Laos Travel Guide

The capital of Laos is booming. Driven by rising foreign investment, plenty of foreign aid workers and more urbane youth, change is coming as quickly as in any city in Asia. However, even with all this dynamism you won’t see words like ‘hustle’ and ‘bustle’ being used to describe Vientiane, which can still mount a strong argument for being the most relaxed capital city on earth.

Vientiane means ‘Sandalwood city’ and is actually pronounced Viang Chan (Viang means ‘city’ or ‘place with walls’ in Lao, Chan means ‘sandalwood’); the French are responsible for the modern transliteration. The combination of tree-lined boulevards and dozens of temples impart an atmosphere of timelessness, while the kaleidoscopic architectural styles reflect its historic influences, from classic Lao through Thai, Chinese, French, US and Soviet.

As Laos continues to open itself to the world, Vientiane is where the struggle between a communist past inevitably more capitalist future is most dramatically played out. Lao bands sing lyrics censored by the government to dancing youths who would look at home in any western bar. The Laos National Museum still has displays glorifying the victory over capitalist foreign imperialists, but across the road another slick restaurant opens in what is becoming one of the best valued dining cities on earth The contrasts are fascinating.

Of course, Vientiane is not only about witnessing change. The 6400 Buddha at Wat Si Saket the religious art of Haw Pha Kaeo, and the lotus-inspired lines of Laos’s gilded national symbol, Pha That Luang, speak of the historical importance of the city. Patuxai and the surreal Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park) may have less artistic merit, but like the city itself, they’re not sort of appeal

Highlights

• Gaze up at the tapered golden stupa of the Pha That Luang, the symbol of Laos nationhood
• Chech out the concrete folly that is Xieng Khuan, the bizarre park full of dozens of giaint Buddist and Hindu sculptures
• Treat yourself to a traditional herbal sauna and massage at Vietinane’s Wat Sok Pa Luang
  Enjoy a night out, Lao-style, at on the rock pub and Marina
• Tube, climb, raft, kayak, cycle or walk through the rivers and imposing limestone karst around Viang Vieng
• Catch a glimpse of wild elephants from the elephant observation tower at the Phu Khao Khuay NPA

When we arrived in Vientiane this time and heard an expat describe the city’s eating as “dollar for the dollar the best in the world”, we thought he’d had one too many happy pizzas. But the more we ate the more we thought that actually, he might be right. The ever-growing number street vendors, beer gardens and restaurants now embrace much of the world’s cuisine, and we can’t think of anywhere with this range  for so little money – it’s hard to argue with US$4 or US$5 for a meal that would probably cost five times as much at home.

Countless simple eateries serving fresh and tasty Laos dishes are complemented by establishment offering food as diverse as French provencale, sushi, Indian fusion and North Korean (with rock ‘n’ roll waitresses direct from Pyongyang!

BAKERIES & DELIS

Scandinavian Bakery
Tel: 215199; Add: Nam Phu Street. Pastries US$0.80-150: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
It sells fresh bread, pies, sandwiches (US$2), real Scandinavian-style pastries, cakes and ice cream. It has indoor and outdoor seating, upstairs room has satellite TV

Croissant d’Or
Tel: 223741. Add: Th Nokeo Khulnman. Meals: US$2-3:
The coffee, sandwiches and fine pastries make this petit French-run cafe a long-time favorite

JoMa Bakery Café
Tel: 215265. Add: Th Setthathirat. Meals US$2-5; Breakfast, lunch & dinner Mon-Sat;
JoMa is the first-choice lunch stop for many expatriate workers in Vientiane, a good place for meetings, delicious pastries, sandwiches, quiche, muesli, fruit, shakes and coffee. Wifi is available for US$2.50 an hour.

Swedish Pizza & Parking House
Tel: 21S705; Add: The Chao Anou Street. Pizza: US$ 3-5
More pizza place than bakery, with some pastries and arguably the best pizzas in Vientiane. Delivery available.

