What to do in Vientiane, Laos? Tips + Budget for 2 Days City Tour Less than 100 USD!

DIY 2 DAYS VIENTIANE CITY TOUR

Been living in Vientiane for 4 months now and I can testify that City is truly an amazing one. Unlike other countries nearby, it's simplicity will catch your heart and attention. Vientiane is known for its temples, spicy foods, lao sins (cultural attire) and a lot more that you should try! Anyway, I hope this blog could help you finding places you want to visit in Vientiane! xoxo

Disclaimer: I don't get anything from the restos/ place I will put in this blog. Rest assured, all of these are from my experiences only. :)

WHERE TO GO?

                                                                        DAY 1:

When my Boyfriend from the Philippines (Pete) visited me in Vientiane last September, I started to tour him around the places near our house (I live in Simuang Road with my family). 

1. We started by having our lunch at Kung's Cafe- this is just in front of the Ministry of Health, then there's a sign board there and you can follow it.

We ate Kopyak there (I wasn't able to take a picture tho, cos I didn't plan to make this kind of blog that time. lol). Having able to eat Kopyak many times in Vientiane made me like a pro- so I can tell you which is good! Haha! Anyway, rating the Kopyak there (3/5). Honestly, I didn't like the noodles they used in their Kopyak. They offer many kinds of Lao dishes and you can give those a try. But hey, I super like their designs and the owner is very friendly! Heart heart! <3

2. After eating, we went to Wat Simuang. (This is a superb temple! I had a chance to take a lot of pictures with the statues and stuffs) Note: It's free to come inside the vicinity of the temple but if you like to visit inside the temple itself, make sure to wear a proper attire. 

 

  

Me and Pete 

And of course, the "Take Me With You Pose" lol!

3. After the Wat, we just walked heading to Vientiane Center. It's a mall in Vientiane, you can watch Movies, have some coffee, pizza and stuffs!

4. From Vientiane Center we had tuktuk going to Mekong.

Be careful when bargaining because Tuktuk drivers are smart! If they noticed you aren't Lao, they will let you pay more! But since I can speak some numbers in Lao we paid 30,000kip 3 people to go to Mekong. 

You can say: Ai, pai Mekong. Sam Sip? (Sir, let's go to Mekong. 30,000kip)

I am not a pro in Lao language but I use it daily here. You can bargain less than 30,000kip.

You can also use those words just change the "Mekong" to wherever place you want to go. 

Ex: Ai, pai Vientiane Center / Ai, pai Talatsao

Be sure to ask the price first because they will add much afterwards. Don't let them fool you!

5. Moving on, arriving at Mekong, we went to try some desserts at Aroma Cafe. It's a super cute and lotsa bear place! 

THIS PLACE IS A MUST TRY FOR ME! 

For only 49,000kip (5$/300PHP) you got a big bingsu bowl for sharing and much more!

6. After all desserts and eatings, we went to Walking Street to eat again lol! It's super near the Mekong Night Market and you can walk for about 10 mins from there. In Walking Street there are a lot of food choices, laobeers, barbeques and TAM MEE (Worth a try! Every oneeee should try this! It's the traditional food of Lao people) It costs around 20,000kip.

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Our first City Tour is mainly about eating! But why not? Visiting a foreign country means you should try their traditional foods and experience how spicy it is!

BUDGET FOR THE 1ST DAY: (One Person)

• Kopyak = 15,000 kip
• Tuktuk to Mekong = 10,000 kip each
• Bingsu - 49,000 kip Goof for 2 people = 25,000 kip each
• Tam Mee at Walking Street = 20,000 kip Good for 4 people = 5,000 kip each
• Coconut Shake at Walking Street = 10,000 kip

  First Day Budget: 65,000 kip / 7.8 USD / 397 PHP

 (We also bought some personal items in Mekong Night Market which is not included here because it depends on how much will you spend there)

Not that expensive for 1st day right? The secret is just WALK WALK WALK! If you're too lazy to walk and always hire tuktuk, it will cost you so much! 

