'Vientiane' is a French corruption of the Lao ''Viangchan'' , reflecting the difficulty they had with the Lao pronunciation. The name was previously written '' but now usually written ''.  Lao ''viang'' () refers to a 'walled city' whereas ''chan'' (, previously ), derives from Sanskrit ''candana'' (, ), 'sandalwood' and can be translated as the 'walled city of sandalwood'.  Some Laotians mistakenly believe it refers to the 'walled city of the moon' as ''chan'' can also represent 'moon', although this was previously distinguished in writing as ''.  Other romanisations include 'Viangchan' and 'Wiangchan'.