NOODLES, CHINESE & VIETNAMESE

Noodles of all kinds are popular in Vientiane, especially in the unofficial Chinatown area bounded by Th Heng Bonn, Th Chao Anou, Th Khun Bulom and the western end of Th Samsenthai. The basic choice is pho (a rice noodle that’s popular throughout mainland Southeast Asia), mii (traditional Chinese egg noodle) and khào pún  (very thin wheat noodles with a spicy Lao sauce). Pho and mii can be ordered as soup, fried or dry-mixed in a bowl, among other variations.

PVO
Tel:  214444; Add:Th Fa Ngum street. Meals: US$ 0.70 – 1.50 UO, Breakfast, lunch & dinner
The food is as good and cheap as ever, with the spring rolls also a favorite. Motorbikes can be hired here.

Vieng Sawan
Tel: 213990; Add: Th Heng Boun street. Meals: US$1.50-3.0. Lunch & dinner
In the middle of Chinatown, It specializes in niem niuang (barbecued pork meatballs) and many varieties of (spring rolls), usually sold in “sets” (sut) , fresh lettuce leaves, mint, basil, various sauces for dipping, sliced star fruit and green plantain. You can also order slin ja here, thinly sliced pieces of raw beef which customers boil in small cauldrons of coconut juice and eat with dipping sauces, or some of the many varieties of spring roll.

Guangdong Restaunt
Tel: 217364, Add:  Th Chao Anou. Meals: US$ 2 – 4, Lunch & dinner
The menu here resembles a small phone book of mainly southern Chinese dishes.

LAO

Riverfront food and drink vendor
Meal: Dinner
The long stretch of vendors that convenes along the levee beside the Mekong river is a great place to watch the sunset eating grilled chicken), minced sausage mixed with rice, herbs and roasted chillies with a plate of greens on the side) and cheap Beerlao.

Ban Anou Night market
Meal: Dinner
This night market sets up in a small off the north end of Th Chao Anou every afternoon. It’s an encyclopedia of street all fresh and freshly prepared – the locals love it.

Mekong Riverside Restaurant
Tel: 241375. Add: Th Fa Ngum. Meals: US$ 1.50 – 3; Lunch & dinner
Offers a small menu of tasty Lao staples supplement of snacks you won’t find at home; deep – fried underground singer (cricket; US$2.50 ) with your Beerlao, anyone?

BanVilaylac Restaurant
Tel: 222049. Meals: US$ 2-3.50; lunch and dinner
There are all manner of Lao favorites including, roast duck, grilled fish, roast cow tongue. For a classic Lao meal, order the very hot papaya salad), soupy bamboo- shoot salad, sticky rice and draught beer.

Soukvenam Lao food
Tel: 214441. Add:  89/12 Ban Sisaket. Meals: US$2.5-3.5. Lunch and dinner
Specialties include fish soup with ant larvae in season, spicy minced fish salad, among many others.

Douang Deune Restaurant & Wine bar
Tel: 241154. Add: Th Francois Nginn. Meals: US$2.50-5. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Mon – Sat
The tasty Lao, Thai and Vietnamese favorites here are completed bay an attractive traditional setting and welcome French host.

Makphet
Tel: 260587. Meals: US$3-6. Lunch and dinner, Mon- Sat.
 Run by Friends international (www.friends-international.com), this restaurant trains homeless youth to cook and wait tables. The modern Lao cuisine is both interesting and tasty. A shop upstairs sells handicrafts made by underprivileged families.

FRENCH & ITALIAN

Saovaly Restaurant
Tel: 214 940. Add: Th Manhatulat. Meals: 2.5 – 6 USD
The French and Lao food here is wonderful, with subtle flavors and artistic presentation complemented by an attentive but not harassing service, all for very reasonable price.

Le Vendome
Tel:  216 402; Add: Th In Paeng Street. Meals: US$3- 7, lunch, Mon-Sat. dinner daily.
Tucked away in an old house in a quite street behind Wat In Paeng. It’s intimate, romantic ambience and mix of salads, French crusine, wood – fired pizza and pasta make it a good choice

La Gondola
Tel: 264 075. Add: 39 Th Chao Anou. Meals: 5 – 8 USD, lunch Mon – Sat, dinner daily
Reasonably good Italian fare is served up bay the Italian owner in unpretentious surrounds. Warm atmosphere.

