Mekong Riverside Night Market & Chao Anouvong Park
ຕະຫຼາດກາງຄືນ
An open-air night market on the Mekong riverbank, with rows of red tents selling handicrafts and snacks. The nearby Chao Anouvong Park is a good spot to watch the sunset and see locals doing aerobics.
Every evening, the stretch of Chao Anouvong Park along the river is closed to traffic, and several hundred red tents form Vientiane's liveliest night market. They sell Lao hand-woven scarves, silver jewelry, T-shirts, wood carvings and assorted small goods, and bargaining is acceptable within reason. In the park stands a bronze statue of King Chao Anouvong, one hand pointing across the river toward Thailand. At sunset the sun sinks behind the far bank of the Mekong, and children's play equipment and a Ferris wheel on the riverbank light up. At both ends of the night market and along nearby Fa Ngum Road, grill and beer stalls serve Lao grilled fish (salt-grilled tilapia), sticky rice, green papaya salad and Beerlao. A newer food night market nearby offers even more snacks. Getting there: it is on the southwest riverside of the old town, about a 10-minute walk from Wat Si Saket. Note: in the dry season the river recedes, exposing large sandbanks. Keep your valuables close when it is crowded, and bargain politely.
Opening hours
Approx. 17:00–22:00
Nearby sights
- Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan
- Wat Inpeng
- Nam Phou Fountain
- Presidential Palace (Haw Kham)
- Wat Si Saket
- That Dam
- Haw Phra Kaew
- Talat Sao (Morning Market)