Vientiane

I forgot:

What can happen here, especially around the fountain is that a girl on a scooter drives by and solicits here services. Go for it in case you like the way she looks.

[QUOTE=Frankfurter;1526079]What can happen here, especially around the fountain is that a girl on a scooter drives by and solicits here services. Go for it in case you like the way she looks.[/QUOTE]Your post#15 is an excellent summary of Vientiane (and Laos in general) Frankfurter.

It adds to my recent experiences late last year (see post #9). I particularly agree with your comment that those of us who know some more information hesitate to put it on an open board as we all know that the "authorities" read these boards in a clandestine manner.

However, there are some examples of hotels which turn a blind eye when you enter with a friend, especially if "she is well dressed and doesn't look like a tramp" (this is a quote from a hotel manager that I befriended 2 trips ago). I asked him straight out what was the scene in his hotel because I was working and I sure didn't need anything to besmirch my reputation.

The "girls" on the scooters are not just around the fountain and they can pop up anywhere but they trawl frequently up and down Fa Ngum (the street alongside the Mekong on which is Bor Pen Yang bar). I said "girls" because a large percentage of the scooter riders are men dressed up like girls so it pays to be aware of this. Personally I think it is probably the quickest way to get set-up or get yourself in trouble and I have always kept walking and never availed of the offerings.

Spent about a week in Vientiane recently and saw clear sings of working girls, although I didn't confirm. Walking down Rue Setthathilath at 11:30 one night I passed a crowd of three streetwalkers who asked if I was interested, and another evening I was chatting with some massage parlour girls who joked that for $50 one of them would be my girlfriend, so the city is not dead by any means. I didn't pursue because I found a freebie local girl via We Chat. Search the list of females nearby, say hi to every one within 3km that has some English in their description and / or pictures of alcohol in their recent posts (mine had both) , and see what happens. We texted back and forth for a couple hours, agreed to meet for dinner the same night, went to the club together after dinner (athome club, her idea) , then basically spent the next 4 days in bed. I speak no Lao and she paid her share of everything every time. Something good to be said about the culture there, imo.

Just managed to get a one year visa for Laos. I will be spending more time here until next year. Just spent 2 weeks in Luang Namtha and Udomxay visiting my several regular nice girls, they see me like a sugar papa but I don't mind, I spend really little compare the fun they provide.

Came in Vientiane on the very safe Lao Air, I went through the rounds of my regular shops, La On Dao1, Ti Hao, all the same, all girls very rush very business like, lots of Chinese groups, same price 40 USD or 1200, no fun at all, just a place to shoot cum, they will quote you 1500 if you are newbie, I feel recently papa and mamasans are not very friendly, too much business.

I went to Mekong karaoke 2 times, some more new girls, but nowadays, no one perform bare blow, it's 50 USD go up stair ST in Mekong hotel, if your hotel too far, I find many girls very reluctant to go now, may ask you 100 for LT instead, the attitude of girls are getting more and more bad.

That's about all I did in several days in VT, Vientiane is now very very commercialized, if you expect some young innocent thing lick you all over, it's long gone gone with the wind 10 years ago, you got to be very lucky to find one.

[QUOTE=RCAKnight;1579718]Just managed to get a one year visa for Laos. I will be spending more time here until next year. Just spent 2 weeks in Luang Namtha and Udomxay visiting my several regular nice girls, they see me like a sugar papa but I don't mind, I spend really little compare the fun they provide.

Came in Vientiane on the very safe Lao Air, I went through the rounds of my regular shops, La On Dao1, Ti Hao, all the same, all girls very rush very business like, lots of Chinese groups, same price 40 USD or 1200, no fun at all, just a place to shoot cum, they will quote you 1500 if you are newbie, I feel recently papa and mamasans are not very friendly, too much business.

I went to Mekong karaoke 2 times, some more new girls, but nowadays, no one perform bare blow, it's 50 USD go up stair ST in Mekong hotel, if your hotel too far, I find many girls very reluctant to go now, may ask you 100 for LT instead, the attitude of girls are getting more and more bad.

That's about all I did in several days in VT, Vientiane is now very very commercialized, if you expect some young innocent thing lick you all over, it's long gone gone with the wind 10 years ago, you got to be very lucky to find one.[/QUOTE]2 or 3 years back I asked a tuk tuk driver to take me to 'look lady'. He took me to one place that was rubbish so I asked him to take me somewhere else. He took me to a brothel with gorgeous young girls for 1200 baht. I can't believe things would have changed that much in 2 years.

Hard to believe your description about the hotels. I have personally taken numerous girls to at least 4 different hotels in VTE. Those hotels were generally the top of the range. Apart from some old rumours, I have never heard in the last 5 years of anybody getting and trouble with the law for being with a Lao girl, hooker or not.

[QUOTE=Frankfurter;1526077]There isn't much going on here in this thread. Somebody asked in few posts back why this is, and if Laos should be avoided what mongering is concerned.

