Don Chan Palace Hotel & Convention
by the TopOfHotel team
Don Chan Palace is a riverfront five-star at the lowest price in Vientiane — a 14-floor tower with full Thai-side views, in exchange for a design that feels stuck in the early 2000s.
Don Chan Palace is a riverfront five-star at the lowest price in Vientiane — a 14-floor tower with full Thai-side views, in exchange for a design that feels stuck in the early 2000s.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Picture the wide Mekong River rolling past the Lao capital, with a small island called Don Chan rising mid-current — and on that island, a single dignified 14-floor tower. That is Don Chan Palace Hotel & Convention, which has held the crown of tallest building in Laos since 2004, the year Vientiane hosted the ASEAN Summit and the government needed an international-standard five-star to receive regional leaders. The tower went up fast and has been a city landmark ever since; drive into Vientiane from any direction and you spot it on the skyline before anything else. All 239 rooms and suites spread across floors 3 to 14, most facing the river with panoramic views to the Nong Khai bank opposite. A standard Deluxe runs about 36 square metres with a soft king bed, dark wood paneling, and the floral carpets you remember from late-90s five-stars. Open the double curtains and a long window frames the Mekong below. Junior and Executive Suites stretch to 50 to 70 square metres with a separate sitting area and a soaking tub. The marble bathrooms keep their original taps and showerheads — they work fine, just not as current as a brand-new hotel. The overall feel is warm and formal, better suited to conference travelers and families than to young couples hunting a design-led room for Instagram.
Food and amenities
Downstairs you find a large curved outdoor pool angled to catch the river, ringed with loungers, shade trees, and a small pool bar for cold drinks. Families with kids tend to use it all day, since it is both wide and quiet. Next to it sits the largest convention center in Laos — a main ballroom seating several hundred plus a string of breakout rooms, which lets the hotel host national conferences with ease. Restaurants are scattered across the property: D'Cuisine runs an international breakfast buffet (Lao sticky rice, eggs cooked to order, Western dishes, bakery, fresh fruit) that reviews single out as good value; Phoenix Court serves classic Cantonese; and the lobby cafe is an easy mid-morning coffee stop. There is also a small but well-equipped spa and fitness center and an affordable Lao massage room. Everything a five-star should have is here — it just all carries the design stamp of its opening era. Lovers of warm classic style will fall for it; modern-minimalist fans may not.
Location and getting there
The address is the headline quirk: an island in the middle of the Mekong, linked to the mainland by a short bridge. It is a 5-minute walk across to Chao Anouvong Night Market and Wat Si Muang, which is genuinely convenient. The bigger sights — Patuxai and Pha That Luang — are a 10-to-15-minute tuk-tuk or Grab ride. Wattay International Airport sits about 15 minutes away by car, and the hotel runs a shuttle. Most Western passports get visa-on-arrival or visa-free entry to Laos, so plan for a short queue at Wattay rather than paperwork ahead of time.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk before you commit. The complaint that comes up most in reviews is the early-2000s decor — big chandeliers, dark carpets, dark wood furniture, and a generally serious, formal tone. If you expect a modern boutique like the new hotels downtown, reset your expectations. The second is crossing the bridge every time you leave: short and quick, yes, but the island side feels noticeably more deserted than the city side late at night, which may bother solo travelers. Bathrooms and furniture in some rooms are aging — original taps and showerheads, and Wi-Fi that runs slow and unstable on some floors, especially when a big conference group is in and everyone is online at once. Reviews also flag slow check-in when tour groups arrive, since the hotel takes a lot of them. Solo and small-family guests should email ahead for early check-in and book a high-floor River View room to dodge the units that have not been updated.
Our take
After reading several hundred real reviews across Agoda, Booking, and Tripadvisor, Don Chan Palace Hotel & Convention sells one thing well: panoramic Mekong views, the city's icon tower, and the lowest price among Vientiane's five-stars. If your trip looks like a conference with a river-view room, an afternoon at the pool with the kids, a stroll across the bridge to Chao Anouvong Night Market, and the Thai-side sunset from a 12th-floor window, this is the most sensible pick in the $46 to $91 a night range. If you want a modern design boutique, Settha Palace-level service, or a central address where every block has a chic coffee shop, this is not your answer. We give it 7.8/10, best for conference-goers, families who want a big pool and a river view, and travelers who value getting their money's worth over an updated look.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Panoramic views over the Mekong to the Thai bank (Nong Khai and Si Chiang Mai) from the upper floors — nearly every river-facing room catches the full sunset over the Thai side around 17:30.
- At 14 floors it is the tallest building in Laos, visible from almost anywhere in the city, so finding your way back is easy and the place genuinely feels like a landmark.
- Rates start near $46 a night, the cheapest of Vientiane's five-stars — roughly half what you pay at the Crowne Plaza or the Settha Palace.
- A large curved outdoor pool sits right on the riverbank with plenty of loungers around it, so families with kids tend to camp there all day.
- Restaurants cover a lot of ground — an international breakfast buffet, a Cantonese room, a Lao kitchen, and a lobby cafe — alongside a convention center big enough for several hundred delegates, which makes it a solid pick for business travelers.
- The lobby and interiors lean hard into early-2000s taste — high ceilings, oversized chandeliers, dark patterned carpets. If you want modern minimalism it will read as old and a bit loud.
- You have to cross the connecting bridge into town every time you head out. The walk is only 5 minutes to the night market, but coming back at night the island side feels quieter and more deserted than a central-district hotel.
- Bathrooms and furniture in some rooms are showing their age — reviews note the original taps and showerheads are still in place, and the Wi-Fi runs slow and patchy on some floors, especially when a large conference group fills the hotel.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Vientiane
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a room on the 10th floor or higher on the river-facing side (River View) — the sunset over the Thai bank is best from up there, and it is only a small upcharge over a City View room.
- Hit Chao Anouvong Night Market in the early evening, roughly 17:30 to 20:00, when it is busiest; it is a short 5-minute walk across the bridge, so you can be back in time for a swim.
- If you are here for a conference or arriving as a group, email ahead to request early check-in — the hotel takes a lot of tour groups, and rooms may not be ready if you turn up before check-in time.