Laos travel guide
Travel guides for Laos — what to see, what to eat, and how to get through immigration. Written and photographed on the ground.
- Pha That Luang in Vientiane: Walking the Golden Stupa on a Cloudy Afternoon at Five O'Clock
Take a tuk-tuk fifteen minutes northeast from downtown Vientiane and the road suddenly widens, with a golden mass rising abruptly beyond a wall. Pha That Luang. The very stupa that…
Vientiane Capital · That Luang - Kyoto-Style Water Drop Mochi Found in the Heart of Vientiane — KYO Cafe & Meal Record
Vientiane is fiercest at two in the afternoon. Shade does nothing to help, and you can feel your shirt clinging to your back. That day, while walking through downtown, it became un…
Vientiane Capital · KYO Cafe & Meal - A French Evening at Le Vendôme in Vientiane, Laos—Record of Three Plates: Pizza, Carbonara, and Salad
On an evening when the breeze from the Mekong River drifted across the street, I stepped into Le Vendôme Restaurant tucked into an alley near Wat Inpeng. Whenever French cuisine co…
Vientiane Capital · Le Vendôme Restaurant - Crowne Plaza Vientiane Restaurant — Tomahawk and Wine, My Most Expensive Evening Dinner in Laos
I never originally planned to spend this much money on dinner in Vientiane, Laos. This is a city where a plate of stir-fried noodles costs around 30,000 kip at the riverside night…
Vientiane Capital · Crowne Plaza - Vientiane Nazim: An Evening Under the Air Conditioner Emptying a Pitcher of Mango Lassi
My fourth day in Vientiane, Laos. After walking along the Mekong in the afternoon with my shirt clinging completely to my back, I decided I absolutely had to sit indoors. I went in…
Vientiane Capital · Nazim - 'Local KFC' in a Vientiane Alley — A Record of Eating Fried Chicken for 18,000 Kip Under a Tree's Shade, Sweating
When you search for KFC in Vientiane, Laos, you'll find that franchise—but there's another place that locals just call "KFC." The sign reads KO-VIENG FRIED CHICKEN in Roman letters…
Vientiane Capital · Khouvieng Boulevard - Pho Zap Main Branch in Vientiane: Beef Pho Noodles Eaten While Sweating at the Courtyard Tables
Whenever pho noodles come up in conversation in Vientiane, Laos, Pho Zap's name eventually surfaces. It's the main branch that's been holding its ground for over a decade, and this…
Vientiane Capital · Pho Zap - Shin Jjamppong with yellow sign on the outskirts of Vientiane, a record of Korean-Chinese cuisine sets eaten in Laos
After spending a few days in Vientiane, Laos, there comes a moment when you tire of noodles and rice. Kao phat and lab are both good, but there's a night when your tongue craves so…
Vientiane Capital · Shin Jjamppong - Khao Poon in front of Lao Plaza in Vientiane, a bowl of morning noodles at Namphou Noodle Shop
The morning after arriving in Vientiane, I crossed the street from the main entrance of the Lao Plaza Hotel and walked a few steps into an alley. What caught my eye before the sign…
Vientiane Capital · Namphou Noodle Shop - Vientiane's Pizza da Roby (PDR Pizza) — Dough Baked by an Italian Owner, and the After-Dinner Drink
I wondered if pizza was worth eating in Vientiane, Laos. After traveling through Southeast Asia dozens of times, I'd learned one thing: the better the local food, the worse the Wes…
Vientiane Capital · Pizza da Roby - Redwood in Vientiane — Singapore and Malaysia Fine Dining Served on a Rotating Turntable, Laksa as the Benchmark
If you're looking for authentic Singapore and Malaysia cuisine in Vientiane, Laos, the search eventually narrows down to one name: Redwood. More precisely, it's a structure where F…
Vientiane Capital · AV Hotel - Poysian Bulgogi Restaurant in Vientiane — A Story of the Sizzling Grill and Its Oil-Infused Sauce I Had in Laos
Whenever I set an evening dinner in Vientiane, Laos, I almost automatically think of Poysian Bulgogee Restaurant. Having traveled across Southeast Asia dozens of times and eaten Th…
Vientiane Capital · Poysian Bulgogi Restaurant