The first thing I look for wherever I travel is a good market. In cities across the globe the are the hub of the community a place for socialization, for acquiring life’s necessities and places for making a modest living. City markets are some of the best places to experience local cultures, taste traditional bites and live life like a local albiet for a minute or a morning.

At Vientiane’s Talat Sao it’s easy to spend much longer than a morning, the market buzzing with activity throughout the early hours of the day. Referred to commonly as the Morning Market, the vast space is filled with all life’s daily needs from ingredients to full meals or fabric and housewares. Of the places in Vientiane to visit, this market should rank highly on anyone’s list.

The market is not what is first may seem. A few stalls selling sandwiches to fuel the day greet visitors and it’s easy to think that’s all there is. However, tucked inside a maze of alleys leading up to a large somehow hidden warehouse, hundreds of vendors sell what they can. Though not all the stalls are food related, the ones that are steal the show. If you venture here come hungry and ready to explore, this morning spent at the market will not disappoint.

My morning at the market: