10 REASONS WHY VIENTIANE, LAOS IS THE WORLD'S BEST CAPITAL CITY

Vientiane delivers a relaxing riverside break where one of the best things you can do is grab a drink and enjoy the sun’s spectacular show as it sets over the Mekong. Despite being the largest city in Laos and the hub of commerce and administration, Vientiane is still refreshingly laid back.

A Sparkling Clean Oasis

Chances are your journey to Vientiane will not be direct, and arriving from Hanoi, Phnom Penh or Bangkok, you will be struck by the immaculate streets of the Laotian capital. Vientiane may just be the cleanest city in all of Southeast Asia.

The tranquil and peaceful atmasphere in Vientiane, Laos

With meticulously angled shrubbery and manicured roadside gardens, you'd hardly believe you were in one of the poorest countries in the world. Hosting the Southeast Asian Games in 2009 (for the first time in their 50-year history) Vientiane is opening its doors to the world, a small city with big dreams.

Exuding a pride often found in capitals, the residents of Vientiane work hard at the upkeep to make their city the shining example of a prosperous future.

Friendly Locals

Learn this word: "Sabaidii," (sa bye dee - hello, welcome) and you've unlocked the door to the land of 1,000 smiles. The warm, welcoming faces of the Lao people are so infectious, you will find yourself singing "Khawp jai lai lai," (kop chai lye lye - thank you very much) not only because you like the sound, but because of their bewildering radiance.

The locals here are very hospitable and friendly to foreigners

The Lao citizens don't have much to be happy about. The French, British, Chinese, Japanese and Thais have all drawn lines around this land and after years of strict socialism, the country remains in the world's "least-developed" category. Yet, the Lao people refuse to let hard times get them down.

Dirt-Cheap French Food

Waking up to the wafting scent of freshly baked baguettes and crispy croissants, you might just forget where you are. In fact, to find bread in such quantities is a rarity in Asia. Yet, in Vientiane, the lingering refinements of French Indochina rule the city's culinary scene.

These specialties's taste is unique and unforgetable

Vientiane is, perhaps, the cheapest place in the world to indulge in wood-fire steaks, soufflés, pates, and a cold glass of Sancerre. Most restaurants line the crisscrossing rues of Vientiane Central or you can combine dinner and a movie at Centre Culturel et de Cooperation Linguistique.

Upmarket Accommodation

Aided by a change in foreign tourism in post-tsunami Thailand, the past few years have brought an unprecedented boom in tourism for Laos. Seeking the languid, "authentic" Asia that many feel is lost elsewhere, more than 1 million tourists came in 2005, up from 14,000 in 1990.

Vientiane also has luxury hotels and resorts to meet visitors's various needs

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