The First Night in Vientiane
The taxi came to a halt in front of the hotel entrance.
As it was nearing midnight local time, the surroundings seemed quiet and deserted.
When the vehicle arrived at the entrance, a bellboy opened the taxi door and greeted me with a single phrase.
“Sabaidee.”
Looking at him as I got out of the taxi, I could see tension in his face and voice.
Was it contagious? Did I become nervous because of him?
In my nervousness, I didn’t see the large automatic door right in front of me when entering the hotel. Instead, I pushed the manual swing door next to it to enter the lobby.
I didn’t realize it even after I was inside, but I figured it out a while later when I saw Chinese tourists entering.
Watching them walk through the large automatic door, I finally noticed its existence.
‘I thought something felt odd… turns out there was an automatic door.’
I headed to the front desk to check in.
There is a two-hour time difference between Korea and Laos.
Vientiane is two hours behind Korea.
Because of this time difference, my biological rhythm was at 2 AM, even though the local time was only 12 AM.
It wasn’t a huge difference, but staying awake at this late hour threw off my daily rhythm, leaving me feeling fatigued.
The flight, the time difference, the unfamiliar land…
These were things that the excitement of travel couldn’t quite overcome.
It felt like I was living a 26-hour day.
Checking in at Crowne Plaza Vientiane
There are many accommodations in Vientiane.
Prices vary, and so do the owners. Among the large hotels, there were some owned by Vietnamese or Chinese companies.
The reason I chose the Crowne Plaza Hotel, despite it being pricier than others, was simple.
The biggest reason was that it is a property of a famous hotel corporation.
Crowne Plaza is part of IHG, a British company that owns 16 brands and over 6,000 hotels and resorts.
Among this group’s hotels, InterContinental and Holiday Inn seem to be the most well-known in Korea.
I wondered if I needed to know all this just to pick a hotel, but I learned these facts naturally while searching here and there.
Even though it is a 5-star hotel, the price is in the low-to-mid $100 (USD) range per night.
This price point would not be easy to find for a 5-star hotel in other countries.
Also, since it was my first time visiting this country, I chose it for safety reasons.
Since this is an unfamiliar place and not exactly a purely relaxing vacation, I thought having a comfortable place to sleep would be helpful.
Jeju Air crews also use this hotel.
I confirmed this when I saw the captain and flight attendants from my flight checking in here after work.
Crowne Plaza Vientiane Check-in Process
It’s the same at any hotel, but this might be helpful if it’s your first time at an overseas hotel.
Arrive at the front desk and state the reservation name.
Hand over your passport.
The hotel staff checks the reservation details.
Then, the staff briefly explains the hotel in English.
You are then given an A4-sized paper.
You record the requested information in each box on this form.
It’s nothing special, so just read it step by step.
They ask if you want to receive hotel news via email, but you can decline.
If you want it, you will be asked to write your email address in one of the sections while filling out the paperwork.
Sharing your email is optional since it’s for promotional purposes.
You also provide a credit card number for the deposit.
This is used if you use the room’s minibar or if there are additional charges.
Of course, if there are no extra charges, nothing will be billed.
The entire check-in process is over.
I received two key cards from the front desk staff.
Now, just follow the bellboy to the room.
The bellboy guided me to the 10th floor, the top floor of the hotel.
After some light small talk in English and a message wishing me a good trip, I was finally able to enter the room.
Crowne Plaza Vientiane offers free Wi-Fi to guests.
How to use Free Wi-Fi
Access the Wi-Fi settings on your mobile phone.
You need to enter an ID and password to use it.
The ID is the guest’s Last Name.
The password is the Room Number.
Deluxe Room (King Bed / Non-Smoking)
The hotel room was a Deluxe Room (King Bed / Non-Smoking) as reserved.
Upon entering, the bathroom and toilet were on the left.
The bed was straight ahead, and there was a closet on the right.
Inside the closet were robes, slippers, an iron, a safe, a hair dryer, and various other items.
Opening the closet nearest to the entrance revealed a safe for storing cash.
Even if you might hope that someone left money behind, such a lucky find is rare.
The probability of a guest leaving money is low, and even if they did, the room has already been cleaned.
Expecting to win the lottery seems more probable.
Now, you have to be careful yourself.
If you store money or valuables in the safe and check out without them, things get complicated.
You would have to contact the hotel to retrieve them, and if you’re unlucky, you might not get them back.
That single mistake could ruin the entire trip.
If you use the safe, you must never forget this fact when checking out.
It’s not a simple mistake like leaving an umbrella behind because the rain stopped.
It might actually be better to carry your money on your person.
