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1. Bor Pen Nyang & Restaurant
- 'No worries' is the laid back mantra at the Bor Pen Nyang. You can put your feet up and relax while you face a great view of the Mekong River.... read more
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2. Le Banneton
- Take a break from Asian cuisine, and slip into this French bakery located in the busy tourist district of Ban Mixay. There is a small terrace outside... read more
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3. Vista Wi-Fi Cafe
- A large patio in front of this cafe makes it a great spot for people watching, passing the hours talking, or dabbling with your computer. An excellent... read more
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4. Centre de Langue Francaise
- Centre de Langue Francaise is the French Cultural Center in Vientiane where one can regularly attend French lectures, seminars, film screenings,... read more
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5. Martini Lounge
- Martini Lounge is a friendly club which attracts a mixed clientele thanks to the eclectic genres of music played here which include 80's classics,... read more
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6. Boun Khoun Khao
- This festival is celebrated in March and is a token of appreciation to the spirit of the land. Otherwise known as the harvest festival, it is celebrated... read more
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7. Magha Puja
- Many years ago on a full moon night, Buddha gave a speech to 1,250 monks. This festival in February is a commemoration of this divine moment. The... read more
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8. Khop Chai Deu Food Garden
- Set amidst plants galore, this spacious establishment caters to all. The food garden serves both international and Lao specialties from an extensive... read more
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9. Hash House Harriers
- Alive and well in Vientiane is the traditional Hash House fun run, which features thrice weekly on the agendas of many expatriates. Combining orienteering,... read more
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10. Xayoh Cafe
- This restaurant-bar looks like something you could class as a London wine bar. Elegantly furbished with solid wooden tables and chairs, brightly... read more
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The Best of NileGuide
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The Lao National Theatre on Manthatulat Road features an interesting performance of traditional music and dancing aimed directly at the tourist market. It plays nightly from December to March. At other times it can be seen in the Lane Xang Hotel. The old "Russian Circus" established in the 1980s is now known as Hong Kanyasin. It performs from time to time in the National Circus venue in the north of town.
There are no raunchy live shows or titillating "cabaret" as in Thailand or the Philippines. Several hotels have night clubs catering to the wealthy local "elite" and foreigners. Beyond that, there are some very popular tightly-packed discos, night clubs and music and karaoke pubs that play a mix of Lao, Thai, Western and other Asian pop music, and where beer is still cheap by any standards.
There's no shortage of places for a quiet beer in Lao. In particular, the Mekong shoreline is packed with near-identical but pleasant bamboo-and-thatch beer gardens offering cold beer and spicy snacks. These are the place to start, and perhaps finish, a Vientiane evening. There are, however, a few more-sophisticated options.
Martini Lounge, just a block from the Mekong, opens at 6 p.m. Movies are shown on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m., while Thursdays are salsa nights, and most Fridays a DJ is spinning an eclectic music mix. Jazzy-Brick, on Thanon Setthathirat near the fountain, is perhaps the classiest and most expensive bar in town. There are two clubs near the Novotel hotel: DTech, in the hotel grounds, and Future, just outside, which plays '80s and '90s songs with a big video screen.
Other clubs worth checking out are Meena on Thadeua Road, which is popular with Lao teenagers and some foreigners who are in the know, and Marina, out on Airport Road, probably the biggest and most ostentatious of Vientiane's nightclubs. It has a diverse crowd and music, and there's a bowling alley next door.
Note that everything is supposed to close down before the start of the curfew, although some clubs stay open until 2 a.m. or later. The extremely popular Don Chan Palace Hotel Nightclub is open until 4 a.m. on weekends.