The answer IMHO is somewhat like that (your experience may vary, I respect that) :

1. Prostitution in Laos is illegal. There are no mongering bars, strip clubs or anything you may find in Thailand's top mongering destinations, Phuket, Pattaya, and / or Bangkok (also rarely in the countryside in Thailand either).

2. I do not know of any better hotel in ALL of Laos which would be "girlfriendly". The owner of the hotel would get into serious water in case somebody would report him / her. In case you get caught by the police while having fun with a Lao girl in your room who is NOT your wife, it would provide a very welcome windfall for the officers. (Remember it's all about the money, not only in mongering but in the police force or any other government institution here as well.)

Having said that of course you can have a great time, especially in Vientiane, but also in I. E. Pakse, not so much in Luang Prabang. In Vientiane there is of course the Vientiane Laos Hotel which has a massage / spa place in a separate building, staffed exclusively with Vietnamese ladies. I hesitate to report on the service level there, but I know. You may PM me. Besides the obvious Vientiane Hotel, there are quiet a few massage places where you get a decent massage and a BBBJ, CIM, for a tip.

You won't find any intelligence on this forum since everybody who knows won't tell, and those who don't know will keep there mouth shut anyway. Everybody wants to protect the providers in this country.

In Pakse it is something which requires contact to a local. You need somebody to take you to the (small) KTV's, it requires contacts, time, and effort. It also helps when you look younger than 40.

In summary:

Laos is NOT an EASY mongering country, besides it is the most expensive country of the three: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Frankfurter;1526077]There isn't much going on here in this thread. Somebody asked in few posts back why this is, and if Laos should be avoided what mongering is concerned.

The answer IMHO is somewhat like that (your experience may vary, I respect that) :

1. Prostitution in Laos is illegal. There are no mongering bars, strip clubs or anything you may find in Thailand's top mongering destinations, Phuket, Pattaya, and / or Bangkok (also rarely in the countryside in Thailand either).

2. I do not know of any better hotel in ALL of Laos which would be "girlfriendly". The owner of the hotel would get into serious water in case somebody would report him / her. In case you get caught by the police while having fun with a Lao girl in your room who is NOT your wife, it would provide a very welcome windfall for the officers. (Remember it's all about the money, not only in mongering but in the police force or any other government institution here as well.) .[/QUOTE]I have just been flipping back over the Laos blogs and one recent entry for Vientiane caught my eye.

I am not sure what planet Frankfurter is on but I am flummoxed by his thoughts about this lovely little town. Or maybe it is just his choice to be eternally pessimistic and drift through life being pleasantly surprised. Whatever he is on, do not let him drag you down to his level.

Vientiane is not Bangkok or Pattaya in much the same way that Laos is not Thailand, but that doesn't mean they are diametrically opposite. Put simply, they just do things a little different here. Like politics or driving, it might differ or be opposite but the result is generally the same.

Prostitution may still be illegal in Laos but it that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Sure there are few, if any, Thai style bars and pick up spots but do a bit of low-key digging and you will find some nice surprises. It is the same all over the countryside.

I plead guilty to not staying in the 'better' hotels so I do not know how they manage the guests requirements but I can tell you that any 4 star or lower hotel will not have a problem with your guest provided you keep it discreet. And don't we all want that?

I have booked into a number of hotels with Lao friends standing next to me and they have never been asked a question nor have they been asked for their local identification. I have also taken a few 'new found best friends' back to my room after dark and the same result. No questions, no warnings and no additional charge.

All of us have heard of the threat of arrest but I don't think there is anyone on this forum who could plead to a problem with the local LE. Unless they were stupid enough to make a big scene instead of just copping the loss and walking away.

There are a few hotels like the quoted Vientiane Laos Hotel with on-site massage services. You will find them all over Laos you just have to ask a local tuk tuk driver or concierge. You will find one or two, even in Pakse and I guarantee you will get a room even if you are over 40.

In the end, just remember Laos is not like Thailand. But in its only low key way it is delightful place to visit and the people are welcoming. There is plenty of good quality advice in these blogs. And despite what Farnkfurter advises, it is way cheaper than he thinks.

Take it from someone who knows, try it. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck with your projects.

Moresauce

[QUOTE=Frankfurter;1526077]

1. Prostitution in Laos is illegal. There are no mongering bars, strip clubs or anything you may find in Thailand's top mongering destinations, Phuket, Pattaya, and / or Bangkok (also rarely in the countryside in Thailand either).

2. I do not know of any better hotel in ALL of Laos which would be "girlfriendly". The owner of the hotel would get into serious water in case somebody would report him / her. In case you get caught by the police while having fun with a Lao girl in your room who is NOT your wife[/QUOTE]I think prostitution is in theory illegal not only in Laos, but also in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam ect. These rules were written centuries ago for show only. In all these years playing in Laos, I have never heard one single case that a foreigner getting busted for poking a Lao girl. Maybe you heard a rumour here and there, but probably these are created by expats themselves to scare away the punters from invading this once pristine pasture, too bad not any more since 5-6 years ago.

