Be it a holiday or a working day, many people cannot resist the temptation to savor the meals offered on the boats floating in the peaceful breeze and ripples along the Nam Ngum River in Vientiane.
"I and my extended family come to dine here to celebrate the Lao new year every May," Laotian taxi driver and father of two, Thongsy Bounleutai, said recently.
The floating restaurants on the Nam Ngum River might just be the spot for those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend their afternoons reclining on cushions, eating and drinking surrounded by the riverbank's landscaped gardens.
Most of the floating restaurants are run by the villagers from the myriad nearby villages lining the river.
There are about a dozen floating boat restaurants and bamboo restaurants on the Nam Ngum River under the Tha Ngon Bridge, about 25 kilometers north of the capital, Vientiane.
Starting operations in 1994, the 200-meter Tha Ngon Bridge, which the government built with aid from Australia, connects Vientiane and the Ban Keun village. The bridge was part of the route of the recent road race cycling competition in the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos.
The floating restaurants, which open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, have become popular culinary destinations among local people and tourists like those from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
The visitors can enjoy various fish dishes and other food, while with an additional charge of 50,000 kip (US$5.91) per hour, the floating restaurant cruises along the 200-meter wide and 6-meter deep river. The boats sail only before dark, as there is no electricity or lighting along the river.
Diners can also engage in karaoke while the boat cruises at an additional charge of 150,000 kip.
The Nam Ngum River, which runs 354 kilometers, connects Thalath floating market, in the north of the country, and the main Mekong River in the south.
There are three large rivers and many smaller ones flowing throughout the 236,800 square kilometers that make up Laos, including the Mekong, Nam Ngum and Nam Sam Rivers.
"However, the floating restaurants in the Mekong River are currently not operating," Thongsy said. About 90 kilometers further north of Vientiane, the Ang Nam Ngum water reservoir is another popular day trip destination, also served by floating restaurants moored at the south-western shore near the dam and the village of Ban Thalat, where boats are available for hire to cruise on the lake and visit some of the islands.
