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| Vientiane Travel Guide |
| by Jen (Author), Sam (Mapper) |
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| What's inside? |
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Vientiane is the city full of surprise and adventure, a place for passionate pedestrians - there is probably no other city in this region that can so easily and pleasantly explored on foot.
a4trip's Vientiane guidebook is a travel guidebook with extensive travel analysis, tips, alerts and maps that can fully assist you in your Vientiane travel plan. Places to visit, hotels, transportations, restaurants and shopping arches around Vientiane are analyzed by price, location, rank and testimonial. Also, festivals and language guides are included to assist you in communicating with the friendly locals. |
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| Save the Black-striped Weasel |
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| Collecting fund in progress... |
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| Black-striped Weasel, also known as Mustela Strigidorsa is featured in Vientiane Travel Guide. The Black-striped weasel is one of the most enigmatic mammals and listed as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Check out our Animal Blog for more information about animal conservation effort. |
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| What is an a4trip travel guidebook? |
| a4trip travel guidebook will provide the necessary information to help you plan your travel.Our guidebook, in PDF format, are designed to be concise and comprehensive, yet small enough to keep with you everywhere you go. |
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| How do I make payment? |
| We accept credit card payment via PayPal payment gateway. Credit card such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express (USA only), Discover (USA only). Your a4trip transaction will appear as PAYPAL*A4TRIP on your credit card statement. |
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| Why can't I download the guidebook? |
| Contact us and we will email the guidebook to you. |
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| How often do you update your guidebook? |
| We update our guidebook once a month. |
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| What should I do if I have question regarding a4trip? |
| Please contact us. |
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| An introductiob to Vientiane |
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| By Agnes Ang, student & a4friend |
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Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, Asia's biggest village which situated in the Mekong Valley. It is also Laos's largest city. Busy and hectic in comparison to the rest of the country, it is quiet compared with any other city in Asia. Vientiane, as all of Lao's major cities, is situated on the Mekong river which forms the lifeline of the country. Vientiane is the hub for all travel in the country. The city has a population of 450,000, about 10% of the country. 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.
The First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, built in the 1990s, crosses the river 18 kilometers downstream of the city to Nong Khai in Thailand, and is the major crossing between the two countries. Rails for an international railway link run on to the bridge, but service terminates several kilometers south of the river on the Thai side. Construction on an extension of the line to the Lao border post was begun in 2007 and is expected to be completed in the course of 2008. There are plans to extend the line further to Vientiane itself. Eventually it will be possible to travel by train from Bangkok to Vientiane.
Vientiane is a city full of surprises. Here you can find fields of rice and vegetables, agriculture hidden behind tree lined avenues. French Colonial architecture sits next to gilded temples. Freshly baked French bread is served next to shops selling noodle soup.
There is little modern in Vientiane. Old French colonial houses are being restored as offices and as restaurants and hotels. There are only a handful of modern buildings which sometimes look remarkably out of place in this quiet capital.
Xieng Kuan, a must go destination, more commonly referred to as Buddha Park means "Spirit City" and is filled with fanciful Buddhist and Hindu sculptures It is located about 25km outside of Vientiane on the beautiful Mekong River. Built in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat who fled Laos for Thailand after the 1975 revolution, its is a quirky, unique and interesting excursion easily reached from the capitala visit to this park makes for a pleasant afternoon. There are approximately 200 Buddhist and religious images dating back over 500 years, most of which were introduced from India. The best way to reach the park is to take bus number 14 from the main bus station. Tell the driver where you are going and he will let you off at the right stop. You can also get to the Buddha Park by tuk-tuk. Most of the drivers around town soliciting tourists can take you there. Expect to pay around 700 Baht (USD 20.93). Admission to Buddha Park is 5,000 Kip. There's another 2,000 Kip for a camera.
Unless you are a citizen of an ASEAN country, you will need to purchase a tourist visa for your visit. A 15-day tourist visa can be arranged upon arrival at all airports and border crossings. If you want a 30-day visa, you'll need to apply for one ahead of time at your nearest Laos embassy. Most travel shops in neighbouring countries such as Thailand provide visa services for Laos. It should take about three days to complete the process. Tourist visas can be extended twice, but only in Vientiane. You can obtain a visa to visit Laos in Bangkok but a visa on arrival is available at this crossing. Cost should be around 35 US Dollars. Once you've got your Thai exit stamp etc, a few Baht will get you a minibus to the Laos side of the Friendship Bridge. You're now about 15 kilometres away from Vientiane itself and there are taxis ready and willing to drive you the final leg of the journey (should cost no more than 200 Baht). |
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