Laos is famous for its hand-woven silk textiles. You can buy them as fabric or in ready-made wall hangings, accessories, and clothing. Finely crafted silver and ornamental objects are also popular souvenirs. The main shopping streets are Samsenthai and Setthathirat, around the Nam Phu Fountain area and the Morning Market, where you can find the best deals on Lao silks.
Perhaps best known (not just in town but worldwide) is Carol Cassidy: Lao Textiles, off Setthathirat on Nokeo Koummane Road (tel. 021/212-123; www.laotextiles.com). Since 1990, Carol has employed local weavers who create fine contemporary pieces, using traditional Lao motifs as a base. The cool colonial house alone is worth a visit, and be sure to stroll through the busy workshop area where up to 10 weavers work the looms and are happy to chat.
Satri Lao Silk, at 79/4 Setthathirat Rd., has fabrics, clothing, and housewares. Couleur d'Asie, Namphu Square (tel. 021/223-008), has a fine ready-to-wear line. The unusual furniture and artworks displayed at T'shop Lai Gallery, Vat Inpeng Road (tel. 021/223-178), are also worth a visit. And the Mixay Boutic, Ban Mixay (tel. 021/216-592), sells a host of silks, clothing, and souvenirs from its two shops in the town center. You can also watch the looms at work in the weaving studio.
For a unique shopping experience in Vientiane, contact Sandra Yuck at her private studio, Caruso, housed in a charming colonial property west of the hospital on Fa Ngum Road (tel. 021/223-644; www.carusolao.com). Sandra carries a line of ebony wood boxes, trays, and accessories, as well as unique Lao bedspreads.
Monument Books, 124/1 Nokeokumman Rd. (tel. 021/243-708), next door to the Vayakorn Guesthouse, has the best selection of guidebooks, novels, and newspapers. For foreign goods, check out Phimphone Minimart, 110/1 Samsenthai Rd. (tel. 021/216-963), or the AM Minimart, on Lane Xang Avenue, just past the Morning Market.
