant/cafe offering a good selection of Western dishes. Known for employing Lao chefs from famous hotels in Laos, is in a very good location. Good selection of beers & beverages available.

Settha Palace Hotel. Built circa 1932, the luxurious hotel has been restored to its former charm. Re-opened in 1999, the French colonial architecture, its period furniture, and its landscaped gardens with a free-form pool, complemented by modern facilities, are some of the features of this historical landmark in the heart of Vientiane. If you see a London taxicab cruising the streets, it is theirs. It's used to ferry guests around. Has an excellent restaurant, "La Belle Epoque", and an open-air pavement café.