Vientiane

Vientiane is a landlocked capital, and the sea is a long way off in every direction. The Mekong runs right past the city, but it is brown, fast and shallow in the dry season, and nobody swims in it. Swimming means a hotel pool or one of the few public pools. Some visitors cool off in the river and lagoons around Vang Vieng, but this is not a place to come for the water.

Lao food is the reason to eat here: sticky rice eaten by hand from woven baskets, larb of minced meat with toasted rice and herbs, fiery green papaya salad pounded with fermented fish sauce, grilled river fish and sour sausage. The French years left a real bread culture, so baguette sandwiches stuffed with pâté and herbs are a breakfast staple. Strong coffee from the southern Bolaven Plateau is everywhere.

Evenings are best along the Mekong, where grill stalls and plastic tables fill the riverbank and Beerlao is the drink of choice. The morning markets show the produce and snacks locals live on. The range beyond Lao, Thai, Vietnamese and simple French cooking is limited, and fine dining is a short list.

Vientiane's sights are a handful of temples and monuments that can be seen in a day or two at an easy pace. The gilded stupa of Pha That Luang is the national symbol, Wat Si Saket keeps its cloister walls lined with thousands of small Buddha images, and Haw Phra Kaew across the road is a former royal temple turned museum. Patuxai, a concrete victory arch, gives a view down the main avenue.

The COPE visitor centre tells the sobering story of unexploded ordnance in Laos, and Buddha Park, a riverside garden of eccentric concrete sculptures some 25km out of town, is the most memorable visit. The colonial shophouses and villas add charm, but there is no great museum and no large historic quarter.

Evenings in Vientiane revolve around Beerlao at riverside tables, a few backpacker and expat bars near the Mekong, and a small number of clubs where young locals dance to Lao and Thai pop. Closing times are early by regional standards, and the city is mostly asleep around midnight. It suits a relaxed drink at sunset over the river, not a night out.

The city sits on a flat plain beside the Mekong, and the riverside promenade, with sunsets over Thailand on the far bank, is its main green space. The real outdoors lies to the north. Vang Vieng, about an hour by train, is set among limestone karst peaks with caves, rock climbing, kayaking, tubing and hot-air balloon flights over the river.

Closer in, Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area has forest trails and waterfalls, and the Nam Ngum reservoir is dotted with wooded islands. Cycling the quiet lanes and rice fields on the city's edge is easy in the cool, dry months. From May to October heavy rain and the hot season before it limit how much a visitor wants to do.

The high-speed railway north is what makes day trips from Vientiane work. Luang Prabang, the royal town of gilded temples, saffron-robed monks and French villas on a peninsula in the Mekong, is about two hours away by train. It deserves a night or two, but an early departure makes a long day there possible. Vang Vieng, about an hour by train, is a small riverside town that is easy to see in a day.

Across the Friendship Bridge, the Thai town of Nong Khai has a pleasant riverfront promenade and Sala Keoku, a surreal garden of towering concrete sculptures, and Udon Thani lies about an hour beyond it. After these the choice thins quickly, and the border crossing adds time to any day spent in Thailand.

Lao culture is warm towards children and the city is calm and unthreatening, which helps. But there is very little made for them: a small water park, the riverside playground areas and Buddha Park, whose giant statues tend to delight children, are about the extent of it. Heat, uneven or missing pavements and tuk-tuk travel make days tiring with small ones, and a hotel with a pool becomes important.

The centre is small, and the temples, riverfront, markets and most guesthouses lie within a few blocks of one another, so much can be done on foot, heat allowing. Pavements are patchy and often taken over by parked motorbikes. There is no metro and the city buses are of little use to visitors, so outlying sights such as Pha That Luang or Buddha Park mean a tuk-tuk, a ride-hailing car or a rented bicycle or scooter. Traffic is light for an Asian capital, and cycling the flat streets is a pleasant option.

The thing to buy in Vientiane is textiles. Lao silk and cotton, handwoven in patterns that differ from one ethnic group to another, are sold in small galleries and weaving shops around the centre, along with traditional sinh skirts. Talat Sao, the morning market, mixes fabrics, gold and everyday goods, and the riverside night market fills with stalls of clothing, crafts and souvenirs. Beyond crafts and textiles there is little of interest: modern malls are modest and international fashion is scarce.

Vientiane is one of the cheapest capitals a traveller can visit. Simple guesthouses and comfortable mid-range hotels cost little, a bowl of noodle soup or a market meal is very cheap, and Beerlao, massages and tuk-tuk rides stay easy on the budget. Costs rise with imported wine, Western-style restaurants and the more polished hotels, and tuk-tuk fares for visitors need agreeing before setting off, but a stay here stretches a long way.

Performing arts are a small part of a stay. Evening shows of traditional Lao dance and music, with the khaen bamboo mouth organ, are staged for visitors, and a few bars put on live bands playing covers and Lao pop. Temple festivals bring music and dancing on the right dates. There is no opera, no orchestra season and no theatre a foreign visitor can follow.

Vientiane has a real bathing tradition of its own: the Lao herbal sauna, wooden steam rooms filled with vapour from lemongrass, tamarind and other leaves, often run beside temples such as Wat Sok Pa Luang, followed by herbal tea and a massage. Massage shops offering Lao and foot massage line the central streets at modest prices, and a few hotels have proper spas.

Just as important is the pace. This is among the quietest capitals in Asia, where days slide by over strong coffee, temple visits and an evening walk along the Mekong. The hot season and the rains can be draining, and luxury spa resorts are few.