Vientiane Vibe | Attractions in Vientiane, Laos

GoPros & selfie pods started to stick-out through the windows as our train crawled on the long friendship bridge that connects Thailand to Laos. Everyone was eager to capture this 15-minute moment of prelude into Vientiane, Asia’s most quiet capital city.

The landscape of Vientiane talks much of its past as a French protectorate in the late 19^th century. Boulevards contoured with flowers & manicured bushes, faded colonial mansions & quiet alleys decked with pretty cafes all cast an enchanting spell of a differently wonderful vibe.

Laos suffered so much from the wars of time. It was heavily bombed & stomped many of its ancient temples to the ground. It’s a landlocked state with a low-income economy that constantly struggles with ballooning inflation.

It hardly gets a fair share of tourists from its closest neighbors like Vietnam & Thailand because many thinks there’s nothing much to do here. But this sense of nothingness is actually its biggest tourism asset. Vientiane slows you down from the rush in bigger & brighter cities. It lulls you to charming moments as this quaint city by the bend of the Mekong River halts its every visitor to Lao speed.

Colonial Architecture

Vientiane is a wealth of French styled buildings reminiscent of its colonial past. Fading yellow walls & blue shutters, balconies shaded with awnings & pretty gardens are all around the city.

Lao National Library

Presidential Palace

Lao National Museum. Photo credit: www.cntravelre.com

Buddhist Wats

Laos is a repository of many Buddhist relics enshrined in wats or temples. Marvel at the intricacies of its construction details, the symmetries of religious art & the mysticism of Theravada Buddhism.

That Luang or the Great Stupa is Laos’ national symbol.

Wat Ho Phra Keo. 1565. The shrine of the emerald Buddha.

Wat Si Saket. 1818. Famous for its cloister wall of thousand Buddhas.

Other interesting temples are Wat Si Muang & Wat Mi Xai, all located in the downtown area.

Monuments & Parks

Vientiane, albeit small, is a city filled with parks landscaped with manicured gardens & monuments where locals & tourists converge especially in late afternoons.

Patuxai Victory Monument commemorates its independence from France.

Buddha Park showcases about 200 Buddhist & Hindu stone sculptures.

That Dam or the Black Stupa sits as a roundabout containing Buddha relics.

The boulevard is everybody’s favorite hang out place.

Food

The Lao people have a great history of culinary tradition. Here, the food flavors are explosively delightful. Lao coffee & tea are also heavenly caffeine fixes.

Restaurants serving traditional Lao food abounds in Vientiane.

Experience the chill-out vibe of Vientiane—-your pace, your space.

-oOo-

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