The story tells that Thattaradtha initially created a city called Maha Thani Si Phan Phao (believed to have become Thailand’s Udon Thani) on the west side of the Mekong but was later visited by a seven-headed beast who told him to build a new city on the opposite bank of the river. This new city was called Chanthabuly Si Sattanakhanahud and is believed to have been the earliest incarnation of present-day Vientiane. This however is perhaps only a folktale and one on which historians place limited credibility. What is for certain is that Vientiane is a city that’s seen settlers since the 10th century and during that time has been ruled and conquered by a number of races including the Siamese, Khmer, Burmese and Vietnamese. Vientiane’s importance dwindled at the same rate that the Kingdom declined and a subsequent attack by the Siamese left the city in a state of serious ruin with Wat Sisaket the only temple left standing. The temple, which was built by King Chao Anou in 1818, is now the city’s oldest and is used as a small museum for Buddha icons. The French arrived in the 19th century to a city that was all but abandoned and began to rebuild it recognising it still as the country’s capital over Luang Prabang. The colonial French architecture evident in the city today dates from this period with the National Library and Nam Phu Square among the best examples. | 