Regarding the GF hotels, I have never encounter any issue in hotels or guest houses in big and small towns in Laos, some big expensive hotels at most register the lady's I'd, just like in Myanmar, Frankfurter is quoting some ancient text that has existed since eons ago, or is it another scare tactic to drive people away from this once green fresh pasture.

[QUOTE=RCAKnight;1605519]I think prostitution is in theory illegal not only in Laos, but also in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam ect. These rules were written centuries ago for show only. In all these years playing in Laos, I have never heard one single case that a foreigner getting busted for poking a Lao girl. Maybe you heard a rumour here and there, but probably these are created by expats themselves to scare away the punters from invading this once pristine pasture, too bad not any more since 5-6 years ago.

Regarding the GF hotels, I have never encounter any issue in hotels or guest houses in big and small towns in Laos, some big expensive hotels at most register the lady's I'd, just like in Myanmar, Frankfurter is quoting some ancient text that has existed since eons ago, or is it another scare tactic to drive people away from this once green fresh pasture.[/QUOTE]Lao Plaza was GF friendly when I was there last year. I can tell you first hand about being busted with a local girl because it happened to me, but this was about 12 years ago. There was much more of a scene back then, more expats and more girls. I was living there for 3 years and pulled a girl from a bar one night. Police arrived during the night and busted us. I got around a 2,000 baht fine whilst the girl got locked up for the night, it wasn't her first time being busted, but I think the other times were not for hooking.

[QUOTE=Kerrstar;1609918]There was much more of a scene back then, more expats and more girls. I was living there for 3 years and pulled a girl from a bar one night. Police arrived during the night and busted us. I got around a 2,000 baht fine whilst the girl got locked up for the night, it wasn't her first time being busted, but I think the other times were not for hooking.[/QUOTE]Police raided your hotel room during the night? I have never heard of Lao police raid hotel rooms looking for hookers. It happens sometimes in China. I believe they were looking for something else and stumbled upon you and your bird, and decided to make a little profit from it.

[QUOTE=RCAKnight;1615748]Police raided your hotel room during the night? I have never heard of Lao police raid hotel rooms looking for hookers. It happens sometimes in China. I believe they were looking for something else and stumbled upon you and your bird, and decided to make a little profit from it.[/QUOTE]I don't know about the most up to date stuff but up to a couple of years ago the police used to put on a big clean up / crack-down before the big national holidays, especially Lao New Year. Even guys living with Lao girls but not married used to be careful and some were advised by the village headman to send the girl back to her parents until the holiday period was over.

It is illegal to live with a Lao person of the opposite sex in Laos unless married in Laos. They used to reserve this law for foreigners living with Lao girls. This also gave them the excuse to visit hotels especially before big holidays. But not the very big expensive ones obviously.

The trouble in Laos is that the law is not clear and not applied equally and consistently. Some village headmen give problems and some don't. I would say that outside the big holiday periods that central Vientiane and Luang Prabang are fine for bringing a lady back to the hotel (assuming that the hotel is GF, of course!

I think I posted this before, but there is a MP inside the parking area of Vientiane Plaza Hotel. They charge roughly 250,000 Kip for 60 minutes massage. You choose your girl from a fishbowl, mostly Vietnamese. Inside the room there is a steam room, jacuzzi and massage table. You can opt to have steam first then afterwards the girl will wash you down, scrub every inch and crevice of your body. Then the customary massage. For me, I prefer that she give me a good back massage first. When she asks you to flip on your back, she will then pop the question, want a HJ, BBBJ or quicky. Before they would ask you that checkin to the hotel first, but last month, we did it right inside the massage room. 400,000 Kip for one shot.

I also went to a club far from the downtown area, near the universities, a local friend brought me there so I don't know the exact name of the place. I found some girls willing to do 400,000 Kip for an all nighter. I took two girls for 720,000 Kip, hoping for a nice threesome, but both of them was shy so basically I do one, while the other turns her back and afterwards do the other.

I went back here last month and was surprised that you can no fuck the inside the massage room. 230000 kip for 60 mins massage, steam and jacuzzi. You choose a girl from a fish bowl, mostly Vietnamese. The girl will scrub you down in the jacuzzi. Do the customary massage and when you flip over, she'll ask you if you want Hand job, BBBJ or ST. Asked for 400000 kip for one shot, bargain down to 350000. Nice a quick, no hassles. Before they will ask you to check into the hotel first and would only do hand jobs and BBBJ in the rooms.

[QUOTE=RCAKnight;1615748]Police raided your hotel room during the night? I have never heard of Lao police raid hotel rooms looking for hookers. It happens sometimes in China. I believe they were looking for something else and stumbled upon you and your bird, and decided to make a little profit from it.[/QUOTE]I was living in a house which doubled as our office. I think we were dobbed in by someone who probably got a cut from the cops.

Cost of hotel. Advance reservations or just show up??

Night Club w / ladies recommendation for action after midnight.

2 day stay in town this month.