The Best of Cambodia & Laos

Vientiane’s Street Fare
The busy area of Ban Haysok on the western edge of the town center is Vientiane’s
small Chinatown and an excellent place for an evening stroll and some
great snacks. One-dish meals of rice or noodles, Lao/Chinese desserts, and supersweet
banana pancakes are sold by street vendors. It’s an area that stays up late
for sleepy Vientiane, and its charm is in the clamorous chaos. Don’t miss it.
The many storefronts along riverside Fa Ngum Road are popular gathering
spots for travelers, and across the street, on the riverside, is a row of thatchedroof
eateries serving all the basics. This is a great spot for viewing the Mekong
and neighboring Thailand at sunset.
On the north end of Chou Anou is the Ban Anou night market with vendors
selling steaming bowls of noodles to hungry locals. It is a real urban Lao experience
and can also be quite sociable if you are near a bunch that want to practice
their English, of whom there are often quite a few. It’s open daily from 8pm to
midnight.
Bakery (& 021/215-199), off Nam Phu Fountain Circle, has good fresh bread and is
always packed with travelers. It’s a good place to pick up a foreign newspaper and peoplewatch
on the terrace. The Swedish Pizza & Baking House (Chou Anou; & 021/215-
705) is another tasty European option that also serves decent pizza. Xayoh Café, just
across from the Lao National Culture Hall (& 020/612-051), serves pub grub of all
sorts and is a good place to relax and have a beer or a coffee anytime. For excellent desserts,
including a chocolate and wine sampler, try Le Central (see above).
4 VIENTIANE ATTRACTIONS
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.
Buddha Park Buddha Park is a surreal and fanciful sculpture garden full of Hindu
and Buddhist statues about 24km (15 miles) out of town heading south along the river.
It is a concrete testament to the obsession of Luang Pu, a shamanist priest who conceived
and started building the park in the 1950s. He died in 1996. The statues are captivating,
whether they are snarling, resting, or saving maidens in distress (or carrying them to their
doom—it’s hard to tell). Luang Pu gained a big following before the Communist takeover
with his message combining Hinduism, Buddhism, and mythology into a pluralistic
hodgepodge of beliefs. He moved over the river to Thailand in the mid-’70s where he
carried on with his mission, establishing Wat Khaek in Nong Khai. The huge reclining
Buddha is outstanding; you can climb on its arm for a photo. There is also a large
pumpkin-shaped dome to climb, itself filled with sculptures. The dusty and bumpy bus
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VIENTIANE ATTRACTIONS