Laos is famous for its hand-woven silk textiles. You can buy them in fabric or in ready-made wall hangings, accessories, and clothing. Silver is everywhere, in jewelry and ornamental objects. The main shopping streets are Samsenthai and Setthathirat, around the Nam Phu Fountain area and the Morning Market.

Perhaps best known not just in town but worldwide is Carol Cassidy: Lao Textiles, off Setthathirat on Nokeo Koummane Road (tel. 021/212-123; www.laotextiles.com). Since 1990, Carol has employed local weavers and, using traditional Lao motifs as a base, has a great reputation for fine contemporary pieces.

Be sure to visit Satri Lao Silk, at 79/4 Setthathirat, for fabrics, clothing, and housewares; and Ikho 2, Phangkhoum Road, next to Just for Fun Restaurant, also a good gift shop. The unusual furniture and artworks displayed at T'shop Lai Gallery, Vat Inpeng Road (tel. 021/223-178), is worth a visit as well. For anything from small carvings and authentic Buddhist do-dads all the way up to priceless statues, furniture, and antiques, try Oot-Ni, just west of the Lao Cultural Hall on Samsenthai (tel. 021/215-911). Check out the cut-work household linens, bedspreads, kitchen textiles, place settings, plus baby items in great colors and quality at Camacrafts, on Nokeo Koummane Road (tel. 021/416-597).

For a unique shopping experience in Vientiane, contact Sandra Yuck at her private studio, Caruso, housed in a charming colonial property west of the hospital on Fa Ngum Road (P.O. Box 7866, Vientiane; tel. 021/223-644; fax 021/223-645; sandrina@loxinfo.co.th). Sandra carries a unique line of ebony wood boxes, trays, and accessories, as well as unique Lao bedspreads.

Books and Necessities--Just across from Lao Aviation and next to Just for Fun Restaurant is the Vientiane Book Center, 54/1 Pangkham Rd. (tel. 021/212-031), a great spot to exchange that novel you've finished or to pick up maps and information. Or, try nearby Kosila Bookshop, across from La Terrasse (tel. 021/241-352), in Ban Mixay (the parallel street just east of Pangkham Rd.).

For foreign-made staples, from Spam to fine French wine, check out Phimphone Minimart, 110/1 Samsenthai Rd. (tel. 021/216-963).