Opening the drawer under the safe reveals a hair dryer and a shoehorn.
I opened the second closet.
There were indoor slippers, robes, an ironing board, and an iron.
These are useful facilities if you need to iron clothes urgently.
If you plan to use the hotel pool, change into your swimsuit in the room, put on the robe, and take the elevator to the pool.
If you are the type who likes to collect hotel amenities, you can get two pairs of slippers here.
Although not clearly visible in the photo, there is a bench-height space on the left side of the closet for luggage or a carrier.
The Minibar: Beware of Extra Charges
There is the story of Pandora’s Box in Greek mythology.
They say all the evils of the world came out when the forbidden box was opened, leaving only hope behind.
If you open the minibar and eat everything in sight, the price you pay can be harsh.
If your body is comfortable, your wallet suffers.
I see familiar Pringles Original.
There are also nuts and instant noodles that I’ve never seen before, but I can imagine their taste.
They say Laos is heavily influenced by China and Thailand.
Seeing the water, nuts, and noodles, I felt that was true. Since they are neighboring countries and have more economic power, their products are easily found here.
The food here isn’t bad, and if you are desperate, you can eat it.
However, from a fish’s perspective, it’s like bait.
They are easy solutions right now, but you have to pay the price later.
It won’t be a huge amount of money, but it will be expensive compared to the market price you know.
The packaged goods are paid items, but the individual items are free.
Bottled water is a packaged good, but they don’t charge for it.
Water is free, and various teas and coffee are also free.
The water bottle says Namthip.
I heard it is a water brand produced by Coca-Cola.
It is a brand that rivals the most famous “Tiger Head” brand in Laos.
Wine glasses and mugs are also free to use.
As mentioned earlier, the beverages here are free: coffee, sugar, creamer, green tea, black tea, lemon tea, etc.
These are replenished the next day if consumed.
Even though it’s free, and I feel like drinking everything like crazy, I worry if my stomach will be okay.
Mixing green tea, lemon tea, coffee, and black tea in the stomach all at once… just thinking about it gives me heartburn.
If you are sensitive to caffeine, it might be hard on your body.
I was curious about the instant noodles, which looked expensive compared to their appearance.
It is a beef noodle soup labeled as Halal food.
The manufacturer is listed as JINGHUI. I had never seen the model or heard of the brand before.
If it’s supplied to a hotel, it should be famous, but I couldn’t tell.
Since it was written in Chinese characters, I only assumed it was a Chinese company.
Minibar Open
Opening the minibar door, which I had only heard about, revealed a new world.
Energy drinks, sodas, juices, beer, soju, vodka, and even chilled Snickers bars.
All kinds of drinks and foods that could serve as emergency rations were lined up.
I also saw Beer Lao, the representative beer of Laos.
For reference, Beer Lao is a beer company owned 50:50 by the Lao government and Carlsberg of the UK.
It holds the majority of the market share in Laos and is very popular among locals.
It is also popular with Korean tourists, and many look for Beer Lao even after returning home. It’s not an expensive beer locally, but in Korea, it’s hard to find and expensive.
As additional info, the company that makes Beer Lao also makes bottled water.
It’s the Tiger Head brand mentioned earlier, which is the No. 1 water widely drunk in Laos.
Even Coca-Cola’s Namthip cannot beat Tiger Head.
Beer Lao and Tiger Head are the best beer and water in Laos.
Amenities
Despite concerns about the global environment, it is inconvenient without amenities.
You would have to buy everything.
For travelers who bring their own products, it doesn’t matter, but for others, amenities are convenient.
You can reduce luggage and avoid the hassle of packing separately.
Looking at the amenities here, there were kits by type: Vanity Kit, Shaving Kit, Shower Cap, Dental Kit, etc.
The most used kit during the stay is the Dental Kit.
It contains toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Inside, there is enough toothpaste for about a day and one toothbrush.
I didn’t open the other kits as I didn’t plan to use them.
Next to the mirror, there is a makeup mirror.
You can turn the light on and off on the mirror.
In the photo, the round silver button under the yellow light is the touch switch.
The mirror moves left/right, front/back, and is a magnifying mirror, making it useful for shaving or makeup. It’s surprisingly detailed.
The dial below controls the volume.
It is connected to the TV, allowing you to control the TV volume if you want to listen from the bathroom.
It would have been more useful if it had a Bluetooth function to connect to a phone instead of the TV.
Below that, there is an outlet for electronic devices like hair dryers.
And the very last one is an outlet marked for Electric Shavers Only.
I should listen to instructions; using other devices might cause problems, so I didn’t try plugging anything else into that outlet.