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DAY 2: 

We woke up at 8am the next morning and prepared ourselves for the day. We decided to rent a car in Mixay Guest House for 80$ (24 hours use). Since we are 5 people we divided the cost to how many we are. 

I think this is the best way to travel around Vientiane because it's safe, cold, convenient and cheaper than going through a Travel Agency. We are planning to go to Buddha Park (30km away) which we think is better if we use a car instead. But you can also rent a motor bike around Mekong for 80,000 kip (24 hrs use). Renting motorkbike/car/bike is cheaper than hiring a tuktuk!

1. After eating breakfast we went to Patuxay. This is one of the most famous places here in the City. Patuxay is the prettiest and catchiest destination in Vientiane for me.

In Patuxay, you can climb up inside it for 3,000 kip and you can see the view of Vientiane City. There are also shops inside there. Honestly, I found out that Patuxay shops are a lot cheaper than Mekong Night Market. (Yep, you heard me right!)

I bought my Boyfriend 20,000kip Sando inside Patuxay while it's 25,000 kip in Mekong Night Market. Bargaining skills is a must!

2. Then, we went to That Luang (The Golden Stupa).

This pictures are inside the That Luang. We paid for 10,000 kip each. (Quite much) and there's nothing to see inside it. But all in all, it's a fun experience! There are also shops outside that sells cheaper than Mekong Night Market.

3. After That Luang, we had our lunch at Texas Chicken. We ordered Bucket of chicken + rice (Filipinos= rice eaters lol) + Ice cream! (Haven't had a pic cos I'm too hungry hehe).

There are just few Fast-food chains in Vientiane and you'll not have a lot of choice.

4. We went to Buddha Park after our lunch. It's quite far from the City so it took us 30 mins drive. We stayed longer in this place cause there are a lot of statues you can see in there! This place is so peaceful and huge.

You'll pay 5,000kip for the entrance fee

Inside the Park, there are lotsa statues you can take pictures with like these:

You see that mouth opening? You can come inside there (It's kinda creepy cos it's dark and etc. Just try it yourself)

Sample picture of what's inside the Cave

You can also climb up at the top of the cave to see a breathtaking view. The stairs are kinda small and the at the top is slippery so be careful.

You can take good pictures at the top at the cave! It's a very relaxing view!

Since we spent too much time at Buddha Park and we experienced the rush hour traffic jam, we weren't able to see the Wat Sisaket and Hor Phakeo which is also in our list :( Too sad but it's alright, we had so much pictures and had lots of bondings during our ride!

5. During the dinner time, we ate at a Lao Buffet Resto (I don't know the English name guys huhu) but it's around Phonsinuan. It's open until 10pm everyday except Sundays. THIS.IS.WORTH.A.TRY! 

For 50,000kip (6 USD/ 305PHP) you got these and more!!!
I swear! It's worth every single kip you have! 

Happy Fam! :)

BUDGET FOR THE 2ND DAY: (ONE PERSON) 

• Car Rental = 80 USD/ 5 Pax = 16 USD each / 133,000 kip each
• Car Parking Fee (All destinations) = 10,000 kip/ 5 Pax = 2,000 kip each
• Patuxay Fee = 3,000 kip
• Lunch at Texas Chicken = 55,000 kip
• That Luang Fee = 10,000 kip
• Buddha Park Fee = 5,000 kip
• Dinner Buffet = 50,000 kip

 Second Day Budget: 258,000 kip/ 31 USD / 1,576 PHP

                        WHAT MORE SHOULD YOU TRY IN VIENTIANE? (Additional)

• Kopyak
• Papaya Salad 
• Tamahong
• Coconut Shake
• Khouvieng Fried Chicken
• Street Fruits
• Street Foods
• BEER LAO!

           All in all, this experience is a great one for me! I believe that to be able to understand one's culture is to see and explore the country itself! I must say, you should visit Vientiane and add it on your bucket list! This country is simply beautiful!! <3

'Til my Next Adventure!

xoxo
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 - Sham