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

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 was people sitting on plastic chairs, their faces buried in bowls of noodles. It was a shop selling khao poon (ເຂົ້າປຽກ), the noodle soup that Laotians eat in the morning—rice noodles served in a thick broth. This shop, listed on Google Maps as Namphou Noodle Shop, was my destination that morning.

Opening hours are the real hurdle

The first thing to mention about this place isn't the taste but the timing. They only serve breakfast, and once the broth runs out, that's the end of the day. I only managed to get a seat on my second try. The first day, I leisurely had coffee and went around eleven, only to find tables being cleaned up. The next morning, I arrived just after eight and found the place packed. The safest bet is to go early in the morning, or at least within breakfast hours. Since exact opening and closing times fluctuate depending on the season and ingredient availability, I recommend checking on the spot.

And there's no air conditioning. There is a fan running, but it can't overcome the humidity of a Vientiane morning. With a steaming bowl of broth in front of you, sweat drips down the back of your neck. If you can't handle that, the hotel breakfast is better; if you can, the sweat is worth it. I went through an entire pack of tissues and still didn't leave any broth.

The broth revealed—thick, with the scent of fried garlic hitting first

The moment the bowl arrives, the aroma of fried garlic hits your nose first. The broth isn't clear stock but starch released from the rice, making it slightly thick. When you stir it with a spoon, fine foam rises to the surface, and pieces of fried garlic float on top, continuously releasing a savory aroma. The green vegetables look fresh from the morning market, with stems still crisp. The first spoonful tastes mild enough to seem bland, but by the second or third spoonful, the garlic oil and meat broth come through from the background.

Mohon Borang Imigresen Digital (LDIF)

When you flip the bottom with chopsticks, white rice noodles come up with it. The noodles are thick and smooth, and they snap when you chew them. It's a texture closer to rice cake than wheat noodles with elasticity. Since the starchy broth clings to the noodles, they drip as you lift them with chopsticks. Meat isn't present in large chunks but hides in pieces throughout the broth. I added a bit of the soy sauce dish on the table to season it, and that was just right for me. If it's your first time, it's better to have a taste without adding anything and then adjust to your preference.

Location—a few minutes' walk from Lao Plaza

It's not hard to find. Using Lao Plaza Hotel as a reference point, it's just a few minutes' walk away, in the block toward Namphou Fountain Square. Among the tourist-crowded avenue's café signs, this shop is actually the inconspicuous one. The map coordinates below are taken from where I was sitting that morning.

Inside the shop, there are just a few white tables pushed together, so if you come alone, you'll end up sitting next to strangers. If that doesn't bother you, it's actually great. Watching what the guy next to you adds to the broth and copying him—that's how you learn in a place like this.

Beverages and payment

Beverages are self-service from the cooler. What I grabbed was a can of Wang Lao Ji (王老吉), a Chinese herbal tea drink with a Lao language ingredient label on it, 310ml. It's easy to mistake it for a Lao national drink, but this is a Cantonese herbal tea beverage that's commonly stocked in Vientiane restaurant and convenience store coolers. With its sweet medicinal herb taste, it unexpectedly paired well for cutting through the garlic oil in the noodles. If you can't handle spicy food, it's better to order plain water separately.

You can pay the owner directly when clearing your bowl. Lao kip cash is standard, and it's convenient for everyone if you prepare change beforehand. I won't list prices here as they vary depending on when you visit—since the kip exchange rate itself fluctuates frequently in this country, even figures from a few months ago don't quite match.

Notes left after the visit

• Breakfast only. Go late and you'll find the door closed or the broth gone.
• No air conditioning. Hot broth + humid morning = sweat. Pack a change of shirt.
• The noodles are submerged. Flip the bottom with chopsticks, mix, and eat.
• Soy sauce and seasonings are on the table. Taste before adding anything.
• Bring small denomination kip bills.

If you haven't decided what to eat for breakfast in Vientiane, this bowl will stay in your memory longer than the hotel buffet's fried eggs. Especially since it's noodles eaten while sweating.