The town was later to become Udon Thani. After a few years of living there, a 7-headed Naga told him he was on the wrong side of the river, so he had a new city built on the east riverbank. Vientiane grew up from there. Unfortunately, the talking snake didn't stick around to help the Lao prince fight off invaders. In 1779, General Phraya Chakri conquered the city and made Vientiane into a vassal of Siam. When a Lao king tried rebelling in 1827, the city was sacked, burned to the ground and abandoned.