Vientiane: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos (Vientiane Prefecture), 174 m (571 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Wattay International Airport (VTE), 4 km (2 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 298 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Vientiane runs from about 11 h 6 min a day in late December to 13 h 15 min in late June (computed for 17.97° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Vientiane is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Wattay International Airport (VTE), 4 km (2 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,843 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Udon Thani International Airport (UTH, 68 km).
Flights to Vientiane: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Vientiane · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 298 places to stay in Vientiane. Of the 256 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (138), and 19 are five-star. Across 102 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.1 out of 10. Guests have left 38,161 reviews in total.
Hotels in Vientiane: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 33 hostels in Vientiane, out of 298 places to stay of every kind — 11.1% of everywhere it lists in the city, which puts it in the top tenth of the cities we hold hostel figures for — a well-established backpacker trail. Across 12 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.1 out of 10, level with the city’s hotels. Guests have left 4,898 reviews across them.
Hostels in Vientiane: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Thanh Hóa, 391 km (Vietnam) — trains · buses · car rental
- Vinh, 336 km (Vietnam) — trains · buses · car rental
- Nghi Sơn, 372 km (Vietnam) — buses · car rental
- Hà Tĩnh, 352 km (Vietnam) — buses · car rental
- Lampang, 330 km (Thailand) — buses · car rental
- Kỳ Anh, 391 km (Vietnam)
- Udon Thani, 64 km (Thailand) — buses · car rental · tours
- Sầm Sơn, 399 km (Vietnam)
- Chiang Mai, 392 km (Thailand) — trains · buses · car rental
- Nakhon Ratchasima, 337 km (Thailand) — trains · buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Bangkok, Chittagong, Phnom Penh, Orlando, Ho Chi Minh City, Cirebon, Beijing, Hanoi, Kunming.
Common questions
Which airport serves Vientiane?
Wattay International Airport (VTE), 4 km (2 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Vientiane?
About 840,940 people live in Vientiane, across 3,920 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Vientiane in?
Asia/Vientiane, currently UTC+7.
What currency is used in Vientiane?
The Kip (LAK). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Vientiane?
33 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Vientiane.
How many hotels are there in Vientiane?
Our booking partner lists 298 places to stay in Vientiane, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Vientiane?
Thanh Hóa (391 km), Vinh (336 km), Nghi Sơn (372 km), Hà Tĩnh (352 km), Lampang (330 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.