The usually tranquil, temple-lined streets of the landlocked nation's capital Vientiane have been briefly transformed into a hub of global diplomacy for the annual East Asia Summit, on the heels of meetings of the 10-country ASEAN regional bloc.

VIENTIANE, Laos (Reuters) -Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday for a summit expected to seek ways address the worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand calling for heightened engagement ahead of a planned election by the country's embattled military rulers.

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting at an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two challenges that have long tested the bloc's credibility.