Gorgeous little Luang Prabang in Laos is quite the tourist hot spot these days yet still retains its sleepy Laos charm. The Luang Prabang Night Market is one of the best of its kind in the world and delights tourists with its crafts, trinkets and street food, but every day you’ll see market activity on the streets of Luang Prabang. There are two distinct types of market here and both are fascinating. There’s the night market, which is for tourists, and the food market, which most certainly isn’t. Luang Prabang markets are captivating and diverse at any time of day or night and packed with interesting street food to try while lined with chic little restaurants. Let’s explore.
Starting to set up the night market in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang Night Market
The main road through town closes in the late afternoon as the stallholders start arriving and setting up.
Everything goes a lot quieter as the traffic stops but getting up and down that street, if you’re not interested in shopping, becomes an obstacle course.
Our guest house is just off the night market, right opposite the monastery, a great spot to watch all the action. Which we do, every day. We based ourselves in Laos for 6 weeks and at least 2 weeks we spent in Luang Prabang observing daily life for locals and tourists and checking out local attractions, hotels and restaurants.
We have a lot more Laos content on our site and it’s one of our favourite countries.
The Luang Prabang night market is one of the biggest tourist markets I’ve ever seen, it seems to go on forever and compares well with other big night markets such as Chiang Mai.
My favourite market is still Anjuna, Goa, but this one is really good.
Every night we’ve browsed the stalls, and every night we find something new and interesting.
Comparing this night market to that in Hoi An, Vetnam, another market tourists will know well, Luang Prabang is far less tacky and the crafts are much more authentic and better quality.
Laos produces some beautiful hand-woven fabrics and decorative hand-sewn items, I’d go for those if I were in the market for souvenirs, unfortunately, our packs can’t get any fuller.
There are hundreds of stalls selling hippy trousers, bags, soft toys, beautiful jewellery, artwork and decorative nick knacks along a few more unusual items. The sort of items you could never get past customs even if you wanted to buy them.
This lady was selling everything you shouldn’t buy. She told me these teeth and claws were tiger, I really hope they’re not, but they’re from some unfortunate big cat.
Decorated tortoise shells, tops and bottoms. Another thing not to touch.
Snake, scorpion and gecko wine. You’ll find this all over South East Asia these days. Not very nice for the animals involved.
There is a separate alleyway stuffed with food stalls and buffets every evening during the night market.
I’ve already talked about it in Struggling with Food in Luang Prabang, it’s spectacular to photograph but poor Chef got hit hard by some sort of tummy bug.
There are other, much nicer, spots to eat if you have a dig around, the baguette and smoothy stalls on the main night market street seemed pretty safe and we had no problem with hot street food in the night market area, such as noodle soups and Laos doughnuts.
The Food and Produce Market in Luang Prabang by Day
All the colours and flavours of Asia in one market stall.
This is where the markets in Luang Prabang get really interesting for us, we love our food!
The produce market has just about everything edible that you could imagine. Plus some stuff that you wouldn’t imagine, ever.
There are a lot of farmers and gardeners in the Luang Prabang area, smallholders producing pineapples, blue corn, bananas and pumpkins.
Surplus fruit and veg and any wild foods they can collect go to market.
A handful of chilies a few banana flowers, whatever fish they can catch, a bucket of live frogs, it’s all there.
Stall after stall laid out on the ground, fruit, veg, fish, the odd live chicken or pig. It’s a fascinating place to wander around.
Sometimes you’ll see fishermen carrying huge fish up from the Mekong, they go straight to the market.
Little river crabs, packaged and ready to take away.
Giant wasp grubs. I have no idea what they do with these!
Wandering around the markets is a peek into a way of life. I love it. I haven’t seen ant eggs yet, I’ve heard that Laos is famous for ant egg soup, if we can find it the chef has to try it. So far no sign.
What do you think about the animal parts on sale as souvenirs at Luang Prabang night market? It can’t be illegal here although it’s very much against the rules to take them back to Australia and to most countries. I wonder who buys them?
So where’s your favourite market? I’m really looking forward to the European Christmas markets when we go home in December and I used to work at Port Douglas market, Far North Queensland, it’s a brilliant one, but Asia always wins for me. We loved our time in Laos and Luang Prabang night market was a daily part of our life. Do you have any recommendations for other great night markets?
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
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Really looking forward to getting here in a few months’ time (although I’m already a bit nervous about the food). The animal shells and teeth are horrible, I really have no idea who’d buy them in this day and age – it’s just hideous. We were at the Chiang Mai Sunday night market a couple of days ago, which was our first real taste of Asian food markets so far on this trip; we loved it.
Amy, if you spend a bit more on food you’ll be OK, but this town is not set up for backpacker budgets these days. Please avoid the putrid buffet! Our noodle lady is great, just opposite the monastery, she’s the only one we’ve found without heavily fatty stock, it’s really light. The kids love the Laos donuts, there is a lady on the corner near the road block selling them from the late afternoon and there is a great Indian restaurant ( Nisha’s). We’ve found ourselves spending $20 on breakfast for 4 because the cheaper options are just so yuk! The more expensive cafes are touch and go, too, we recommend the new Indigo cafe/hotel right opposite the baguette ladies for good coffee and eggs ( and internet and cake!), but it costs. We’ve been in Luang Prabang for over 2 weeks now, it’s a lovely place to be, but we’re looking forward to going back to Vang Vieng for some better, cheaper food!
