Shopping in Vientiane

NIGHT MARKET

As Laos’ largest bazaar, the Night Market attracts flux of visitors daily. The spot lines up a red straddling row (color of the roofs) near Mekong River and creates fascinating picturesque scene. Herein, visitors can freely enjoy their late promenade, grab and bargain for favorite items, eat up Lao street food culture or soak in the relaxing atmosphere, Southeastern wind and city night lights.
Vendors usually come early to set up their stalls around sunset. Souvenirs, clothes, accessories, paintings and even electronic devices are separately displayed and selected. Furthermore, an array of street-side eating options is visible at every corner as you cannot get      starved or tired after a long shopping session.

Address: Mekong River Bank, Quai Fa Ngum, near Chao Anouvong Park, Vientiane
Opening Hours: 5.00 PM – 10.00 PM
Best Buy: Grilled food, traditional clothes, handbags

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LAO DISABLED WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT CENTER SHOP

LDWDC is a place of great beings, devoted working and quality shopping for any who comes to Laos. This center was built to help the disabled, especially women with disadvantaged abilities. The foundation and the stories out of this center are extremely uplifting and inspiring as they enable the possibilities that can be done with little resources.
Here, you can find lovely handicrafts and gifts with exquisite made and fairly priced to buy. Each of the items, table runners, scarves, napkins, key chains for example, reflects meticulous produce from the makers.

Address: Thadeua Road Hadsayfong District, Vientiane
Phone: +856 20 56 137 282
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri | 9.00 AM – 5.00 PM
Best Buy: Handmade handbags, knitted boxes, woven carpets

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TALAT SAO

Open from early daylight to mid-afternoon, the morning market Talat Sao is a common place for locals and worth-paying-a-visit site for travelers coming to Vientiane. The location combines two distinct shopping experiences in just one medium, where traditional goods and modern retails are stuffed, displayed, mixed and sold really well.
Bargaining here is acceptable. There is great chance that you can find good products, second-hand to freshly polished Buddhism statues, handicrafts, clothes, shoes and accessories on an average budget.

Address: Talat Sao Mall, Lane Xang Avenue, Vientiane
Phone: +856 21 285 001
Opening Hours: 7.00 AM – 5.00 PM
Best Buy: Silverware, Buddhist items, traditional cloths, lacquer furniture

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HOUEY HONG VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER

The founder of the Centre is Ms. Chanthasone Inthavong, a Vientiane native, recently living in Tokyo, Japan. In 1982, she set up Action with Lao Children (ALC), a literacy non-governmental organization, now with offices based in both Japan and Laos. Whilst working, she still actively supports Houey Hong Centre and ALC from faraway, with many exchanges between the two countries. Aiming at sustainable objectives, the center has been striking to revive and widespread the essence of Lao’s traditional crafts, for instance, natural dyeing and traditional weaving. The items for sale are available at their gift shop with reasonable price.

Address: Lane 19, Houey Hong Village, Vientiane
Phone: +856 21 560 006
Opening Hours: 8.00 AM – 4.30 PM
Best Buy: Woven carpets, traditional cloths, dyed scarves

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T’SHOP LAI GALLERY

This gallery might bring you a ware store/ body shop vibe as everything is set up with handmade wooden furniture, from gorgeous tables, symmetric stools to boxed cabinets. The whole area is covered by stylish displays of natural products, body oils, perfumes, organic soaps and charming trinkets with little pieces stuffed inside. All are fair-trade and made from locally sourced ingredients.Venturing upstairs, visitors eventually find wide range of art collection with local artwork on sale lining the walls.

Address: Th In Paeng, Vientiane
Opening Hours: 8.00 AM – 6.00 PM
Best Buy: Paintings, soaps, handmade goods

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ELEGANT BOUTIQUE

Located in the town center, nearby Nam Phou, Elegant Boutique offers guests with quality authentic handmade clothes, well-designed and manufactured by the owner, a professional Lao stylist.
If you are looking for traditional Lao fabrics to make a formal suit for parties or events, Ms Tamong (the owner) will help you with her fascinating fashion taste and insightful talent in designing. In addition, for those who are time-limited, the made-to-measure cloth here is ready to pick up after your half day order!

Address: No. 103, Pangkham Street, Vientiane
Phone: +856 20 55702223
Opening Hours: 9.30 AM – 8.00 PM
Best Buy: Traditional clothes, woven dresses, embroided suits

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SAOBAN

Saoban is a member of PADETC, a Lao NGO that integrates socially sustainable programs in education, agriculture, microfinance, handicrafts, and community leadership. They represent a dynamic and promising new opportunity for preserving ancient crafts and techniques, an important cultural tradition among the diverse ethnic population of Laos.  Saoban’s products come straight from the village, where they are made by hand, using traditional materials and techniques that have been passed on for generations.
Buying from Saoban, you will help provide employment and training for artisans, which also create a stable, sustainable livelihood for rural families and communities.

Address: Chao Anou Road, 97/1 Ban Watchan, Vientiane
Phone: +856 21 241 835
Opening Hours: 1.00 PM – 8.00 PM, closed Sundays
Best Buy: Lao textile items, Hmong clothes, handmade pillows, Cama scarves

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CAROL CASSIDY’S LAO TEXTILES

The Carol Cassidy store is a workshop and gallery specialized in traditional Lao textile weaving with a strong emphasis on patterns and motifs. Using age-old techniques, this American designer works alongside local artisans to produce beautiful pieces of woven art. Items have been displayed in museums across the USA including at The New York Fashion Institute. Her wall hangings are renowned, but with a price tag to match her notoriety.
The studio/atelier/showroom is located in a beautiful old French Colonial house. You can see the weavers working, the dyed silk drying and the finished wall hangings, scarves and pillows etc. There are a range of textiles for interiors and the woven silk scarves make great lightweight gifts for both men and women.

