Lao, commonly known as Laotian, is the major language spoken in Vientiane. It is the national language of Laos and is connected to Thai and Shan in the Tai-Kadai language family.

Lao is a tonal language of the Tai-Kadai language family of Southeast Asia. Southern Lao, Vientiane Lao, Western Lao, Central Lao, Northeastern Lao, and Northern Lao are the primary Lao dialects. Vientiane Lao is the commonly known dialect upon which the Lao lexicon is built. Several Lao and Thai languages are closely related to Lao, including Tai Daeng, Phu Thai, Tai Dam, and Nyaw. Lao and Thai share a large percentage of their fundamental lexicon. Because of their closeness, the Pali, Thai, and Khmer languages have affected Lao over time.

The Khmer script, which has its roots in the Indian Brahmic alphabet, evolved from the Lao script in the 14th century. The emergence of the script in Laos is credited to Theravada Buddhists on a mission to popularize Buddhism. The majority of Lao languages have six tones. Lao is spoken by slightly more than half of Laos’ population, and an estimated 3.3 million people worldwide speak Lao. Lao is also spoken in Thailand’s northeastern area, as well as by tiny populations in Cambodia, France, Australia, the United States, and Canada. The Lao language allows individuals from many ethnic groupings to connect and serves as the country’s lingua franca.

Along with the Laotian language, English is the most frequently spoken European language, and it has even surpassed it in the tourism business in recent years. It is seen in the number of academic institutions or the structure of many Lao schools that use English as a required course/subject.

Many individuals in Vientiane and other important tourist sites understand this language, whether they are elderly people who learnt English during the Vietnam War or young people who are interested in using English now. However, both French and English are less common in Laos’ countryside.