2 Days for Vientiane

There is the Vientiane Prefecture where the capital city of Vientiane is part of.

Then, there is the Vientiane Province which is located north of Vientiane Prefecture. Generally, most Laotians and tourists refer to Vientiane city as simply Vientiane.

If you are on a touch-n-go trip in Vientiane, 2 days are all you need to visit the major tourist attractions, such as the many vat (temples or monasteries, spelled ‘wat’ in Thailand), the victory monument, the museum, the market, etc.

However, if you are not rushing off to other parts of Laos, Vientiane, unlike other Asian capitals, is an amazingly laid-back city to relax on the coffee, pastries, Lao & French cuisine, or just simply watching the sunset over the Mekong River.

The modest traffic, simple street layout, casual attitude of the locals (even the tuk-tuk drivers who are a lot less persistent than those in neighboring countries), immediately put you at ease and be part of this laid-back culture.

And when you leave Vientiane for the rest of Laos, be prepared to really chill out and loosen up.