Vientiane

The capital city of Laos and the most populated with about 300,000 inhabitants. It sits right on the banks of the Mekong across from Thailand. Vientiane's two main attractions are the Golden Stupa and the Patuxai Arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe build from concrete donated by the U.S. to build an airport runway. It is thus better known among tourists as the Vertical Runway. Tourist cafes line the Mekong river where you can eat BBQ and drink out of a coconut.