Vientiane Vibe | Attractions in Vientiane, Laos
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- May 31st, 2015
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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 19th 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.
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.
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.
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.
Experience the chill-out vibe of Vientiane—-your pace, your space.
-oOo-

Hello, I am Potpot
Number of Entries : 417Betwixt and between the arthritic 40 and a horrendous body mass index of positive 30, escapism and yummyeology are my real-life double post-graduate degrees conferred with the highest honors. I lived nearly half of my life in fancy suitcases, jetsetting between reality and fantasy... read more
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