I recall there were also body wash and shampoo at the washbasin.
There was no separate cleansing foam.
It seems they view the face and body as the same area.
The Bathroom
The toilet was clean.
Unlike Korea, the bidet is not built-in.
The shower spray on the right is designed to be used like a bidet.
Whenever I went to a restroom in Laos, there was always a bidet hose like that.
The hotel was no exception.
There seemed to be buttons to select the flush amount.
I pressed both, but the amount of water filling the bowl seemed similar.
I couldn’t take proper photos of the shower booth.
Inside, there is a showerhead and large bottles (about 500ml) of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.
They are pump-style but fixed so guests cannot remove them.
This structure prevents injury from dropping heavy bottles and also prevents theft.
The Bedroom
There was a strip that looked like a traditional Lao pattern, though I’m not sure.
There was a notice on the bed.
Being a Queen size (or King), it was spacious for one person, which was nice.
It’s designed for two, but using it alone felt luxurious.
All lights in the room could be controlled by buttons at the bedside.
A welcome facility for business travelers:
A table, a good chair, and a lamp.
You can use the phone to call the lobby if you need anything.
Looking at the TV remote, it’s Samsung.
I heard Samsung is popular abroad, and seeing it supplied to the hotel, I could feel it.
When you turn on the TV, it greets the guest by name and asks for the menu language.
About 45 channels are available, including international ones.
Was the Korean channel KBS Drama? Anyway, there was a KBS channel.
I recall seeing a drama from about 20 years ago playing. It might have been Full House, but I don’t remember exactly.
Finally, looking at the room entrance, I thought the size was appropriate.
The door on the left cannot be opened, but if it were, it seemed like I would face the next room.
I don’t know if it’s made for emergency escape.
Hopefully, such an occasion won’t arise.
Deepening Night in Vientiane
It was heading towards 1 AM, but I spent time looking around the room.
I needed to sleep for tomorrow’s schedule.
Still curious, I looked outside and saw the hotel pool down below.
The outside temperature was fine for swimming, but I had no desire to swim.
Perhaps because it was late, Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was quiet.
In Korea, there would still be many cars even at 1 AM, so it felt unexpected.
Maybe it’s because the population isn’t large and it was late.
Still, I could see cars passing occasionally.
The place where lights were lined up in the distance is Thailand.
Laos and Thailand share a border across the Mekong River.
It felt strange to see another country right before my eyes without any significant barrier.
Unlike Korea, which is effectively an island nation, I realized once again that most countries can travel abroad via land routes.
Asia is one continent, so if unification had happened, driving to a foreign country wouldn’t have been difficult.
Having checked the room condition and view, I needed to wash up and sleep to prepare for the next day.
I couldn’t delay any longer.
I had to set an alarm before sleeping.
My phone knew this was Vientiane, Laos, but the displayed time didn’t change automatically.
It was frustrating as I needed the alarm set to local time.
The fastest way to fix electronics in this situation is to turn them off and on.
But even after doing that, the time didn’t change and stayed on Korean time.
To make matters worse, the hotel clock at the bedside was pointing to 8:30 AM.
There was no standard time reference.
I grumbled that a 5-star hotel should at least have the room clocks set correctly, but there was nothing I could do.
Eventually, I decided to set the time manually.
I went to iPhone Settings -> General -> Date & Time, turned off “Set Automatically,” and set the time to Vientiane.
Only then did I confirm the correct time, set the alarm, and close my eyes.
- Location: Crowne Plaza Vientiane
- Address: Nongduang Nua Village, 20 Rue Samsenthai, Vientiane 01000 Laos
Morning in Vientiane
It was early May, but Vientiane had already been crossing 40 degrees Celsius the previous week.
The weather forecast predicted a continuous heatwave.
If the days are really this hot, travel becomes uncomfortable.
Thailand, which had brilliant lights last night, looked like an endless plain filled with buildings in the daylight.
In Korea, mountains would definitely be visible, but here, no mountains were in sight.
Furthermore, if it were Korea, it would be rush hour complicated with cars, but the morning in Vientiane started leisurely.
It makes me think that people in Korea really live diligently in a small land.
If you want to cool your head in a relaxed city, Vientiane seems like a not-so-bad choice.
It certainly looks more relaxed than Korea.
I saw a person, possibly a Western tourist, soaking in the pool alone like a boiled chicken.
Even if the weather is hot, getting into the pool from the morning seems impressive.
Passing the hotel hallway to take the elevator, I looked outside from a different spot and saw a different, unfamiliar landscape.
The exotic scenery was more pronounced than at night.
It felt like the scenes from 70s-80s movies set in Southeast Asia remained intact.