Le Belle Epoque
Tel: 217 581. Add: Th Pang Kham. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, 8 – 16 USD
The menu is mainly French but also has Lao component, dishes include braised lamb shank with organic mash potato (US$13.5) and the delicious flat noodles with grilled eggplant and cream sauce (US$5.50)

L’Opera Italian Restaurant
Tel: 215099. Add: Nam Phu Street, 8 – 16 USD. Opening hours: 11.30 am- 2 pm & 6 – 10 pm
It has become something of a Vientiane institution, but that doesn’t make either overly welcoming or great value. The food is pretty good, with pasta (6.50 USD – 7.50 USD)
The French influence is most noticeable around Nam Phu, where you’ll find three small, atmospheric eateries each serving Gallic cuisine.

Restaurant–bar Namphu
Tel: 216248. Add: Nam Phu Street. Meals: 4 – 10 USD, lunch and dinner.
The menu is a mix of French and Asian fare combined with sophisticated service and an extensive wine cellar- the lunch time set menu is great menu.

Restaurant Procencal
Tel: 219 685. Add: Nam Phu Street. Meals: 3 – 10 USD, lunch & dinner.
It serves rustic southern-French-style dishes, though its pastas and oven-baked pizzas are least as good.

INTERNATIONAL

Khop Chai Deu
Tel: 251546. Add: Th Setthathirat. Meals: 2.5 – 8 USD, lunch and dinner.
Well-prepared Lao, Thai, Indian and assorted Western fare, and lively ambience. There’s live music most days.

Full Moon Cafe
Tel: 6 243373. Add: Th Fiancois  Nginn. Meals: US$3-6.50, breakfast, lunch & dinner
Once there the Asian fusion food won’t disappoint. The tapas and ever-changing set menus are forth considering.

Li Ranch
Tel:  413700, Add: Th Phonsay, Meals: 4 – 6 USD
 Run by a French-Lao couple, this big, breezy restaurant northeast of the centre pays homage to the American southwest The heavy wooden furniture and buffalo horns set the scene, and the steaks (USS4.50) and woodfire pizza (US$4.50 to US$6) are worth the trip. 

THAI

Phikun
Tel: 222340. Add:Th Sihom. Meals: 1 – 1.5 USD, breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Thai food is both good and cheap. Dishes vary, but the dozen or so prepared dishes might include the delicious (chicken fried holy basil). They’re served with rice – about 1USD for two dishes, an extra 20c for each English sign reads “Thai Food”.

Linda SathapornRestaurant
Tel: 415355, Add: corner Th Dong Palan & Th Phonsay. Meals: 3-6USD, breakfast, lunch & dinner
Linda Sathaporn’s three plastic folders filled with picture of their varied tasty Thai dishes make if the trip. It’s very popular with Thais, smart service and large portions it’s easy to see why. Seating is inside or in the more pleasant shaded courtyard out back.

IDIAN

Fathima Restaurant
Tel:  219097. Add: Th Fa ngum Street. Meals US$1-2.5; breakfast, lunch & dinner
The food is cheap and many times better than decor. Vegetarian dishes are big draw, the chicken and meat curries are also delicious. Real ice cream is sold outside.

Taj Mahal Restaurant
Tel: 020 5611003. Meals: US$2-4 USD. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, Mon – Sat, dinner Sun.
 It looks like a garage, but the Taj Mahal serves what we think is the best Indian food in Vientiane. The prices are very reasonable and there are plenty of vegetarian dishes.

Rashmi’s Indian Fusion
Tel: 251513, Add: corner of Tha Samsenthai and Tha Pangkham street. Meals: 3-6 USD, lunch, dinner
It was only a matter of time before fusion cuisine arrive in Vientiane, but a mix of Indian and Chinese isn’t quite what we expected. It’s actually better than it sounds and it fusion doesn’t appeal there are more traditional Indian offerings too. Letting Rashmi explain the menu is recommended.