I grew up wandering the marvelous souqs throughout the Middle East, the bright open-air markets all over the Indian sub-continent, the not-to-be-missed markets in Japan, Korea and China and to this day, I just love the sights, smells, colours and tastes and grab every opportunity to wander through no matter where I am. And while all different, globally, big or small, there is a common energy, excitement and vibrancy you don’t find anywhere else……………
I love markets, too. It all looks fabulous. How about our Food Festival in Cowbridge, I think, in October, November. I’m told it’s gained quite a reputation with the ‘Foodies’!
We’ll just miss it Kate, we’re arriving in December! If you have any contacts in tourism, pass them to me please, we’re looking for partnerships and places to promote.
I’m a big market lover! Tourist markets can be fun, but really love the local markets too. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s interesting to wander.
BTW – I think red ant eggs may be out of season now. I’m pretty sure they’re at least a few months out of season up in the northern parts of Thailand where they’re common. That’s a delicacy that I’ve tried but couldn’t really appreciate – though I know a French chef who thinks they’re exquisite!
Oh well there you go! Who would have thought there was an ant eeg season! I guess we’re lucky we hit mushroom season so squarely. Thanks for the heads up James and thanks for commenting.
Nice! Love the crab packaging. Plenty of crabs in the markets here in Cambodia too, baskets full of them. Also lots of bugs, great big stacks of fried spiced bugs. James quite likes them, I’m not brave enough… oh and tarantulas! James says they’re nice, if a bit crunchy
Oh you brought back some memories for me. I remember being in Thailand years ago and wondering what all the “parts” were hanging in the market. Then I thought “what do they do with all of this?”… The answer is, they eat it. I love the spices and colors too. Not sure I would venture into the bottled creatures or insects, but fun to look and wonder.
Awesome market, love it. So many unusual crazy things to see. I love visiting markets, have enjoyed the ones here in Israel but really looking forward to Turkey.
They will eat those wasp grubs, steam it or make some sauce from it 🙂
I just love visiting markets. This one looks like so much fun with lots of unique treasures.
Really looking forward to getting here in a few months’ time (although I’m already a bit nervous about the food). The animal shells and teeth are horrible, I really have no idea who’d buy them in this day and age – it’s just hideous. We were at the Chiang Mai Sunday night market a couple of days ago, which was our first real taste of Asian food markets so far on this trip; we loved it.
Amy, if you spend a bit more on food you’ll be OK, but this town is not set up for backpacker budgets these days. Please avoid the putrid buffet! Our noodle lady is great, just opposite the monastery, she’s the only one we’ve found without heavily fatty stock, it’s really light. The kids love the Laos donuts, there is a lady on the corner near the road block selling them from the late afternoon and there is a great Indian restaurant ( Nisha’s). We’ve found ourselves spending $20 on breakfast for 4 because the cheaper options are just so yuk! The more expensive cafes are touch and go, too, we recommend the new Indigo cafe/hotel right opposite the baguette ladies for good coffee and eggs ( and internet and cake!), but it costs. We’ve been in Luang Prabang for over 2 weeks now, it’s a lovely place to be, but we’re looking forward to going back to Vang Vieng for some better, cheaper food!
I grew up wandering the marvelous souqs throughout the Middle East, the bright open-air markets all over the Indian sub-continent, the not-to-be-missed markets in Japan, Korea and China and to this day, I just love the sights, smells, colours and tastes and grab every opportunity to wander through no matter where I am. And while all different, globally, big or small, there is a common energy, excitement and vibrancy you don’t find anywhere else……………
I love markets, too. It all looks fabulous. How about our Food Festival in Cowbridge, I think, in October, November. I’m told it’s gained quite a reputation with the ‘Foodies’!
We’ll just miss it Kate, we’re arriving in December! If you have any contacts in tourism, pass them to me please, we’re looking for partnerships and places to promote.
Wow! Great photos – they capture the chaos and variety of the markets so well
Don’t think I could come at the wasp grubs for brekkie. Today we had gooseberries instead. YUM
I’m a big market lover! Tourist markets can be fun, but really love the local markets too. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s interesting to wander.
BTW – I think red ant eggs may be out of season now. I’m pretty sure they’re at least a few months out of season up in the northern parts of Thailand where they’re common. That’s a delicacy that I’ve tried but couldn’t really appreciate – though I know a French chef who thinks they’re exquisite!
Oh well there you go! Who would have thought there was an ant eeg season! I guess we’re lucky we hit mushroom season so squarely. Thanks for the heads up James and thanks for commenting.
Nice! Love the crab packaging. Plenty of crabs in the markets here in Cambodia too, baskets full of them. Also lots of bugs, great big stacks of fried spiced bugs. James quite likes them, I’m not brave enough… oh and tarantulas! James says they’re nice, if a bit crunchy
Oh you brought back some memories for me. I remember being in Thailand years ago and wondering what all the “parts” were hanging in the market. Then I thought “what do they do with all of this?”… The answer is, they eat it. I love the spices and colors too. Not sure I would venture into the bottled creatures or insects, but fun to look and wonder.
I avoid the meat section Heidi! I once ran out of a Chinese market sobbing over bunnies. Enough said.
Awesome market, love it. So many unusual crazy things to see. I love visiting markets, have enjoyed the ones here in Israel but really looking forward to Turkey.