It felt like I had traveled back in time or was on a large movie set.
Thinking that even within Asia things can be so different, I started my day.
The Westerner was still in the water.
Another person was swimming with him.
Thinking about continuing the work I do in Korea while abroad made me more nervous.
Language, food, environment—everything is unfamiliar.
Suddenly, travel YouTubers seem amazing anew.
Hotel Lobby
Looking at the attire of Lao people, working women wear Western-style tops.
They wear polo shirts or blouses, but traditional skirts for the bottom.
They dress as shown in the picture.
Although not visible in the photo, men mostly wear suits.
If they work in more comfortable attire, they wear short-sleeved polo shirts with dress pants or just a dress shirt without a jacket.
I checked in frantically at night, but looking around in the morning, even the hotel interior was quiet.
Staying for a few days, I realized I never ran into anyone in the elevator.
I saw someone get off before I got on, but I couldn’t tell if it was because it wasn’t peak season or if there weren’t many guests.
I didn’t wait long for elevators, and the hotel wasn’t crowded.
I saw a vehicle belonging to the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
If I had requested an airport pickup, this vehicle probably would have come.
The cost is $20 (USD).
It would be convenient, but I thought paying nearly three times the taxi fare was a waste, so I didn’t use it.
I asked an acquaintance if this was a standard price in Laos, and they were surprised by the cost.
Leaving the neatly organized hotel behind, I stepped out.
On the road, cars were the majority.
The idea that Southeast Asia is full of motorcycles changed in an instant.
There were motorcycles, but not as many as seen in Vietnam on TV.
The curb separating the sidewalk and roadway was painted alternately in red and white.
Thanks to the Kolao corporation, many Korean vehicles are visible in Laos.
Among the cars, the DAEHAN brand stands out.
This is a private brand of Kolao, a company that became a conglomerate in Laos by importing used Hyundai and Kia cars from Korea.
The chairman of Kolao is a Korean, Oh Se-young, and he is one of the famous people in Laos.
The company mainly produces trucks. According to a 2013 newspaper article, they use the chassis of a Chinese 1-ton truck but use Korean engines and transmissions.
I see Hyundai vehicles, and the car centers have a different atmosphere from Korea.
In Laos, car repair shops were quite common.
Maybe it’s because public transportation isn’t well-developed here.
They say there are city buses, but they are hard to spot, and there is no subway.
So, the demand for personal cars or motorcycles seems high.
With the demand for vehicles, car centers and motorcycle repair shops seem to have increased together.
I used to think of roads filled with motorcycles when thinking of Southeast Asia.
Actually, there weren’t that many in Vientiane, but seeing them was welcoming.
The Chanel logo on the slippers of the person sitting on the back seat was impressive.
Perhaps because there aren’t many traffic lights, I frequently saw scenes where cars would merge or yield based on eye contact and situational awareness.
Come to think of it, I don’t recall seeing many places with traffic lights in downtown Vientiane.
First Coffee in Laos: The Kafe
My acquaintance in Laos explained Lao coffee beans, mentioning that a richer taste than in Korea is a characteristic.
I was told Lao beans are double-roasted, resulting in a nutty flavor rather than acidity.
They gave me an Iced Americano made with Lao beans.
I heard that foreign countries don’t make iced coffee well, but tasting it proved otherwise.
It had a strong taste, as if they added an extra shot compared to Korea.
I couldn’t tell exactly if it was because the beans were strong or if they added more shots, but it was definitely richer than the budget coffee in Korea.
They say Starbucks isn’t the best coffee, but it felt like a Starbucks Tall Iced Americano with an added shot.
Taste is subjective and hard to describe in writing, but to put it simply, it was stronger and had a special flavor compared to Korea.
The best expression is that you have to taste it to know.
It appeared to be coffee from a cafe in Vientiane.
I can see the logo The Kafe.
- Location: The Kafe
- Address: XJ8R+5JF, Kamphengmeuang Rd, Vientiane, Laos
I didn’t visit the store myself, but my acquaintance ordered the coffee for me.
As a side note, when my Lao acquaintance came to Korea, they were amazed and fascinated by the number of cafes.
“Do Koreans drink coffee this often and this much?”
“Why are there so many cafes everywhere?”
They had wonder and curiosity about Koreans’ love for coffee.
Kualao Restaurant
Compared to Lao prices, it is an expensive restaurant, but my acquaintance guided me here for lunch since I came all the way from Korea.
An old car is parked at the entrance, and the building is said to be a restored French colonial building now used as a restaurant.
They say you can see traditional Lao cuisine and performances in the evening, but since it was lunchtime, there were no performances.
