Vientiane · Food

The working wet market beside the central bus station, next door to Talat Sao but a different world: produce, grilled skewers, noodle stalls and plastic stools. Best in the morning, cash only, and the cheapest hot meal in the centre.

The Lao baguette sandwich — crisp bread, pâté, pickled carrot and daikon, herbs and chilli sauce — sold from morning carts around Setthathirath Road and the Nam Phou area. The clearest surviving trace of the French on a plate.

Lao cooking in a French colonial villa on Samsenthai Road, with traditional music and dance performances in the evening. Reservations by phone; the most formal Lao meal in the city, and worth one night of it.

A domed metal pan over coals at your table: meat grilled on top, broth and vegetables in the moat around it, eaten in groups over hours. The sindad places cluster along Dongpalane Road, away from the riverfront.