Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
time to get a taste of Lao music is in November during the
That Luang Festival
, when the
nation's best singers and musicians are featured in a string of performances during the two
weeks leading up to the festival.
Institut Français Laos
Lane Xang Ave 021 215764,
if-laos.org
;
map
.
This French cul-
tural centre regularly puts on concerts, film screenings (in French) and
language courses
.
There's a café on site, plus a well-stocked library offering internet access and copies of the
latest French newspapers.
as if you could miss it, is the gargantuan Lao National Cultural Hall. Opened in 2000, the
gilded building houses a giant 1500-seat auditorium and occasionally hosts art exhibitions or
performances by dance troupes and circuses. It's not always clear what will be happening at
the hall until a few days beforehand, so keep your eyes peeled for the adverts that spring up
around town or in the
Vientiane Times
.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Bike tours
Vientiane ByCycle 020 5581 2337,
vientianebycycle.com
.
Set up by Dutch
native and long-term Vientiane resident Aline van der Meulen, this company runs guided bi-
cycle tours through seldom-visited parts of the city. Half- and full-day tours are available
(from 400,000K including water, snacks, bike rental and lunch).
Bowling
Lao Bowling Centre on Khoun Boulom Rd 021 223219.
To hang out with locals
at one of the few places where late-night drinking is possible, try bowling. This place of-
fers a super-retro experience, complete with a 1980s-style scoring system. Each game costs
11,000K (13,000K after 7pm).
Open daily 8am-late.
Cooking classes
Lao Experiences 020 9555 3097,
lao-experiences.com
.
Runs a half-
day “cooking experience” from the
Full Moon Café
on François Ngin Road, with participants
preparing - and then enjoying - their own Lao lunch ($35/person).
Health clubs
Best Western, François Ngin Rd
(80,000K/day, including access to the swim-
ming pool);
Lao Plaza Hotel
, Samsenthai Rd (100,000K/day).
Language courses
Institut Français Laos, Lane Xang Ave 021 215764,
if-laos.org
.
Short-term courses and private tutorials are available, including a fifty-hour introduction to
the Lao language.
Massage and herbal sauna
Ajan Amphone, tucked away behind Wat Chanthabouli on Fa
Ngum Road, offers Lao massage (55,000K/hr; daily noon-9pm) plus a soothing herbal sauna;
slightly classier is Champa Spa (two branches on Pangkham Road; daily 9am-10pm), which
offers an extensive range of massages from 80,000K/hr.