Southeast Asia's quietest capital, golden stupas on the Mekong
Laos's laid-back capital sits directly on the Mekong River facing Thailand, with a skyline of golden Buddhist stupas instead of skyscrapers — sticky rice and laap (minced meat salad) define the table here more than any single iconic dish, eaten communally with hands rather than utensils.
Vientiane became the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom in 1563, was largely destroyed by a Siamese army in 1827, and only slowly rebuilt under French colonial rule before becoming the capital of independent Laos in 1953. Laos remains the most heavily bombed country per capita in history — a legacy of the Vietnam War-era 'Secret War,' with unexploded ordnance still being cleared from the countryside today.