Qibla · Vientiane Prefecture
Qibla direction in Vientiane
To face the Kaaba in Vientiane, turn to 284.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (14.6° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 6,540 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Vientiane should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 284.6°, the Qibla of Vientiane. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 285° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Vientiane
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 14.6° towards north: the result is the bearing of 284.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 15° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Vientiane, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Vientiane to Mecca points to 273.3° (west), 11.3° away from the correct 284.6°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 42 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
How is the figure of 284.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Vientiane (17.9667° N, 102.6000° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Vientiane to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 6,540 km from Vientiane as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 6,516 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 12 min, although most pilgrims from Vientiane connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Vientiane run 4 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Vientiane rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Vientiane
On 79 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Vientiane while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (30 days); for example, on 15 May 2027 it happens at 12:20 local time.
On 172 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in March (31 days), for instance on 1 March 2027 at 07:48.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 07:48 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 08:38 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 09:36 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 10:25 |
| 1 May 2027 | — | 11:24 |
| 15 May 2027 | 12:20 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 13:37 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 13:30 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 12:18 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 11:20 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 10:12 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 09:16 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 08:12 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 07:16 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Vientiane: at 16:18 and 16:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Vientiane compared with other cities
The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Savannakhet (277 km), prays towards 285.7°, a difference of 1.1°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Laos.
Qibla in cities near Vientiane
- Savannakhet285.7° · 277 km
Qibla in Vientiane: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Vientiane?
It is 284.6° from true north, which is west: 14.6° north of west.
How far is Vientiane from Mecca?
6,540 km in a straight line over the globe, and 6,516 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Vientiane?
On 79 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Vientiane not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 273.3°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Vientiane at 284.6°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 284.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.