It was first mentioned in a document which dates back to 1385, when the city was visited by two German pilgrims who were returning from Jerusalem and stopped for a few days in a town they called Russenart.

[citation needed] The city is situated in the middle of the Wallachian Plain, on the banks of the Vedea River and its right tributary, the Bratcov.

It neighbors the following communes: Măldăeni to the west, Peretu and Troianul to the south, Vedea and Drăgănești de Vede to the east, and Scrioaștea to the north.

Roșiorii de Vede is traversed by the national road DN6, which links Bucharest, 121 km (75 mi) to the east, to the Banat region in western Romania.

The Roșiorii de Vede train station serves the CFR Line 900, with service towards Costești, Turnu Măgurele, and Alexandria–Zimnicea.