Vientiane, Laos things to do: Travel tips from expert expat Jen Redden

As a high-school student, Jen Redden traded her home in sleepy Uralla, in NSW's New England region, for a year as an exchange student in southern Thailand. It set her on a course of Asian Studies at university, and she moved to neighbouring Laos 17 years ago, where she works in international development for an NGO.

SEE

The centre of Vientiane, the Lao capital, is really small and easy to navigate; you can walk it in 20 minutes. Little shops, cafes and a few temples are tucked away in the side streets, and there are still a handful of lovely old buildings from the French colonial period. Unfortunately, the older architecture is disappearing as big developers buy up the prime sites. Le Trio sources its sustainably priced coffee from local growers, and serves great coffee. See letriocoffee.com

DO

The Mekong River has a real magic to it. I like to spend time watching life along the river, especially at sunset, when it's cooler and people become more active. Vientiane's riverfront is great for people watching in the late afternoon and early evening; enterprising fitness instructors set up little stages and speakers, people can pay around 50 cents to join in their classes. West of the Mekong River Commission building, food stalls set up on the sidewalk - you can get a Beer Lao for just over a dollar. If you're with friends, the Lao way is to drink beer in a glass with ice – order one bottle at a time and keep topping up your glasses so there's less chance of the beer going warm while it sits on the table. Ice cubes are fine but avoid the shaved ice, which is more likely to be produced under less-than-hygienic conditions.

EAT

A lot of dishes that you think are Thai are actually from Laos, such as papaya salad (som tum in Thai or tum mak hung in Lao) and sticky rice. Larb is also Lao – I love mushroom larb and tofu larb. If you're sitting by the river, order pun pa, barbecued Mekong white fish which comes with salad leaves, herbs, nuts, ginger, chilli, garlic and a spicy sauce. Wrap up a bit of everything in the salad leaves, like a build-your-own spring roll. If you aren't sure what to do, ask the staff to show you how. Do Kha Noi, a 10-minute tuk tuk ride from downtown is a lovely restaurant run by a Lao-British couple serving traditional Lao food. The menu changes daily based on what's in season and what's in the market that morning. They always have a few vegetarian options too. It is good-quality food in a lovely setting for $10 to $20 a person, and try their gin, which they spice with plum, pepper or lemongrass. See facebook.com/DoiKaNoi

DRINK