Destinations: Wat Sisaket, Wat Prakeo, That Luang Stupa, Patuxay monument, Nam Phou Fountain
Overnight: Vientiane
Let’s just take a half day look around Vientiane. Your first stop is Vientiane’s Wat Sisaket temple. Known for its cloister wall of over 6,800 Buddha statues, Wat Sisaket is the city’s oldest surviving temple and is still in use as a religious site today. Head next to Wat Prakeo, which once served as the temple of the royal family, housed the Emerald Buddha for 200 years, and is now functional as a museum. Head to That Luang Stupa, the single most important monument in Laos, which was built to cover the original small stupa containing a piece of the chest bone of Buddha before diving further into the country’s heritage by visiting the Patuxay monument, which is known as Vientiane’s Arc de Triomphe and stands as a symbol of Laos’ independence. We then drive back to Ave Lane Xang and stop at the Nam Phou Fountain, built by the French, where fine-dining and fusion restaurants have appeared around in recent years. The area is home to modern buildings but also many small, family-run tailor shops. We take a break for lunch. Free afternoon. Visit the Vientiane night market tonight.