Learn Laos before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Lao. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Sticky rice is eaten with the fingers of the right hand: pinch off a small piece, roll it into a ball and use it to pick up food or dip into sauces.
• Dishes are placed in the middle for everyone to share, and the soup is sipped all through the meal rather than served first.
• When you have finished eating, close the lid of your sticky rice basket.
• A good host always cooks far more than the guests can eat. Running out of food would be embarrassing, so do not worry about leaving some.
• Raw herbs and vegetables come with most meals. They cool the mouth when a dish is very hot.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Larb (ລາບ): Finely chopped meat or fish, cooked or sometimes raw, mixed with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli, shallots, a lot of fresh mint and coriander, and toasted ground sticky rice, khao khua, which gives it a nutty crunch. It is served at room temperature with sticky rice and raw vegetables, and is often called the national dish of Laos.
• Tam mak hoong (green papaya salad) (ຕຳໝາກຫຸ່ງ): Shredded unripe green papaya pounded in a deep clay or wooden mortar with garlic, chillies, lime, tomatoes and fish sauce. The Lao version is usually sour, salty and very hot, and is often made with padaek, a pungent fermented fish sauce, and sometimes with small salted crabs.
• Sticky rice (ເຂົ້າໜຽວ (khao niao)): Glutinous rice, soaked for hours and then steamed in a cone-shaped bamboo basket over a pot of boiling water. It is kept warm in a small lidded basket, the tip khao, and eaten with the fingers: you pinch off a little, roll it into a ball and dip it into sauces and dishes.
• Khao piak sen (ເຂົ້າປຽກເສັ້ນ): A thick, comforting noodle soup. Chewy handmade noodles of rice flour and tapioca are cooked straight in a chicken or pork broth flavoured with galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves, so the starch makes the soup silky. It is topped with shredded chicken, fried garlic, spring onions and coriander.
• Khao poon (ເຂົ້າປຸ້ນ): Thin fresh rice noodles in a spicy red broth of pounded chicken, fish or pork, often made rich with coconut milk and flavoured with galangal, lime leaves and chillies. Each bowl is topped with shredded cabbage, banana flower, bean sprouts and fresh herbs.
• Lao khao soi (ເຂົ້າຊອຍ): Wide, flat rice noodles in a clear pork or chicken broth, topped with a rich, spicy sauce of minced pork, tomatoes, garlic and fermented bean paste, and served with a plate of fresh herbs and greens.
• Or lam (ເອາະຫຼາມ): A thick, peppery stew of meat, often buffalo, beef or chicken, with eggplant, wood ear mushrooms, long beans, dill and lemongrass. A little sticky rice thickens the broth, and slices of sakhaan, a local 'chilli wood', make the tongue tingle pleasantly.
• Sai oua (ໄສ້ອົ່ວ): A coarse, juicy pork sausage packed with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, garlic, shallots and chilli, then grilled slowly over charcoal. It is eaten in slices with sticky rice and a chilli dip, or as a snack with a cold beer.

Cities to see

• Vientiane (capital): The golden stupa of Pha That Luang, Patuxai, the Victory Gate, Sunset over the Mekong from the riverside.
• Luang Prabang: Wat Xieng Thong, The morning alms round of the monks, The night market and Mount Phousi at sunset.
• Savannakhet: Colonial old town and the Catholic church of St Therese, Wat Sainyaphum, The Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.
• Pakse: Coffee from the Bolaven Plateau, Trips to Vat Phou, Markets and Mekong river views.
• Thakhek: Colonial buildings around the old square, The limestone caves of Khammouane, The Thakhek Loop, a road trip by motorbike.
• Vang Vieng: Karst scenery along the Nam Song, Kayaking and river tubing, Caves and blue lagoons.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Laos trip