Lined with both market and food stalls, the Night Market is a top attraction in Luang Prabang and is always busy with locals and tourists.
The famous Night Market in UNESCO Heritage listed, Luang Prabang.
Open daily from 5 pm to 11 pm; you will find Luang Prabang's famous night market located alongside Mount Phousi, on Sisavangvong Road in the commercial centre of town,
- Scroll to the bottom for market tips and area map - Lined with both market and food stalls, the Night Market is a top attraction in Luang Prabang and is always busy with locals and tourists.
Like most markets, the wares are varied. Clothing, accessories, weaved towels and carpets, handmade crafts and souvenirs, etc. You will also find Snake whiskey (Snake wine), an alcoholic beverage found throughout Asia that is produced by infusing snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol - *insert horrified look*.
Keep searching, however, and you will find something very unique sold at this market...
Walking through it won't be long before you stumble across market stalls selling spoons, jewellery and other trinkets made from recycled metal collected from the bombs dropped over Laos during 580,000 bombing missions throughout the Vietnam war. If you're anything like me, you will buy these items. Selling re-purposed products is an unconventional way for Lao locals to make money out of something that decimated their country between 1964 and 1973. However, always ask how manufacturers have sourced the metal before making your purchase.
Many children and workers collecting the metal for artisans are being injured or killed, today; 45 years later, by disturbing the many unexploded bombs (UXO's) spread throughout the country. It is crucial you purchase from a vendor selling ethically sourced materials.
When purchasing at a market, unless an item is blindingly a rip-off, I am not a fan of haggling when I travel. I understand some travellers thrive on getting great bargains at markets, and each to their own. Personally, I never buy anything more substantial than fits in my small suitcase, and I don't feel comfortable haggling down the price of small items worth $5-$10 when all it takes is using my eyes to look around the location I am in to see if every cent helps. The market stalls here are the owner's livelihoods and primary source of income. It isn't worth it to me to save $1 when I know that $1 is going towards supporting the workers and feeding their families.
In saying this - I do still love a bargain. Who doesn't? And I bought a tonne of items I didn't even know I needed at the Night Market in Luang Prabang, so of course, included within the list of tips below is also some advice on how to receive the best price possible, without having to haggle (too much).
- Keep scrolling for further information -
LUANG PRABANG NIGHT MARKET TIPS
LUANG PRABANG NIGHT MARKET LOCATION
Sisavangvong Road - between Kitsalat Road and Sisavanvatthana Road.
Main entrance: Kitsalat Road (but you can enter from anywhere along the street). Open 7-days: 5 pm to 11 pm (pack up from 10:30 pm approx).
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