Vientiane

Vientiane (pop. 442,000), capital and largest city of Laos, located on the Mekong River. Vientiane is the commercial center of Laos and produces livestock, rice, cigarettes, silk and other textiles, and plastics. It is the site of the Royal School of Medicine and the Royal School of Public Administration and is noted for its many Buddhist pagodas.

See also: Laos.