JAPANESE and KOREAN

7 Plus Korean Food
Tel: 415 343, Meals: 2 – 5USD, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Korean food here isn’t bad but coming here is mainly about having a night out style. The beer-garden-type place is huge, and with lots of young Lao and 0.70 USD. Beerlao the atmosphere is always up.

Yulala
Tel: 215 214, Add: Th Heng Boun street. Meals: 2.50 – 4 USD, lunch and dinner Tue – Sun
Run bay young Japanese couple, this restaurant serves tasty, cheap Japanese fusion cuisine in a cool atmosphere-think music bay Bob Dylan. Note there is Shushi or sashimi here.

Pyongyang Restaurant
Tel: 263 118. Add: Th Nongbon. Meals: 5 – 25 USD, lunch and dinner.
Owner by the same people as the Phnom Penh restaurant of the same name, this Pyongyang is even more surreal. Waitress direct from North Korea, trained to sing and dance since childhood, will take your order one minute and step up to the microphone the next to perform perfectly choreographed dance routines and or play electric guitar and drums. It a completes trip

Fujiwara Restaurant
Tel: 222210. Add: Th Luang Prabang. Meals: 6-10 USD, breakfast, lunch, Mon – Sat, dinner daily
Just west of Wat In Paeng, it has an epic menu including all the Japanese favorites and several set meals. Sushi is the specialty and it’s good, but not cheap.

VEGETARIAN

Just for Fun
Tel: 213 642. Add: 51/2 Th Pang Kham. Meals: 1-3USD, breakfast, lunch, dinner Mon – Sat
Offering Thai and Lao cuisine. It also servers Lao coffee and lots of herb teas.

Khouadin Vegetarian
Tel: 215 615. Meals: buffet 1.30 USD, breakfast and lunch
Hidden away behind Talat Sao, this simple restaurant serves pre–cooked but thoroughly recommended vegetarian dishes. Great for a fast, tasty lunch.

SELF-CATERING

Phimphone Market
Add: 96/4 Th Sethathirat. Opening hours: 7.30 – 9 pm.
This restaurant has a wide selection of imported goods, including canned and frozen foods, magazines, personal hygiene and women’s products such as tampons. There more wide upstairs.

Phimphone Market 2
Tel; 214 609. Add: corner Th Samsenthai and Th Chanta Khumman. Opening hours: 8 am – 8.30 pm
This is a smaller branch of the Phimphone Market.

Vientiane is no longer the illicit pleasure it was when Paul Theroux described it, in his 1975 book The Great Railway Bazaar, as a place in which “the brothels are cleaner than the hotels, marijuana is cheaper than pipe tobacco and opium easier to find than a cold glass of beer”. Nowadays, brothels are strictly prohibited, Talat Sao’s marijuana stands have been removed from prominent display and cold Beerlao has definitely replaced opium as the nightly drug of choice. Most of the bars, restaurants and discos close by 11.30pm or midnight.

Vins de France
Tel: 217 700 – Add: 354 Th Samsenthai. Opening hours: 8.30 am – 8 pm, Mon-Sat
Vins de France is one of the best French wine cellars in Southeast Asia. Even if you don’t like wine, it’s worth popping in for a look at a place so completely out of character with its surrounds. If you do like wine, the US$6.90 degustation might be a wise investment.

CAFES

A growing number of cafes serve food and shakes along with a range of Lao and foreign coffees. Several more are listed under Bakeries and Delis in the Eating section

Maison du Café
Tel: 214781; Add:  70 Th Pang Kham. Opening hours: 7 am- 6pm
This welcoming place brews up a dizzying array of coffees (US$1 to US$2) and serves them with fresh sandwiches or baguettes (US$1.50), plus great shakes. There’s plenty af reading matter around and the owner offers a range of tourist services.

Paradice
Tel: 312836; Add: Th Lan Xang. Opening hours: 8am- 8.30 pm Mon-Sat.
In the grounds of the Centre Culturel et de Cooperation Linguistique, this airy, comfortable bar and café is, understandably, popular with Francophone expats and serves cheap coffee (from US$0.30), sandwiches and simple meals.

