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Vientiane

Hugging a bend in the Mekong, Vientiane has been Laos' capital since 1560 when King Setthathilat moved here from Luang Prabang. The city has had a turbulent history, having been invaded, occupied and overrun a number of times by the Khmer, the Burmese, the Chinese and the Siamese who sacked the city in 1828. Unsurprisingly Vientiane has few remaining historical sites, however That Louang is Laos's most important religious building and its national symbol and the Haw Pha Kaew was built to house the Emerald Buddha which the Siamese made off with in 1779.

> Itineraries visiting Vientiane