Just looking at the photos, it feels like being in Europe.
The neatly arranged entrance seems to welcome customers who pay a high price to taste traditional Lao food.
There were photos on the walls showing the restoration process from its original state to its current look.
Maybe because I watched Hong Kong movies in my childhood, looking at the old photos makes me feel like I’m in Southeast Asia of that era.
I was told the restaurant’s name means “Lao Kitchen / Lao Cuisine.”
The only prior information I had was that former US President Obama, former Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi, and other foreign dignitaries dine here when they visit Laos.
Later, when I searched for information in Korea, I found out that it was selected by the New York Times as one of the places to visit before you die and highly praised by various media.
Since I visited before dying, it feels like I unintentionally completed a quest.
Course Meal
My acquaintance treated me to a full-course meal.
And explained each dish.
The rice served in a bamboo basket looked like hard rice to a Korean eye.
It wasn’t sticky rice, nor was it loose enough to blow away.
The texture was like rice just before it’s undercooked.
In the past, Lao people used to pack rice in bamboo containers like the one in the photo as a lunchbox when going to work.
And when eating, they would mold the rice with their hands like making sushi and dip it into the sauce shown on the left.
The sauce was on the spicy side.
Perhaps because it’s a hot region, many traditional Lao foods are spicy.
Describing the food counter-clockwise: the food wrapped in banana leaf has chicken as the main ingredient.
I don’t know the exact name, but it looked like steamed chicken. However, it was seasoned with unique Lao scents, so thinking of it as Korean steamed chicken would be a mistake.
The food above that is egg.
And there is a stew-like dish with pork and various vegetables.
The name is Or Lam.
It is a dish made with vegetables and meat.
What you see at the 1 o’clock position is minced pork called Laarb.
I know you can choose the main ingredient like pork, beef, chicken, or tofu, but the one I ate was pork-based.
It had a meaning: bringing good luck to a precious guest.
Since they explained the meaning to me, I felt I had to eat this one regardless of whether it suited my taste.
Lastly, there was a soup that tasted similar to soup I’ve had in Korea.
It had a slightly bitter taste, making me wonder if it contained something like sowthistle, but it was a familiar soup that suited my palate.
Although it was definitely a precious meal, I couldn’t enjoy it fully due to the fatigue and tension from the day before.
I would recommend it if you want to challenge yourself with a local diet, but if you are looking for a mild taste, I recommend other options.
Papaya Salad
Tam Mak Hoong (Lao: ຕໍາໝາກຫຸ່ງ) or Tam Som (Lao: ຕຳສົ້ມ)
- Tam: To pound
- Mak Hoong: Papaya
It is eaten as a side dish like Korean Kimchi, and it was spicy.
If I had known more about the food, I would have tried it more actively, but I wasn’t in the condition to try new foods.
Coconut & Dessert
My acquaintance ordered a coconut for me.
Previously, when coconut drinks were released in Korea, people expressed that it tasted like “water used to wash a rag.”
I didn’t know how they knew what rag-water tasted like to say that, but I understood it meant it tasted bad. I thought I should try an original coconut, not a drink.
Being able to drink coconut water locally, I was excited thinking about the coconut water people drank in movies when stranded on a desert island.
To be honest, it was lukewarm, somewhat salty, and had a mysterious, indescribable taste.
It wasn’t at the level of wanting to chug a bowl of it coolly. I drank it through a straw because it was coconut, but it wasn’t the refreshing and cool taste I had imagined.
After the meal, fruits came out as dessert.
Watermelon, Melon, Dragon Fruit.
They were cool, and the sweetness seemed more concentrated than fruits in Korea.
If there really isn’t any food that suits your taste, I think you could fill up on fruit.
The last dessert served looked like warm porridge.
Name: Nam Van Kualao.
It was the signature dessert of this restaurant; it was sweet and appropriately warm.
As expected, desserts should be sweet.
The white porridge appears to be coconut milk.
Inside, there are grains made of rice—simply put, rice cakes.
Eating the sweet white porridge and rice cakes, it was a dessert that fit the palate perfectly, likely having no dislikes among Koreans.
Generally, people think Laos has low prices and you can eat to your heart’s content for a few thousand won.
You can eat that way.
However, at this restaurant, you have to pay at least $10 (USD) per person.
It is considered expensive food in Laos, but I know it’s not a rip-off price level for foreign tourists.
I didn’t pay for the food myself, but reading various reviews, I thought about 20,000 KRW per person would be enough to eat well.
- Location: Kualao Restaurant – [web link]
- Address: 134 Rue Samsenthai, Vientiane, Laos
