Vientiane Vientiane Valletta Category="Capitals in Asia"Category="Cities in Laos"
For other administrative entities see Vientiane Prefecture and Vientiane Province.
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Vientiane(vyen tyn, Lao Wieng Jan) is the capital city of Laos, it is situated in the Mekong Valley. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 (2005) while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area (Vientiane city, prefecture, and parts of Vientiane province) is believed to be over 730,000. Vientiane is located at 17°58' North, 102°36' East (17.9667, 102.6).

Administration

Vientiane is located in and is the capital of the Vientiane Prefecture (kampheng nakhon Vientiane). There is also the Vientiane Province - the prefecture was split off from the province in 1989.

Vientiane city is comprised of the following districts:

Geography

Vientiane is situated on a sweeping bend on the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.

History

King Setthathirath established it as the capital of Lan Xang in 1560. When Lan Xang fell apart in 1707, it became an independent kingdom. In 1779, it was conquered by the Siamese general Phraya Chakri and made a vassal of Siam.

When King Anouvong raised an unsuccessful rebellion, it was obliterated by Siamese armies in 1827. It eventually passed to French rule in 1893. It became the capital of the French protectorate of Laos in 1899.

The name of the city is derived from Pali, the literary language of Theravada Buddhism, and its original meaning was "The king's grove of sandalwood", the latter species of tree being prized for its fragrance in classical India. It is also believed that the original name of Vientiane (Viangchan) means "City of the Moon" in the native Lao language. Modern Lao pronunciation and orthography do not clearly reflect the Pali Etymology. The romanized spelling "Vientiane" is of French origin, and reflects the difficulty the French had in pronouncing the hard "ch" syllable of the Lao word; a common English-based spelling is "Viangchan", or occasionally "Wiangchan".

Sights

Vientiane is also home to a few of Laos's only: Mosque, bowling alleys, churches, and nightclubs. There are many upper-class hotels in Vientiane as well.

Colleges and universities

Transportation

The Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, built in the 1990s, crosses the river a few miles downsteam of the city and forms one of the major border crossings between the two countries. Currently, the rails for an international railway link do run over the bridge, but service terminates several kilometers south of the river on the Thai side.

Vientiane is served by the Wattay International Airport.

External links