Vientiane is the capital and larget city in Laos, and is situated in the Mekong Valley. The estimated population of the city is 200,000, making it one of the least populated capital cities in the world.

Haw Phra Kaew was built between 1565 and 1556, on the orders of King Setthathirath. The temple housed the Emerald Buddha figurine, which Setthathirath had brought from Chiang Mai, then the capital of Lanna, to Luang Prabang. When Vientiane was seized by Siam (now Thailand) in 1778, the figurine was taken to Thonburi. It now resides in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.