Capital: Vientiane

The capital city of Laos, with 750,000 inhabitants, Vientiane is located on the left bank of the Mekong River, which marks the border with Thailand. Often considered the ‘largest village in Asia,’ Vientiane is, in fact, not a major touristic site. Its attractions are mostly Buddhist monasteries and a few monuments from the French colonial era, such as the famous Patuxai, popularly called Vientiane’s “Arc de Triomphe”.