Experience the best of Vientiane

Vientiane stands on the east bank of the Mekong, facing Thailand across the river. It is a low-rise and unhurried capital, laid out under French rule with boulevards, bakeries and colonial villas among its temples. Pha That Luang, a golden stupa rising from a walled courtyard, is the national symbol, and Patuxai, a victory monument modelled on the Arc de Triomphe, stands at the end of the main avenue.

Wat Si Saket, the oldest surviving temple in the city, has hundreds of small Buddha images in niches along its cloister. Haw Phra Kaew, a former royal temple, is now a museum of religious art. South-east of town, Buddha Park is a field of huge concrete figures from Buddhist and Hindu tradition. The Mekong promenade fills with strollers at sunset, and day trips go to the Nam Ngum reservoir and the limestone hills near Vang Vieng.

Laap, minced meat tossed with lime, herbs and toasted rice, and tam mak hoong, green papaya salad, are eaten with sticky rice, and baguettes filled with pâté or grilled pork recall French rule. The cool dry months from November to February are the most comfortable, after the rains of June to October and before the heat of March to May. Lao coffee, grown on the Bolaven Plateau, is served strong and sweet.