The morning (“wet”) market in Luang Prabang is a busy and interesting place to visit. It’s a market aimed at providing goods to local residents, especially fresh produce, but features meat and quick meals (street food) as well. This contrasts with the city’s night market which focuses on souvenirs and food kiosks.
The market is located in the heart of Luang Probang’s UNESCO recognized old town, not far from the old Royal Palace (now the National Museum). The market is crowded into narrow lanes and alleys and was very busy when we visited in the early morning, just after the city’s well-known dawn alm-giving service.
The market is open every day and starts being set up before sunrise (around 5:00 AM). Activity peaks between about 6 – 8 am, and usually winds down by late morning. So it is best to visit after sunrise, as we did. On a technical note, the light was still very soft at that time, so photography was challenging and some of my photos are a little blurry.
Vendors, mostly women, lay out wares on mats or directly on the pavement under umbrellas. Some price haggling is expected but keep it low key and polite.
For me the market was most notable for its fresh produce. Heaps of colorful vegetables and greens, assorted tropical fruits (pineapples, bananas, etc.), chilies, mushrooms (including wild/foraged ones), and much more. Most of it comes straight from small local farms.
Pork was the main meat we saw, along with chicken, fresh Mekong River fish, and occasionally live frogs, or other critters.
I’ve been told that sometimes you can spot exotic items, like grilled honeycomb with bee larvae inside, or insects (grasshoppers, crickets). We did spot several vendors selling honeycomb.
Ready to eat food was being prepared at several stations, and included items like noodle soup (Lao-style pho or similar), grilled or fried meat snacks, sticky rice dishes, Lao sausage, among other quick bites.
There are many other items available, a sampling of which follows:
I’ve visited a lot of markets during my travels, and this was one was great! I really enjoyed exploring it. If you’re in Luang Prabang, it’s worth getting up early to see it.
