Hmong textiles
Bright embroidery.
Ekrem Canli — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ekrem Canli — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ekrem Canli — CC BY-SA 4.0
Every evening the main street in front of the Royal Palace closes to cars, long rows of red and blue tents go up on the tarmac, and it turns into a quiet night market, one of the loveliest and gentlest in Asia, with no noise and no pushy sellers. Vendors sit on the ground among their handmade goods: brightly embroidered Hmong textiles, woven silk scarves, glowing paper lanterns, silverwork, bags, shoes and notebooks of mulberry paper, and Bolaven Plateau coffee. A side alley holds a food market serving Lao favourites: sticky rice, spicy papaya salad, fish grilled with lemongrass, tropical fruit and fresh juices. It is worth asking about ingredients. The market is free, from about 5 to 10 pm, and gentle bargaining is fine. The whole old town of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage site, its temples, wooden houses and colonial buildings set between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers.
Bright embroidery.
Glowing.
Sticky rice.
Sisavangvong Road, in front of the Royal Palace
Mount PhousiA wooded hill about a hundred metres high in the heart of Luang Prabang, crowned4 minutes walk4.2
Royal Palace, Luang PrabangHaw Kham, built in 1904 in the French era for King Sisavang Vong and his family.5 minutes walk3.9
Wat Xieng ThongThe most beautiful and important temple in Laos, built by King Setthathirath in 17 minutes walk4.5Every evening from about 5 to 10 pm, on the main street in front of the Royal Palace.