Sometimes when you're travelling, it's nice to take a break from
visiting the usual tourist fare and to experience the country as
the locals do it. Vientiane's Talat Sao (Morning Market) offers
visitors the chance to do just this - with a bustling market-place
that, despite its name, is open from 7am to 6pm every day. A
wonderful place to do most of your holiday shopping in Laos, the
Morning Market is housed over four floors in two Lao-style
buildings, whose construction was largely paid for by the market
vendors themselves. Although the market mainly caters for the local
population (you can buy electric rice cookers and have your shoes
re-soled here), there are still plenty of authentic Lao products
for tourists to snap up for a bargain. Be on the lookout for
hand-woven fabrics, silver jewellery and local handicrafts. There
are also food stalls located right outside the buildings, allowing
you to refuel between shopping expeditions.
Lao is the official language, but some English and French
are spoken.
The Lao Kip (LAK) is the legal currency unit, currently
available in denominations of 1, 000, 5, 000, 10, 000, 20, 000 and
50, 000 kip. US Dollars, Euros and Thai Baht are also accepted in
many places and are more convenient to carry than large stacks of
the local currency. Banks, hotels, and jewellery shops all offer
currency exchange services. For everyday expenses, carry a mix of
US dollars and kip. For larger items, or when the exchange rate
works in your favour, use US dollars. For local transport, street
food stalls and minor purchases, it is best to use kip. When in
rural areas, ensure you carry a supply of small notes as change can
be hard to come by. Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard
are accepted at most international hotels, many shops and
restaurants, and a few tourist-orientated establishments in Luang
Prabang and Vientiane - but in other parts of the country assume
that only cash is accepted. Travellers cheques can be cashed at
most banks in Vientiane and other major towns. Banks are open
Monday to Friday from 8am to 12pm, and then again from 2pm to 3pm.
In Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse and other major towns, ATMs are
available from which money can be withdrawn. Note that ATMs
distribute only Lao kip, with a maximum of around 1, 000, 000 kip per
transaction.
Open daily from 7am to 6pm