As for the nightclubs, pubs and bars. Decent as well as the not so decent. Check out this following website: http://www.vientiane4fun.com/

Girls ain't hard to locate in a number of these establishments. Most are quite easygoing, looking to know any a foreigner. But it may be a good idea to get oneself qcquinted with some of the expats and other farangs hanging out at these places before making one's move.

And yes, the law against a foreigner bedding a Lao lady exist. And there apparently have been some who were caught. Most of the time, one is let off with a payment of ~USD 500 to the police. Have also heard, most of the arrests stem from jealous boyfriends or were "setups" or because of inflexible hotel/guesthouse staff. Seems like the trick is either check oneself into a NON Government hotel/guesthouse or go to one when the occasion arises, and also don't be a miser...sometimes paying USD 4-5 or more per hotel staff at the counter not only shuts careless mouths but also have the staff bow to you like you were the Chairman of the ພັກປະຊາຊົນປະຕິວັດລາວ ala Phak Paxaxon Pativat Lao i.e. Communist Party.

Also one cannot avoid meeting tuk tuk, samlor drivers ever ready to dispense suggestions i.e. "lady, marijuana, anything?".

Some other useful resources on Laos:

General:
http://www.retire-asia.com/laovientiane.shtml
http://www.retire-asia.com/lao-heart-culture.shtml
http://www.retire-asia.com/culturechange.shtml
http://www.yellowpages-lao.com/
http://www.travelfish.org/country/laos
http://laocuisine.la/

Lao Language:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/lao.htm
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/lang2.htm
http://teakdoor.com/north-east-thailand ... issan.html
http://www.geocities.com/siamsmile365/isaan/isaan.htm

Hope these help.

Excellent source of information DT, Thank you.
Last visit I came across an excellent Wine bar, vast variety of wines, sadly my wife has cleaned up the card So can't give you location or name.
Its well worth a visit tho'.
I could easily live in Vientiane , the quantity and high quality of restaurants would mean I don't need to do any cooking.

Yes, thank you Dream Team for the information.

Do you have any idea what some of the serviced apartments, listed in http://www.vientiane4fun.com/, rent for?
I went into this site: http://www.khuntaresidence.com/, but they didn't give the rates. I sure wish we had some apartments like that in Udon.

Thanks Dreamteam, now I'm starving. A good little read, maybe you should make your way through the Resteraunts of Udon so we can compare your thoughts with our Forumites experiences. It could certainly make for a good guide book some day

Np. Glad to be of service. Jingjai, you may have to contact Khunta directly for the rates. They can be reached at
Khunta Residence
Ban Khuntathong
Luang Prabang Rd
P.O.BOX 9205
Vientiane LAO P.D.R.
Tel: +856 (0)21 25 1199
Fax: +856 (0) 21 25 1198 & 26 3510
Email: info@khuntaresidence.com

Some good sources for those looking to rent or buy some property in VTE are,
* Vientiane Property Service: 020 5599900, 5619160, vientianerealtor@yahoo.com
* Apartments for rent: 020 5023782, hotellao@laotel.com
* Houses and home advisor: 020 5519152
* Peter's Rent-a-House: 0205-526 525 or peter.rentahouse@gmail.com

http://falanginlaos.com/maintopic/house.html
http://www.laohomes.com/index.php
http://laoyp.com/home-appliances/apartments-rental/
http://www.orientxtreme.com/laos/hotels ... g_resa.php
http://www.candelaria.ph/page.aspx?id=33

And of course the Vientiane Times (not the online one - fwiw and for those not in the know, http://www.vientianetimes.com/Headlines.html is or was (no longer being updated) a web portal for dissidents). They carry many ads. Do grab a copy while you're in town.

dreamteam wrote:Np. Glad to be of service. Jingjai, you may have to contact Khunta directly for the rates. They can be reached at
Khunta Residence
Ban Khuntathong
Luang Prabang Rd
P.O.BOX 9205
Vientiane LAO P.D.R.
Tel: +856 (0)21 25 1199
Fax: +856 (0) 21 25 1198 & 26 3510
Email: info@khuntaresidence.com

Some good sources for those looking to rent or buy some property in VTE are,
* Vientiane Property Service: 020 5599900, 5619160, vientianerealtor@yahoo.com
* Apartments for rent: 020 5023782, hotellao@laotel.com
* Houses and home advisor: 020 5519152
* Peter's Rent-a-House: 0205-526 525 or peter.rentahouse@gmail.com

http://falanginlaos.com/maintopic/house.html
http://www.laohomes.com/index.php
http://laoyp.com/home-appliances/apartments-rental/
http://www.orientxtreme.com/laos/hotels ... g_resa.php
http://www.candelaria.ph/page.aspx?id=33

And of course the Vientiane Times (not the online one - fwiw and for those not in the know, http://www.vientianetimes.com/Headlines.html is or was (no longer being updated) a web portal for dissidents). They carry many ads. Do grab a copy while you're in town.

Thank you very much!
This is very good information.
Would you agree that it looks cheaper to buy than to rent?