Vientiane

Dvaravati city state kingdoms

By the 6th century in the Chao Phraya River Valley, Mon peoples had coalesced to create the Dvaravati kingdoms. In the north, Haripunjaya (Lamphun) emerged as a rival power to the Dvaravati. By the 8th century the Mon had pushed north to create city states, in Fa Daet (what later is Kalasin, northeastern Thailand), Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) near Tha Khek, Laos, Muang Sua (Luang Prabang), and Chantaburi (Vientiane). In the 8th century CE, Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) was the “strongest of these early city states”, and controlled trade throughout the middle Mekong region. The city states were “loosely bound politically, but were culturally similar” and introduced Therevada Buddhism from Sri Lankan missionaries throughout the region.^{[9][10][11][12]: 6, 7 [13][14]}

Transition

A reference to the name Vientiane can be seen on a Vietnamese inscription of Duke Đỗ Anh Vũ, dated 1159 during the Khmer-Viet conflict. The inscription says that in 1135, Văn Đan (Vientiane), a vassal of Zhenla (Khmer Empire), invaded Nghe An, and was repelled by the Duke; the Duke led an army chased the invaders as far as Vũ Ôn? (unattested), and then returned with captives.^[15]: 65

Decades later, Phraya Chanthaburi (lit. 'King of Chanthaburi'; Vientiane), together with his elder brother Tao Gwa of Mueang Kaew Prakan—a polity sometimes identified with Xiangkhouang (Muang Phuan)^[16]—launched a military invasion of the Ngoenyang Kingdom of the Tai Yuan in 1171 CE. The invasion failed as the Ngoenyang ruler Khun Chin sought military assistance from his nephews, the Chueang brothers. After successfully expelling the invaders, the younger Chueang marched eastward, annexed polities, and eventually captured Muang Phuan.^{[17]: 9 [18]: 76–9} He then appointed his middle son, also named Chueang, as ruler of Muang Phuan, and his youngest son, Lao Pao, as ruler of Vientiane.^{[18]: 82–3}

Lan Xang, and French colony

In 1354, when Fa Ngum founded the kingdom of Lan Xang,^[19]: 223 Vientiane became an administrative city. King Setthathirath officially established it as the capital of Lan Xang in 1563, to avoid Burmese invasion.^[20]

During French rule, the Vietnamese were encouraged to migrate to Laos, which resulted in 53% of the population of Vientiane being Vietnamese in the year 1943.^[21] As late as 1945, the French drew up a plan to move Vietnamese population to 3 areas (i.e. the Vientiane Plain, the Savannakhet region, and the Bolaven Plateau), which was interrupted by the Japanese invasion of Indochina.^[21] If this plan had been implemented, according to Martin Stuart-Fox, the Lao might well have lost control over their own country.^[21]

During World War II, Vientiane fell and was occupied by Japanese forces.^[22] On 9 March 1946, French paratroopers arrived and reoccupied the city on 24 April 1946.^[23]: 736

Independence

After the Laotian Civil War broke out between the Royal Lao Government and the Pathet Lao, in August 1960, Kong Le seized the capital Vientiane and insisted that Souvanna Phouma become prime minister. In December, Phoumi Nosavan then seized the capital, overthrew the Phouma Government, and installed Boun Oum as prime minister. In 1975, Pathet Lao troops moved towards the city and Americans began evacuating the capital. On 23 August 1975, a contingent of 50 Pathet Lao women symbolically liberated the city. On December 2, 1975, the Laotian Civil War was officially declared over, when the monarchy was forced into exile.^[23]

Bus

There are regular bus services connecting Vientiane Bus Station with the rest of the country. In Vientiane, regular bus services around the city are provided by Vientiane Capital State Bus Enterprise.^[39]

Vientiane constructed its first bus rapid transit (BRT) service in 2024 under the Vientiane Urban Transport Project (VSUTP) by Laos's Ministry of Public Works and Transport.^[40] Its BRT service will provided routes for 13.9 KM long in total of 3 BRT lines covered some destinations within the capital area. The construction of the BRT was 90% completed in the end of July 2025 and it was scheduled for free trial operation in August 2025 with total of 55 buses manufactured from China by Chery Wanda,^[41] and since it was delayed to September 2025.^[42]

Rail

A metre gauge railway link over the first bridge was formally inaugurated on 5 March 2009, previously ending at Thanaleng Railway Station, in Dongphosy village (Vientiane Prefecture), 20 km east of Vientiane.^[43][44] As of November 2010, Lao officials plan to convert the station into a cargo rail terminal for freight trains, allowing cargo to be transported from Bangkok into Laos more cheaply than via road.^[45]

The Boten–Vientiane railway (sometimes referred to as the China–Laos railway or Laos–China railway) is a 414 kilometres (257 mi) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge electrified railway in Laos, running between the capital Vientiane and the town of Boten on the border with China. The line was officially opened on 3 December 2021.^[46]

Air

Vientiane is served by Wattay International Airport with international connections to other Asian destinations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and China. Lao Airlines has regular flights to domestic destinations in the country (including flights daily to Luang Prabang, plus flights weekly to other local destinations).^[47]