Address: Ban Mixay, Vientiane
Opening Hours:

• Mon – Fri: 8.00 AM – 12.00 PM | 2.00 – 5.00 PM
• Saturday: 8.00 AM – 12.00 PM

Phone: +856 21 212 123
Best Buy: Lao textile dresses, woven scarves, dyed cloths

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Shopping in Luangprabang
Some of the best places to go shopping in Luang Prabang are located in the town centre, where you can purchase authentic handicrafts, art, textiles and jewellery. Many of these items are handmade by Laos’ ethnic groups, whose handicraft skills continue to be practised through the generations.
There are plenty of fair trade shops where you get to contribute towards sustaining local families in rural areas throughout Laos. Luang Prabang’s traditional markets offer fresh produce like meat, vegetables and herbs. From silk scarves and skirts to coffee beans and Lao herbs, check out our list of where to shop and what to buy in Luang Prabang.

Caruso Lao

Caruso Lao offers high quality and handcrafted souvenirs in downtown Luang Prabang. Everything is designed and fashioned together by hand, with products crafted from natural materials such as wood and silk. Caruso Lao’s impressive range includes wooden bowls, decorative Buddha heads, cushions, natural silk shawls, bedspreads, and table runners.

Address: : 60 Sakarine Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos
Opening Hours:Daily from 9 am to 9 pm
Phone:  +856 71 254 574

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Handicraft Night Market

Handicraft Night Market is an outdoor bazaar in central Luang Prabang. You can shop for ethnic embroidered crafts and handmade clothes from 5pm until 10pm. The market has labyrinths of stalls selling all things embroidered, from weaved bags, hill-tribe pants, and hats to Hmong blankets, coin purses and silk scarves.
The Luang Prabang Night Market is one of the town’s largest marketplace. Every evening, you’ll find rows of stalls running from Wat Mai along Sisavangvong Road towards Settathilat Road.
You can explore this market on foot as the streets are closed to motorised vehicles.

Address: Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang, Laos
Opening hours: Daily from 5 pm to 10 pm

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Kopnoi Gallery

Kopnoi Gallery promotes fair trade in Luang Prabang by selling handmade fabrics by local artisans. You’ll also find cotton clothes, silk scarfs, local rice whiskeys, bamboo straws, and Lao coffee beans. One of the best things about shopping in Kopnoi Gallery is that you’ll be able to purchase authentic products while supporting the local economy.

Address: 3 Kingkitsarat Road Luang Phrabang, Laos
Opening hours: Monday–Saturday from 7 am to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm
Phone: +856 71 260 248

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L’Etranger Books and Tea

L’Etranger Books and Tea is a 2-storey wooden café that sells and trades second-hand books in Luang Prabang. Located close to  Nam Khan River, the cafe’s extensive collection spans many languages and subjects, including travel, art, culture, novels, Southeast Asia, and Luang Prabang.
The upper level is a café offering around 70 types of drinks, including tea, coffee, and fruit shakes. The casual setup – low tables, floor cushions, paper lamps – makes for a good spot for relaxing after a day of sightseeing. L’Etranger Books and Tea also hosts free movie nights at 7pm, so head there early as seats are limited.

Address: 3 Th Kingkitsarat, Luang Prabang, Laos
Opening hours: Monday–Saturday from 7 am to 10 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 10 pm
Phone: +856 71 212 880

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Ma Te Sai

Ma Te Sai is a fair-trade shop on the main road, close to the Royal Pavilion in Luang Prabang. It sells ethnic handicrafts, clothes, and souvenirs sourced from rural areas. Most of these items are fashioned out of natural fabric, bamboo, and recycled paper.
There are also herbal teas, coffees, locally made whiskeys, and rice. Ma Te Sai aims to help promote help improve the locals’ quality of life through their crafts – the boutique works with 15 artisan villages and 8 non-profit organisations across the country.

Address: Ban Aphai Luang Prabang, 06000 Laos
Opening hours: Daily from 8.30 am to 8 pm
Phone: +856 71 260 654

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Luang Prabang Morning Market

The Luang Prabang Morning Market is a fascinating place to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the town’s culinary scenes. Here, you will see it all in the open – blood and gore and all, in fact.
Vendors sit on the street, with their vegetables, fruits, meat, spices and other fresh produce laid out on banana leaves. Some of the more exotic items, such as forest rats, silkworms, insects, and snakes, are either chopped up and placed on the ground or caged up, still alive.

Address: Off Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang, Laos
Opening hours: Daily from 5 am to 10 am

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Ock Pop Tok

Ock Pop Tok (meaning ‘East meets West’) is a store selling hand-woven home textiles, cloth bags and scarves. It promotes fair trade and aims to empower local women through their crafts and the development of artistic skills.In doing so, the store offers various textile workshops and classes, as well as a crafts centre for visitors who’d like to watch the artisans at work. There’s also a café overlooking the Mekong River, and 4 theme villas surrounded by a garden.

Address: 125/10 Ban Saylom, Luang Prabang, Laos
Opening hours: Sunday–Friday from 8 am to 8 pm, Saturday from 8 am to 6.30 pm
Phone: +856 71 212 597

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Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre

The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre of Luang Prabang is a museum and resource centre promoting Lao ethnic diversity. The 2-storey heritage building has a number of cultural exhibitions, showcasing traditional arts and lifestyles of Lao ethnic groups.Adopting fair trade and sustainability principles, the museum shop supports over 500 handicrafts producers and their families, with a selection of beaded necklaces, jewellery, embroidered belts, backpacks and children’s accessories.

Address: Kingkitsarath Rd, Ban Khamyong Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang 06000, Laos
Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +856 71 253 364