I just went Laos about 3-4 months ago and it was so exciting!! My first time in Laos and I love it. I am planning to go back again in the future. About the malls, I don't think there are any malls yet. Anyways, you don't not need a mall when you have "Thalaad Sow" or "Morning Market." This is the place to be!! I went there like 4 times and still wanted to go back!! You can get high fashion merchandise knockoffs from Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Rolex, LaCoste etc. to cheap handmade items. I bought a bunch of handmade Lao stuff, and it is so neat and cool and cheap too!! My advice is to bring lots of money to spend..hahaha... Food is very cheap too. Also there are some good places to eat in there too.
When I went, the ITECC just opened and there was a Thai Supplier Fair (meaning Thai companies trying to market their product and find distribution in Laos, which means they are trying to get their products in the Lao market, so they came to introduce it and demonstrate, etc...). It was crowded!!!! The first day it opened, traffic was all over the place...lol...and if you never went to Laos, watch out!! Crazy drivers and motorcycles everywhere!!!!! Anyway, about the ITTEC place, there is a Tang Supermarket in there too. It's the first supermarket in Laos. Also ITTEC has bowling, movie theaters, etc. Wished I had checked it out, but it opened and I was coming back to the USA already.
Also one thing I have noticed in Laos was that the people are really nice. Everybody is really polite and especially when you go to the market. The people are really nice. I know they are trying to sell you stuff, but what I meant were the words and the way they speak. It's really proper. So overall, in Laos it was a great experience!!! If this is your first time in Laos, have fun and bring lots of cash so you can get all kinds of good stuff to come show your friends in America...hahahaha