Delight House of Fruit Shakes
Tel: 212200; Add: Th Samsenthai; Opening hours: 7am – 9pm
One of two places here that make incredible fruit shakes. Understandably popular.

BEER GARDENS

As the sun goes down, the banks of the Mekong River become one long beer garden, with tables and chairs set out under the stars and the “Full Taste of Happiness” (Beerlao) flowing freely – it’s a great way to finish a day. There’s plenty of choice, from the more impromptu vendors lined along the river between PVO and Th Khun Bulom, where it’s more beer than garden, to the more established structures overhanging the water as far west as the original of the species, Sala Sunset Khounta.

Several restaurants, such as 7 Plus Korean Food are also wildly popular local beer gardens. They tend to be found down non-descript side streets and typically involve a big sala (open-sided shelter), lots of staff and large groups of Vientiane youngsters.

Sala Sunset Khounta
Tel: 1251079; Snacks US$ 0.50-1.50. Opening hours: 11 am – 11 pm
At the west end of the dirt road along the riverfront, the “Sunset Bar” is a Vientiane institution. The rustic wooden platform made of old boat timbers has been serving Beerlao at sunset for years, and was the only such bar to survive the government’s riverfront-bar demolition a few years ago. The friendly and enterprising proprietors also offer local food and interesting snacks.

BAR

Bars open and close at a remarkable rate in Vientiane, though the recent trend has been leaning more heavily on the opening side. If you’re looking for something cheaper and more local than the expat bars, look for nondescript bia sot (draught beer) bar plastic jugs of beer on the tables.

Bor Pen Nyang
Tel: 020-7873965. Add: Th Fa Ngum. Opening hours: 10 am – midnight.
The rooftop bar in this four storey building was the place to be when we were researching. And it was easy to see why.  With expansive views over the Mekong, a reliable range of music (if a little Aussie-centric ) decent food and a generally ‘up’ atmosphere, it was a lot of fun. If you want to avoid back packers, however, go elsewhere.

Chicago Bar
Tel: 020-5526452. Add: Th Nokheo Khumman. Opening hours: 7pm – late:
The Chicago is a sort of cocktail-cum-lounge bar a leaning towards jazz and blues. It is fun especially as it tends to stay open at most Vientiane bars. Upstairs is a g cinema with regular events.

Spirit House
Tel: 262530. Add: 105 Th Fa ngum. Opening hours: 7am-midnight
Popular with expats, this classy place in a quiet position of river specializes in cocktails, but also serves tasty tapas and burgers.

Jazzy Brick
Tel: 020-244931. Website: www.jazzybrid.com. Opening hours: 11 am – midnight
It’s ostensibly a cocktails bar, and the cocktails are well mixed, but the prices (US$4 to US$5, or US$2 a small Beerlao) are difficult to justify a town as cheap as Vientiane.

Blue Sky
Tel: 216368. Add: corner Th Setthathirat & Th Chao Anou. Opening hours: 8am-10pm.
Blue Sky is a four- storey backpacker with the seemingly obligatory Hollywood movies on screen. Better is the rooftop bar, which is ideal for sundowners – when it is open.

Sarnio Pub
Tel: 222308 Add: Th Sethathirat. Opening hours: 4 am-11.30 pm.
This dark, smokey dive is good for live sport.

Like everything else, Vientiane’s entertainment scene is picking up as money and politics allows, though the range fairly limited. You could make your way through all of Vientiane’s live music venues and nightclubs in a couple of hours. It would have taken a few years ago. Bowling and cinema are also gaining popularity. By law entertainment venues must close by 11.30 pm, though most push it to about mid night.

CINEMA

Centre culture et de Coopération Linguistique.
 Tel: 215764; www.ambafirance-laos Org/centre, Add: Th Lan Xang, movies US$1; movies screenings 7.30 pm Tue & Thu, 3.30 Sat

Lao ITECC
Tel: 416374, Add: Th t4
This centre includes a cinema that shows a mix of cinematic fare at hard-to-pin-down times.

