Vientiane

noun
1.
a city in and the capital of Laos, on the Mekong River, in the NW part.
noun
1.
a country in SE Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 91,500 sq. mi. (236,985 sq. km).
Capital: Vientiane.
noun
1.
the administrative capital of Laos, in the south near the border with Thailand: capital of the kingdom of Vientiane from 1707 until taken by the Thais in 1827. Pop: 776 000 (2005 est)
noun
1.
a republic in SE Asia: first united as the kingdom of Lan Xang (“million elephants”) in 1353, after being a province of the Khmer Empire for about four centuries; made part of French Indochina in 1893 and gained independence in 1949; became a republic in 1975. It is generally forested and mountainous, with the Mekong River running almost the whole length of the W border. Official language: Laotian. Religion: Buddhist majority, tribal religions. Currency: kip. Capital: Vientiane. Pop: 6 695 166 (2013 est). Area: 236 800 sq km (91 429 sq miles) Official name People’s Democratic Republic of Laos
Laos [(lows, lah-ohs)]

Mountainous, landlocked republic in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma to the northwest, China to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.

Note: Part of French Indochina from 1893 to 1949, it was granted full sovereignty in 1954.

Note: Civil war among communist and noncommunist factions in the 1950s and 1960s attracted extensive covert aid from the Soviet Union, China, and the United States.

Note: During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese communists established the Ho Chi Minh Trail through the remote mountains of Laos to channel troops and supplies from North Vietnam to South Vietnam.

Note: The communist Pathet Lao, with long-standing close ties to the Vietnamese communists, have been in power since 1975.