Vientiane is a very walkable city, but bicycles are also handy and can be rented for $1 per day (with $30 deposit) at many guesthouses and other places, including Douang Deuane Hotel, Nokeo Koummane Road (tel 021/222301-3), and a no-name coffee shop near the MIC on Manthatoulat Road. 150cc motorbikes are also easy to find ($8 per day); try Douang Deuane Hotel, Nokeo Koummane Road (tel 021/222301-3) or PVO, Samsenthai Road, near Pangkham Road (tel 021/214444).

Tuk-tuks and jumbos operate as private or shared taxis within the city (picking up people heading in vaguely the same direction), and charge about 2000K per person for distances of 1-2km, adding a few hundred kip per kilometre beyond that. Shared tuk-tuks generally ply frequently travelled routes, such as Lane Xang Avenue between the Morning Market and That Louang and along Louang Phabang Avenue heading out from the city centre; they charge a flat fee of 500K. Pedal-powered samlaw - essentially motorless jumbos - can carry one or two smaller passengers for short distances. A fleet of unmetered taxis , consisting of banged-up old Toyotas, gathers outside the Morning Market, in the car park on the Khou Viang Road side of the market. Prices are negotiable and usually quoted in Thai baht, but drivers will accept Lao kip and American dollars.