3 Best Sights in Laos

The night market is a hub of activity---full of colorful local souvenirs and cheap, delicious food---and also a meeting place for locals and tourists. Starting in the late afternoon, Sisavangvong Road is closed to vehicles from the tourist office down to the Royal Palace, and a tented area is set up, thronged with vendors selling lanterns, patterned cushion covers, Lao coffee and tea, hand-stitched bags, and many other local crafts. Side streets are lined with food stalls selling everything from fried chicken to Mekong seaweed and other treats at a fraction of the price you'll pay in a restaurant. It's worth strolling the market just for the atmosphere.

To immerse yourself in Vientiane, visit this indoor bazaar, named for the local morning market that once stood here. Shops within the bright and orderly space sell everything from handwoven fabrics and wooden Buddha figures to electric rice cookers and sneakers. Most vendors cater to locals, but there is plenty to interest travelers: fabric, handicrafts, intricate gold-and-silver work, jewelry, T-shirts, and bags and suitcases, though many products are imported from abroad. Local restaurants and noodle soups are upstairs. It's also worth crossing Nong Bone Road to the Khoua Din market for a look at Vientiane's largest wet market.

Eclipsed by Luang Prabang's night market and these days less tribally oriented than its name might suggest, this covered market has piles of produce and household goods, including textiles and many Chinese-made items.