Ban Phanom

If you like textiles – and who doesn’t, am I right? – then you’ve come to the right place. The night market is full of beautifully woven scarves and clothes, many of them using the traditional Laos indigo dye. Seeing the finished product is cool; seeing them being made is cooler. Ban Phanom is a village only a ten minute tuk tuk ride from town and the whole village’s livelihood revolves around weaving. It used to be the village of choice for the Laos royalty when they wanted the best textiles made. Nowadays you can visit the village, observe the weavers, and maybe even take a crack at the loom. If you’re looking to buy some textiles, you’ll get them much cheaper here than at the night market.