Markets and department stores
Talat Sao Mall
Has 3 floors and is the first public building in Vientiane with an indoor parking. At weekends folks from the countryside come and marvel at the escalators which, in one local magazine article, were referred to in English as "electricity ladders", and at the bravery of those who venture onto them. The Mall boasts a few cafés and a thai-style food court. Many vendors are Thais so they expect you to pay in baht, despite the signs urging you to pay in kip, and they also expect you to be typical dumb tourists who'll pay any price and still think it's a bargain. Souvenir t-shirts, 3 for 200 THB. That's fact that Talat Sao Mall is the place for dumped products from Thailand. Almost of products here are mentioned in many newspapers or fake product report sites. Do not buy anything.
Home Ideal
Large one stop shop for assorted products from stationery to housewares, clothing to luggage. Prices are fixed and reasonable.
Talat Sao - Morning Market
a large collection of indoor stalls selling, well, pretty much anything. There are two floors: the first floor sells mostly textiles, electronics, and watches; the second floor has clothing, gold, and jewelery. Depending on the product, you should negotiate, discounts can vary from 10% to 33%.
Handicraft shops
Laha Boutique
Thanon francois ngin: naturally dyed textiles mainly cotton from the south savannakhet.
The Art of Silk
Thanon manthatulat, run by the lao women's union. silk and cotton weavings in both traditional and modern designs.
Kanchana: the Beauty of Lao Silk
Traditional lao silk weavings, hand-woven fabrics, textiles and clothing using natural dyes. just off thanon samsenthai on thanon chantha kumman, the road to that dam.
Look for the "Stay Another Day: Laos" (http://www.stayanotherday.org/) booklet for a guide to non-profit handicraft shops, sustainable manufacturing and other NGO stuff in Vientiane and elsewhere in Laos.
Above all, silk and cotton weavings are for sale in the Morning Market and in many shops along Thanons Setthathirat and Samsenthai, and in several of their side roads. In the Morning Market you should bargain; in the other shops you may try to get a discount but don't count on it. Some of the better shops are:
TShop Lai
Sells oils, shampoos, soaps, etc. made by Les Artisans Lao as well as honey and some nice handicrafts. Les Artisans Lao is a social venture allowing disadvantaged, uneducated and often marginalized people to receive an apprenticeship.
Mulberries Lao Sericulture Company
Thanon nokeo kumman. the sales outlet of a not-for-profit organisation that operates in about five hundred villages in northern laos, seeking to create income generating opportunities. naturally-dyed, handmade lao silk products.
Mixay Boutic
yes, that's how they write it in thanon nokeo kumman with a branch in thanon setthathirat - they have some women weaving fabrics of the shop's own design on the premises, who you are welcome to watch. beautiful wall hangings, not the cheapest in town but well worth the price. also on sale are shirts and skirts, scarves, cushion covers and anything made of textiles.
Supermarkets
Phimphone Minimart
On thanon setthathirat next to joma. opened again after renovations end december 2007, it is no longer merely a "minimart" but almost a full-grown supermarket. this place will surprise you in the amount of western stock it carries, but it is expensive, and the owners must make a nice profit on the exchange rate that they apply. here it pays to pay in kip! a second shop with the same name the owners are related, the shops are not is on thanon samsenthai / corner of thanon chantha kumman. excellent, european-style bread is usually available on setthathirat, though the delivery schedule is a bit erratic.
M-Point Mart
Is a relatively new convenience store chain, with at least five locations in vientiane. much like a 7-11. stop by around 6pm and there will be a thai food cart right in front. has the best pad thai in town. you can choose from pad thai, fried baby mussels, fried rice, mixed seafood platter. price: 15'000 kip per plate.
Riverside Minimart
On thanon fa ngum, the mekong promenade.
City Minimart
On thanon samsenthai opposite wat si muang - maybe the shop with the most extensive range of merchandise in the town, and somewhat cheaper than the shops more in the centre.
Most Supermarkets offer groceries from Europe, wines from all over the world thanks to the low taxation in Laos these are astonishingly low-priced considering the long transport routes; dairy products from Laos itself and Thailand milk, yoghurt, butter and cheese from Europe and New Zealand, and everything else one may need.
V-Shop
On thanon khun bulom netween thanons setthathirat and samsenthai. outside in front is a small express cafã© where they serve some of the best coffee specialties in town lao mountain coffee, shakes, fruit juices, waffles, doughnuts â good for people watching on the edge of the chinese quarter.
Alcohol
Watch out for fake brand name alcohol in Laos.
Vientiane State Import/Export Enterprises
a duty free, state owned liquor store. Limited selection but the cheapest price in town for popular brand name liquor by the bottle. This place is pretty good in terms of product authenticity but nothing is 100% guaranteed.
Bicycle
Chinese bicycles
And mountain bikes can be found in the morning market talat sao and in a few shops in the surrounding streets. prices for a single gear bike start at about us$50, mountainbikes at about us$80. in the tourist belt area, bikes are rented out for 10,000 kips per day as of feb'12.
Top Cycle Zone
the place to go if you want to buy a decent western style bicycle - or spare parts for one.
Books
Monument Books
Offers a good selection of English and French language books and magazines.
Several stores around town, including the Full Moon Cafe, offer book buy/sell/exchange services. Some of the tomes on the shelves look as if they have been on a long, long trip in a back pack, but you can find interesting reading material.
money
Thai baht and US$ are almost universally accepted at stores and restaurants; some places also accept Euros. In some restaurants the bill will state the amount in kip and US$, baht, or Euro or any combination of these. The Government tries to persuade its people to always use only kip, but at the same time its own offices and institutions will gladly accept US$ or even bill their services in US$.