Things To Do in Vientiane

Vientiane is a pleasant city to explore on foot or by bicycle, because virtually all the sites are in a fairly compact area. Add to that the fact that the streets are wide and often leafy and there is no shortage of cafes and restaurants to keep refreshed, and a few days pottering among the monuments becomes a pleasure. In a couple of days, you can cover most of the sights and intersperse your explorations with the occasional riverside respite.

Swimming

There are a number of places to cool off and get wet in Vientiane, ranging from the luxurious to the municipal.

The beautiful pool at the Settha Palace charges $9 a day. It is pleasantly surrounded by French colonial architecture and landscaped gardens. The Tai Pan swimming pool and fitness center is open to the public for a slightly cheaper $7.50 a day and the excellent Novotel charges $8 a day.

The large municipal pool on Ky Houng Road (btw. the National Museum and the Lao Plaza Hotel) is open daily from 8am to 7pm. At $1, it is satisfyingly cheap for doing laps, but it's less good for lounging. There is also the newly opened Nong Chan Water Park with huge slides for the kids. It is situated on Khouvieng Boulevard, near the central bus station.

Massage/Sauna

There are excellent massage places all over town ranging from small shop fronts to luxury hotels. The quality is very good indeed.

There is traditional massage and herbal sauna at Wat Sok Pa Luang (Sok Pa Luang Rd.; open daily 1-7pm; sauna 10,000 kip; massage 20,000 kip).

Meditation

There are meditation classes every Saturday led by monks at Wat Sok Pa Luang. They take place between 4 and 5:30pm in the gardens of the wat. The instruction is free and there is a translator to answer your questions.

Golf

The 18-hole Youth Garden Golf Course (Km 14 on Rte. 13 heading south) was the first one in Vientiane. It is not far from the Friendship Bridge. Nonmembers pay $16 on weekdays and slightly more on weekends. This gets you a caddy but not clubs. You have to either bring your own set or arrange a rental. There is also the quiet 9-hole course (Km 6 on Rte. 13 heading south), which hosts expat tournaments although on the weekend it's very quiet.

Bowling

Ten-pin bowling is now a very popular activity in Vientiane and there is a good choice of places to try and clatter the pins.

Lao Bowling Centre -- On the corner of Ky Houng Road and Khou Boulom Road just past the swimming pool is the Lao Bowling Centre near the Novotel. One game costs 10,000 kip per person up until 7pm, and 12,000 kip after that. Shoes are supplied, and socks available for 8,000 kip. The bowling center is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am until midnight. Khun Bulom Rd. tel. 021/218-661.

Vientiane Bowling Centre -- This is at the Lao-ITECC shopping center (about 4km/2 1/2 miles out of town on the northern ring road toward the Friendship Bridge). It's a bit smarter than the one in town, and costs only 6,000 kip a game till 6pm and 10,000 kip after that. Daily 9am-11pm. Chanthaburi District. tel. 021/218-66.

Organized Tours

Most hotels, guesthouses, and local travel agents will be able to organize a city tour or put you in touch with a company that can.

There are many shops in the central district of Vientiane along Setthathirath and Samsenthai, selling a mixture of silks, handicrafts, jewelry, and clothing. They tend to get more upmarket the farther east you get closer to Wat Phu. It is a compact area so it is easy to browse your way along both streets without expending too much energy or shoe leather. We have listed some businesses, but the best thing to do is just wander by and see what takes your fancy. Virtually all sell a similar mixture of Buddha images, silk, clothing, woodcarving, and jewelry.

The other place to shop is the main morning market of Talat Sao. The days when Vientiane yielded bargains of any kind are long, long gone and if you find yourself bargaining be aware that your interlocutor will have a lifetime of daily experience at the sharp end. Keep smiling and don't be worried about walking away if you suspect you're getting ripped off.

Food

Talat Khua Ding, near Talat Sao Bus Station, is the main market for fresh food. If you get the urge to put together your own meal or feast on bread, cheese, and wine on the balcony of your hotel, head to the Phimpone Market (Setthathirath Rd.; open daily 7:30am-9pm) and Phimpone Market 2 (on the corner of Samsenthai and Chanta Khoummane; open daily 8am-8:30pm). They have entirely different owners and Phimpone 2 has less variety and is more expensive. Both sell a range of wines, cheeses, and other fancy delicacies from far away. They also sell practical items such as stationary and shampoo.

Markets

There are a number of covered markets in Vientiane selling everything from handicrafts to car parts. They tend to open early at about 8am and close early at 4pm. By 5pm they are all but deserted.

Handicraft Products of Ethnic Groups -- You'll find this shop beside Talat Sao, the main morning market. They sell handicrafts from all over the country. If you aren't traveling farther afield, this is a good place to discover what is on offer in different regions.

Talat Thong Khan Kham -- This market is north of the center of the city and like Talat Sao covers all the bases in terms of shopping whether it is silks, pottery, or footwear.

Vientiane was long known as a city that was firmly shut by midnight. Although it is still definitely a place that tends to close very early, there are now quite a number of venues where you can drink, dance, or talk until 1am, or even quite a lot later if the police are not in the throes of one of their periodic crackdowns. A lot of the restaurants and bars are indivisible. The Khop Chai Deu is most certainly all things to all men and all women. The Mex Alexia is another place that functions on both the bar and the restaurant level. Sticky Fingers is packed on weekends and is a hybrid bar/restaurant/cocktail lounge fulfilling all functions with a superbly stylish aplomb. In addition there are a few new chic cocktail lounges doing good business. It's also something of an open secret that if you want to be drinking and dancing into the wee hours it is now very feasible, although you will certainly have to know your venues. Also be aware that there is a fair aspect of sleaze among one or two of them with a slightly moth-eaten brigade of weary-looking prostitutes patrolling sadly from one to another like a pack of lost and slightly resentful penguins. They are, however, vastly outnumbered by boisterous backpackers loudly trumpeting legends of wild adventures and the joys of Beer Lao while enjoying British Premier League soccer and comparing iPod playlists.

Lao Traditional Performance

There are daily dance performances at the Lao National Theatre (Nokeo Khoummane Rd. near the junction with Fa Ngum) in high season only. They are about an hour long and include traditional lowland dancing (Lao Loum) in addition to the dance of Laos's other ethnic groups. You can buy a ticket from 5:30pm onward at the theater itself or from a guesthouse or travel agency.

An even better option is the Phatoke Laoderm at the Senglao Hotel (Chou Anou; shows begin at 7:30pm). They have nightly shows with classical and folk dancing accompanied by some fine traditional Lao dishes.