01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Vientiane.
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Khao piak sen chicken noodle soup, tam mak hoong papaya salad, ping gai grilled chicken, sticky rice in every basket. The capital eats with the country's northern lean.
04 The pantry
- Padaek, fermented fish sauce that anchors every Lao dish
- Sticky rice, glutinous grain from Lao paddies
- Green papaya, shredded for tam mak hoong
- Bird's-eye chillies, hot in every jeow dip
- Vietnamese coriander, pak phai in salads and soups
05 In the kitchen
- Steaming sticky rice in tall bamboo baskets
- Pounding tam mak hoong papaya salad with padaek and lime
- Grilling ping gai flattened chicken over charcoal
- Simmering khao piak sen tapioca-wheat noodles in chicken broth
- Blending jeow dips of roasted chilli, garlic and shallot
06 Eat this first
- Tam mak hoong, green papaya salad heavier on padaek than the Thai version
- Ping gai, marinated chicken flattened and grilled over charcoal
- Khao piak sen, thick tapioca noodles in chicken broth for breakfast
- Laap, minced meat salad with roasted rice powder and mint
- Nam khao, crispy rice ball salad with fermented pork
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Thin strips of beef marinated in fish sauce, sugar and pepper, air-dried in the sun and finished with a quick deep-fry. Laos's sweet-savoury jerky, always with sticky rice.
Sticky rice packed onto a bamboo skewer, brushed with beaten egg and grilled hot until the outside crisps golden. Laos's morning market snack, sold from carts before sunrise.
Coconut milk, palm sugar and layered tapioca, jelly, banana or jackfruit in a tall glass over ice. The Lao afternoon cooling drink.
Small pairs of steamed coconut-and-sticky-rice cakes sandwiched together and wrapped in banana leaf. Luang Prabang's tea-time sweet, softly sweet and softly perfumed.
Chewy hand-cut tapioca-and-rice noodles simmered in a clear ginger-chicken broth, topped with poached chicken, fried garlic and fresh herbs. Laos's daily breakfast.
Steam-set rice noodle rolls filled with pork and wood-ear mushroom, served with sliced grilled sausage and fresh herbs. Luang Prabang morning market's Vietnamese-Lao crossover.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Vientiane.
Weather
Tropical — hot and humid year-round, cooler and drier November to February, hottest March to May (35°C-plus), and rainy June to October.
Currency
The Lao kip (LAK); Thai baht and US dollars widely accepted. Cash almost everywhere; cards in upscale hotels only.
Language
Lao; French among some older locals; English coverage is modest in tourism.
Etiquette
Cover shoulders and knees at temples and Pha That Luang. Vientiane is quiet and relaxed — a slower rhythm than the Southeast Asian capitals.
Getting around
The centre is walkable; tuk-tuks and Loca (local ride app) cover the wider city. Bicycle rental is common. The high-speed train to China departs from here.
Prayer
Predominantly Theravada Buddhist — Pha That Luang and Wat Sisaket are the spiritual landmarks. Small Christian and Bahá'í communities too.