Location
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, a land-locked country in Southeast Asia. There is an airport outside of town, as well as the newly created high-speed train that will get you from Luang Prabang in the north to Vientiane in just 2 hours. Vientiane sits on the Mekong river across the river from Thailand, so another way to get to Vientiane is by bus over the Thai border. See our step-by-step guide of how to do that border crossing.
Kid-Friendliness?
Laotians are incredibly helpful with families with kids. We had a tuk-tuk driver that made extra seats for our family group as we had 7 people riding in one tuk-tuk. That said, Vientiane is a developing city full of dirt roads and uneven pavement. You just need to be careful to watch if you have a stroller or young children walking on the road.
Famous Landmark
Vientiane is a small city with many embassies and ambassador houses. The central government of Laos is also housed there and in the center of many of the government buildings is the Patuxay Monument. It looks like the Arc de Triomphe, but up close you and your kids can see the Laotian elements added to the monument (make sure to look up!)
Shopping
The night market off of the Mekong on the south side of town is a fun, food-filled adventure. As this is not a super touristy area, much of the night market is clothes and everyday items that locals would be shopping for. One time when we visited, they also had children amusement park rides and activities available, but this does not seem to be an everyday occurrence.
Green Space
Vientiane has little parks around town. Many of them you can see little monuments and statues. You can also look out over the Mekong on the southside of town.
Kid Activity
Since Vientiane is a small city, we spent much of our first visit as a family exploring the town on foot. The offset of the dirt roads with the big beautiful embassies was very interesting to my children. We spent several hours exploring neighborhoods, sampling coffee shops, and bakeries. Our most entertaining coffee shop was Coffee Prison, where you drink your coffees and sodas in “prison cells” and the kids can dress up and also try to escape. Check out more kid activities found around Vientiane.
