In addition, a few citizens of the old colonial power, France, have returned bringing more up-to-date influences, as at Le Central, a modern bistro near the center of town. South Asian merchants, too, have begun to populate the markets selling gemstones and jewelry.
Despite these burgeoning charms and cosmopolitan touches, however, it may take some time for tourists to regard Vientiane as more than an enjoyable afterthought.
After savoring a meal at Kua Lao with his grown children, Bob Bell, from Virginia, said the trip to Vientiane had been a last-minute decision. He and his family had been visiting Kuchinarai, in northern Thailand, where Bell was stationed as a naval officer in 1964. Then his son, Rob, asked when they would ever be 30 miles from the Laotian border again. "We were going to Vietnam and these guys, who are passport-stamp-hogs, wanted to get another country," the elder Bell joked.
And just as Laos is often overshadowed by Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, Vientiane is usually left in the shade by scenic Luang Prabang. But there are marvels throughout the city.
Wat Si Saket, Vientiane's oldest large temple surviving in its original, early 19th-century form, has a peaceful courtyard overlooked by tall palm trees and filled with memorial pillars, stone stupas (traditional Buddhist monuments) and butterflies. The surrounding cloister, with its terra-cotta-tiled roof, contains countless niches displaying thousands of tiny Buddhas, plus bigger ones painted gold.
Along the edge of the cloister are potted plants bursting with flowers. Everywhere is the sound of bats roosting in the eaves of the sanctuary, whose interior walls are painted with fading but minutely detailed murals that tell pictorial tales of battle and devotion. If you're lucky, you might catch what passes for spectacle here: French tourists chasing after an orange-swathed, umbrella-carrying monk like so many paparazzi.
The markets are worth a special visit. For lunch, the Talat Sao market offers fried fish, minced meats mixed with herbs and served with sticky rice, barbecued sausages and spicy noodle soup. There's fresh sugar cane juice or, if you prefer, a bottle of strong spirits with a cobra, scorpion or both soaking inside. The market's clean, orderly interior offers embroidered silk in every form, from tablecloths to ties, plus shining silver jewelry and dozens of counterfeit coins claiming to be silver piastres from the era of French control.
Finally, of course, there is the Pha That Luang, the shining golden temple that is Laos' national symbol. It doesn't matter how many photographs you've seen of the Pha That Luang before you come. The first glimpse, even from a kilometer away, will take your breath away. You could be forgiven for thinking that the stupa, not the sun, is lighting up the sky.
As at other big temples in the capital, you're bound to find one more symbol of development and globalization: cheerful young monks hoping to practice their English. Still, the growth of Vientiane is all a matter of perspective. When asked if there had been big changes in the city, Phone (pronounced pohn), a 22-year-old monk tending the Wat That Luang Neua temple next to the Pha That Luang, said yes, indeed there had. The city had expanded quite a bit since taking over as capital from Luang Prabang, he said. Of course, that happened over 400 years ago.
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