Introduction
The capital and largest city of Laos in Southeast Asia, Vientiane is a city that dates back hundreds of years. Vientiane is located in the western part of the nation on the Mekong River.
Places of interest
Vientiane is the home of many Buddhist temples. One of the most famous is the That Luang temple, dating from about 1566 and restored by the Lao people during the French colonial period of the 1900s. To the people of Vientiane, the temple is a symbol of both the Buddhist religion and the country of Laos. It has a four-sided brick and stucco base with a tall four-sided dome. Another well-known temple is Wat Sisaket, which was built in 1818 and is the oldest completely original temple in Vientiane. The Wat Sisaket temple has thousands of images of the founder of the Buddhist religion, the Buddha. The Wat Pha Kaew temple, originally constructed in 1565 and rebuilt many times since then, used to house a famous Emerald Buddha statue that is now in Bangkok, Thailand.
Vientiane also has monuments, markets, and places of education. The Patuxai Monument honors the people of Laos who died in wars. Located at the end of one of Vientiane's largest boulevards, the monument resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. A popular market in Vientiane is called the Morning Market, where people sell everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes and electronic goods. The National University of Laos is located in Vientiane and provides studies in agriculture, art, education, forestry and irrigation, and medicine.
Economy
Laos is one of the world's poorest and least developed nations. Although a majority of the population of Laos works in farming, there is some industry in Vientiane, including the manufacture of bricks, tiles, clothing, detergent, iron, and steel. Vientiane is also a principal port of entry, which is a place where goods purchased from overseas enter the country. This is because of the city's location near the Mekong River, one of the country's major transportation routes. At the end of the 20th century, the government launched a campaign to bring more tourists to the country. Because of the campaign, tourism is slowly becoming a part of Vientiane's economy.
History
Vientiane was founded during the late 13th century. In the mid-16th century, it became the capital of the Lao kingdom. Over time the city was controlled by various groups, including the Burmese, Siamese, and Vietnamese. In 1828 many parts of Vientiane were destroyed when the Laotian king revolted against Siamese rule. The French conquered Laos and the rest of the Indochinese Peninsula in the late 1800s.
For most of the period from 1899 to 1953 Vientiane served as the seat of the French governor in Laos. After World War II, France's Asian colonies fought for independence. Many groups fought for control of Vientiane during these Indochina Wars. In 1954 Laos became independent and Vientiane remained its capital. Population (1995 estimate), 528,100.
