SOS Children's Village Vientiane is situated about 6 km from the centre of the capital, Vientiane, and only 25 km from the border crossing to Thailand. Vientiane lies on the river Mekong, exactly opposite the Thai border town of Nongkhai where SOS established an SOS Children's Village in 1993. In the vicinity of SOS Children's Village Vientiane, there are several primary schools and a market. The children are brought up in the Buddhist tradition of the country.
The SOS Children's Village consists of 14 family homes, accommodation for co-workers and the necessary administrative buildings. There is an SOS Kindergarten where up to 100 children can be taken care of. An SOS Hermann Gmeiner School provides primary and secondary education to up to 470 students. It has 12 classrooms, laboratories, a library, an administration and service area, and a canteen. Both kindergarten and school are attended by children from the SOS Children's Village and from the local community.
Older boys from the SOS Children's Village normally move to the SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, they develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.