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Welcome to Vientiane
Chosen as the capital after Laos was established as a French protectorate in the late 19th century, Vientiane, pronounced "Wieng Chan" ("Sandalwood City"), is still the capital of Laos today. Situated on a bend in the Mekong River, Vientiane is the country's hub for travel to the rest of the country and an important junction for trade.
If you really want to experience Vientiane though, why not Stay Another Day (or two) and visit some of the following organisations that will not only enhance your stay, but will also help the local destination.
Big Brother Mouse
Big Brother Mouse is a new project that publishes books that make it fun and easy to learn to read. Today, few books are available in Laos, and they rarely reach the villages where most people live. Most children, especially in the countryside, have never read a book except for a few school textbooks, and some have not even read those. Few Lao people think that reading could be enjoyable, add to their knowledge, or improve their quality of life.
Caruso Lao
The timeless skills of Caruso Lao's carvers, turners, silversmiths and weavers transform the natural treasures of Laos into exquisite, handcrafted furnishings and fashion accessories with an international aesthetic. Every piece in this sumptuous, high quality collection of Lao silk brocades and ikats, wood and silver is an individual work of art created by Lao artisans and many took months to complete.
Ekkalak Lao Gallery
The Ekkalak Lao Gallery in Vientiane markets the work of several associations of Lao artisans, promoting local handicrafts from over 30 different producers, mostly members of the Lao Handicrafts Association.
LDWDC
The Lao Disabled Women's Development Center was established in 2002 to provide disabled women in Laos with the support, knowledge and skills they need to be self-sufficient, productive members of the community. Located 20kms from Vientiane, past the Friendship Bridge on the way to Buddha Park, we are one of the few vocational training centers that welcome young women with a disability. Before our Center was established no training institution in Laos considered the specific needs of disabled women.
Tam Lay Lao
Tam Lay Lao is a self financed Laotian Textile Company. Our Vientiane workshops develop 100% silk and cotton products, mixing traditional expertise and creativity with special attention brought to the finish. Created in 2004, Tam Lay Lao was formerly an association based in Luang Prabang.
Laha Sinh
For centuries, the Pouthai women of Savannakhet Province in southern Laos have woven fabrics using natural dyes and fibers from their surrounding environment. Phouthai people, who live along the Xepon River, are now famous for the quality of their hand woven, organically-grown, indigo-coloured cotton fabric. Through the work of the Lahasinh Company, these beautiful textiles are now being marketed to the world under the Laha label.
Rugby in schools
Rugby has come a long way in the Lao PDR since it was reborn in the late 1990's. The Lao Rugby Federation now has associate International Rugby Board (IRB) Status, full membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) and most importantly, has been recognised by the National Sports Committee of the Lao PDR since May 2004.
Vientiane Orchids
Our aim is to grow, market and export Lao orchids legally cultivated in order to participate in their conservation through various incentive projects that will promote and assist the orchids conservation. We are taking part in the fight against the poaching and the illegal orchid's trade by offering the poachers an alternative - through legal and sustainable orchid production and export.
Mulberries
Mulberries is a not-for-profit company that seeks to create income generating opportunities for Lao people in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Our company, in partnership with over 200 village families, specializes in the production of naturally-dyed, handmade Lao silk. We foster traditional silkworm rearing, reeling, weaving, and natural dyeing in villages, while providing training, tools and a market for sale and distribution.
Peuan Mit Street Children Project
Peuan Mit meaning ‘close friend' works with street children, their families and communities in Vientiane Province. Our objectives are to reintegrate street children back into Lao society and to prevent others from becoming street children. Run by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, in cooperation with the NGO Friends-International, it is currently the only project working with street children in Lao PDR. It works with up to 1,000 street and at risk children per month.
Kopnoi
Kōpnoï, taken from the Lao language, means ‘little frog', a universal symbol for balance in the environment. It is also the name of our Export Promotion Center, a beautiful boutique-gallery, located in the village of Ban Aphay in Luang Prabang, near L'Etranger, Books & Tea. Our mission is to promote the best that Laos has to offer, both locally and internationally.
COPE
In Laos, if you need an artificial limb (prosthesis), a limb support device (an orthosis), a walking aid or a wheelchair, you go to COPE (Co-operative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE is currently the main source of these devices in the country and serves those injured by unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as in traffic and other accidents.
AAR
The Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR) is a non-government organization providing emergency aid, assistance and support to people with disabilities. Since 2000, we have been working with the National Rehabilitation Center's Wheelchair Workshop to improve their productivity in manufacturing wheelchairs and tricycles.
Mines Advisory Group
MAG, a co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, is a humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of local communities worldwide. MAG currently works in 11 countries around the world and has been clearing UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) in Lao PDR since 1994. Our UXO Visitor Information Centre on the Mekong River in Vientaine provides visitors with the complete UXO story.
Lao Mountain Coffee
We are a small roasting company focused on providing the highest quality beans that are uniquely blended and freshly roasted. We have the great privilege of using only Lao grown beans from the Bolaven Plateau in the South, a fertile, high elevation volcanic terrain perfect for specialty coffee. All of our coffee beans come from elevations between 1,000m and 1,300m.
Les Artisans Lao
Les Artisans Lao provides apprenticeships in the production of original handicrafts made from recycled wood or non-timber forest products such as coconut and bamboo. Our goals are to promote contemporary handicraft design using materials and technologies appropriate for the local context and promote recycling and use of renewable materials.
Lao Magic Carpets
Carpet making is one of the oldest known crafts. Its roots lie in the heart of Central Asia where it developed and flourished before reaching its peak in quality in the 16th and 17th centuries. Magic Lao Carpets was set-up to introduce carpet weaving to Laos, where there is an established tradition of weaving intricate textiles. Through the skilful hands of local weavers and the use of local silk, the ancient craft of carpet weaving is taking a new direction in Laos.
Camacrafts
CAMACRAFTS is a non-profit, self-help project which markets handicrafts made by Lao artisans. We strive to provide a sustainable method of income for village women that would otherwise be unavailable. Our products are entirely handmade using traditional patterns and techniques, which helps preserve the traditional needlework skills of Hmong and Lao women such as appliqué, cross stitch, embroidery and batik.
Lao Cotton State Enterprise
Established in 1984 by the Lao Government and the United Nations Development Program to help women to capitalize on their traditional weaving skills, our goal is create job opportunities for Lao women and improve their well being. Since 1996, we have operated as an independent business, organizing ten women's weaving groups providing 200 looms throughout Laos.