CIRCUS

National Circus
Hong Kanyailn; Add: Th Thong Khan Kham
Established in the 1980s is now known as Hong Kanyasin. It performs from time to time in the national Circus Venue, in the north of town.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC & DANCING

Laos Traditional Show
Tel: 242978. Add: Th Manthatulaat. Child / adult 4/7 USD still/video camera charge 1/3 USD
The National Theatre has a performance of traditional music and dancing aimed directly at the tourist market, and it’s quite good. It plays nightly, though only tourist season (from November to March). At other times it can be seen in the Lan Xang Hotel

LIVE MUSIC

On the Rock Pub
Add: Th Luang Prabang, 7.30 – midnight
Down land of Luang Prabang. On the rock is quite what was in its intimate old location, but it has still been know to put on a good show. The live music is usually rock, or some variation of.

Music house
Add: Th Fa Ngum. 8 pm – midnight.
The rock until the owners and the house band, had a dose of ‘artistic differences’. It still worths a look.

Wind West
Tel: 020 200777. Add: Th Luang Prabang. Opening hours: 5 – 11 pm
A Western-US-style bar and restaurant, Wing West has in live Lao and Western Rock music most nights – the music usually starts about 10 pm.

NIGHTCLUBS

Vientiane’s few nightclubs are split between big, independent affairs and those attached to a top-end hotel. Music is diverse, with DJs or sometimes live bands playing everything from electrified Lao folk (for Lám wóng circular dancing) to quasi-Westem pop, is usually dominated by the latest Thai hits. Clubbers tend to be younger Lao, though not exclusively so. There is generally no charge to enter, but the Beerlao is more expensive than elsewhere. All up, good Lao-style fun.
Conveniently, three of the better clubs within walking distance of each other on way to the airport.

Future Night-club
Add: Th Lung Prabang. Opening hours: 8 pm – 1am

Highwayman
Add: Th Luang Prabang street, opening hours: 8 am – midnight.

Marina
Tel: 216 978. Add: Th Luang Prabang. Opening hours: 8 pm – 1 am

RECREATION CLUBS

Austalian Embassy Recreation club
Tel: 314921. Add: Km3 Th Tha Deua. Opening hours: 6am – 8.30pm.
About 3 km out of town on the way to Thai-Lao Friend ship bridge, it’s universally known as “Australian club”, best known for its brilliant salt pool, right next to the Mekong River. There is also an air-con squash court (6 am – 8 pm). Short-term membership can be arranged for 10 / 20 USD single/ family per day, you could go as guest member.

Just about anything made in Laos is available for purchase in Vientiane, including hill-tribe crafts, jewellery, traditional textiles and carvings. The main shopping areas in town are Talat Sao (Morning Market), the eastern end of Th Samsenthai (near the Asian Pavilion Hotel), Th Pangkham and along Th Nokeo Khumman.

HANDICRAFTS, ANTIQUES & ART

Several shops along Th Samsenthai, Th Pangkham and Th Setthathirat sell Lao and Thai tribal and hill-tribe crafts. The Lao goods are increasingly complemented by products from Vietnam and Thailand, such as lacquer work and Buddha images. Many of the places listed under Textiles and Clothing (right) also carry handicrafts and antiques.

Handicraft Products of EthnicGroups
Located at Th Khu Vieng, beside the PTT office and opposite Talat Sao, this market style place sells handicrafts from around Laos. The quality is variable, but at the least this is a good place to get an idea what is out there and how much it costs.

Shop Lai Galerie
Tel: 223178. Add: Thin Paeng. Opening hours: 8.30 am-6pm, Mon-Sat.
This beautiful shop is well worth a look if you’re interested in modern and traditional art in a range of media, furniture and interesting handicrafts. The owner is committed to promoting fair trade products.

Carterie du
Tel: 241401- Add: 118/2 Th Setthathiot
 This shop has a wide range of post- cards, cards, posters and books, and a few small souvenirs.

Kanchana Boutique
Tel: 213467. Add: 102 Th Chanta Khumman. Opening hours: 8am-9pm Mon-Sat
 Kanchana carries an extensive selection of Lao silk (the best is out the back) and can arrange visits to their Lao Textile Museum (open 10 am to 4pm).

Satri Lao
Tel: 244384. Add: Th Setthathirat. Opening hours 9am – 8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun
This tastefully presented three-storey shop has an eclectic range of local and imported handicrafts and clothes – from miniskirts and bikinis made from H’mong weavings to lacquer portrait of Ho Chi Minh.

JEWELLERY

Most of the jewellery shops are along Samsenthai and trade primarily in gold and silver. Among the better options:

Sai Gon Bijoux
Tel: 214783. Add: ThSamsenthai, which also repairs jewelley.

Bari Jewellery
Tel: 212680. Add: Th Samsenhai, which deals in precious stones as well.

TEXTILES & CLOTHING

Downtown Vientiane is littered with stores selling textiles to tourists. Th Nokeo Khumman is the epicentre. Talat Sao is also a good place to buy fabrics. You’ll find antique as well as modern fabrics, plus utilitarian items such as shoulder bags (some artfully const around squares of antique fabric), cushions and pillows.

To see Lao weaving in action, seek out the weaving district of Ban Nong Buathong northeast of the town centre in Muang Chanthabuli. About 20 families (many originally trom Sam Neua in Hua Phan Proi live and work here, including a couple of households that sell textiles directly to the public.

The Phang Mat Gallery
Tel: 217341. Add: 117 Nong Buathong. Opening hours: 10 am – 6pm.
This is a white, two-stilt house, and among the best. It’s out past National Circus – most tuk-tuk drivers to it and will charge about US$2 one way.

Carol Cassidy Lao Textiles
Tel: 212123. Add:  84-86 Th Nokeo Khumman. 8 am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat, or by appointment.
Lao Textiles sells high-end contemporary original-design fabrics inspired by older weaving patterns, motifs and technique American designer, Carol Cassidy, employs Lao weavers who work out the back of the attractive old French-Lao house. They internationally known, with prices to match.

Couleur d’Asie
Tel: 223008; Add: Nam phu street
The owner, a French-Vietnamese-dress designer with Paris fashion-school experience, manage to fuse Lao and Western styles into some attractive designs at reasonable prices.

Nikone Hanficrafts
Tel: 212191. 9 am – 5 pm, Mon- Sat.
This is another good place to see weaving and dying in action.

True Colour
Tel: 214 410. Add: Thsatthathirat Street, 9am – 8 pm Mon – Sat.
This store sells textiles and clothes made in the Houey Hong Vocational Training Center for Women.

Other stores worth a look include:

Khampan Lao Handicraft
Tel: 222000, 8 am- 9pm

Camacrafts
Tel: 241217. Website: www.mulberries.org, 10 am – 6pm Mon – Sat.

MARKET

Talet Sao
Add: Th Lan Xang¸ Opening hours: 7am-4pm
Vientiane biggest market is a sprawling collection of stall offering fabrics, ready-made clothes, cutlery, toiletries, bedding, hard- patches, as well as electronic goods and just bout anything else imaginable. In the centre of the area is a large building that houses the Vientiane Department Store. Most houses the Vientiane Department Store. Most of the existing structure was built in the 1960s, but like so much else in Laos Talat Sao is in period of change. A huge new Malaysian-backed market should have opened next door by the time you arrive, bringing ‘modernity’ and homogenizations to Vientiane in equal measure. Exactly how this affects the existing market remains to be seen.

Talat KhuaDin
Add: Th KhuaVteng
East of Talat Sao beyond the bus terminal, this rustic market offer fresh produce and meats, as well as flower, tobacco and assorted other goods.

Talat Thong Khan Kham
Add: corner Th Khan Kham & Th Dong Miang
This market north of the centre is Ban Khan Kham is open all day, but the best in the morning. It’s one of the biggest in Vientiane and has virtually everything, including good food. Nearby are basket and pottery vendors.