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Capital Facts for Vientiane, Laos

August 1, 2020 by Danny Metrics

Laos flag
Laos flag
Located on the banks of the Mekong River near the Laotian border with Thailand, Vientiane serves as the capital city of Laos. Formally the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Laos is a landlocked country occupying the center of mainland Southeast Asia’s Indonesia peninsula.

Also called Viengchan, popular nicknames for Vientiane include “City of the Moon” and “Sandalwood City”.

Research website numbeo lacks sufficient data to rank the Laotian capital on its comprehensive global quality of life rating which benchmarks 250 cities worldwide. Numbeo does evaluate Vientiane on several individual factors. For instance, Vientiane’s scores poorly on health care (lowest rating compared to fully rated countries), property price to income ratio (highest 5%) and pollution (worst 10%).

The most significant national monument for Laos is found in Vientiane: an iconic Buddist temple called That Luang.

Another prominent landmark in the Laotian capital city is the memorial monument Patuxai. It was built to commemorate those who battled for independence from France, and showcases architecture incorporating Laotian designs while offering a panoramic vista of Vientiane.

The East Asian country of Laos was recognized by the Guinness World Records for having age 15 as the youngest minimum age for compulsory military service on Earth.

From an international trade perspective, Laos exported an estimated US$5.8 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include electrical energy (22.8% of Laos’ global total), copper ores and concentrates (10.1%), refined copper (7.5%), waters including added sugar or other sweeteners (3.9%), live bovine animals (also 3.9%), natural rubber and similar natural gums (3.7%), bananas including plantains (3.3%), gold (also 3.3%), sugar (2.1%), and chemical woodpulp (also 2.1%) according to the International Trade Centre.

Capital Facts for Vientiane, Laos: Quick Reference

Geography


Capital landmarks: Lao National History Museum, Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), That Dam (Black Stupa), Sisaket Temple/Museum and the Wat Si Muang (Buddhist temple)

Famous People

Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Vientiane, Laos.

  • Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya, soccer player/footballer (born Oct. 28, 1987)
  • Siluck Saysanasy, actor (born Jan. 30, 1974)
  • Bryan Thao Worra, writer (born Jan. 1, 1973)
  • Sengphachan Bounthisanh, soccer player/footballer (born Jun. 1, 1987)
  • Loc Do, actor & director (born Oct. 20, 1968)
  • Sompet Laungsouphom, actress & makeup artist (born May 18, 1970)
  • Tom Tate, City of Gold Coast mayor (born Jan. 15, 1959)
  • Visay Phaphouvanin, soccer player/footballer (born Jun. 12, 1985)
  • Keo Souvannavong, journalist & actor (born Sep. 10, 1969)
  • Bangbay Siboliban, cinematographer (born 1979)

Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.

Population

Demonym for a Vientiane resident: Laotian

Population: 682,542 (Vientiane) at August 1, 2020

Density: 13,651 people per square mile (5,250 per square kilometer)

Population: 7,285,086 (Laos) at August 1, 2020

Density: 82 people per square mile (32 per square kilometer)

Median age for all Laos: 24.4 years old

Financial

GDP: US$37.32 billion in 2015 (Laos)

GDP per person: $5,300

Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Vientiane were unavailable.

Official currency used in Vientiane: Lao kip

Research

Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).

Central Intelligence Agency, Country Comparison: GDP Real Growth Rate.

Central Intelligence Agency, East & Southeast Asia: Laos.

Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.

CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.

Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.

Guinness World Records, Youngest age to join the military (country).

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.

International Trade Centre, Trade Map.

Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.

Official Government Website, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR.

Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.

Wikipedia, Laos.

Wikipedia, Vientiane.

Wikipedia, Vientiane Prefecture.

WorldOMeter, Laos Population.

World Population Review, Vientiane Population.

 

Laotians celebrate Republic Day as a national holiday each December 2.

Vientiane’s population count was an estimated 682,542 residents at August 1, 2020, living over a land area measuring 50 square miles (130 square kilometers).

At the country level, Laos covers a land area of 89,112 square miles (230,800 square kilometers) which serves as home to 7.3 million Laotians as of August 2020.

Population density is more concentrated within Vientiane’s city limits averaging 13,651 residents per square mile (5,250 per square kilometer).

Zooming out to the nation’s overall land boundaries, population density for Laos is 82 Laotians per square mile (32 per square kilometer).

Filed Under: Asia

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