Wattay International Airport

I Don’t Need It

The first time I visited Laos was while I explored the Golden Triangle; soon after I crossed again the Mekong River and arrived at Vientiane, the capital city. It was Love from First Sip and afterwards I found myself there frequently.

I didn’t need their airport – there were more attractive ways of reaching the town – but I got curious. Part of the Vientiane’s charm is due to the mix of official buildings, monuments, wide, shaded boulevards, and fishermen trawling in the Mekong River. How would the airport in such a place look? How old would their planes be? Finally, I booked a flight to Luang Nam Tha in the far north and had a good opportunity to find out all the truth about Laotian Flying Tuk-tuks.

Reaching the Airport

Located a few kilometers north of downtown Vientiane, the airport is best reached with tuk-tuks or taxis. Make sure to agree with the driver on the fare before boarding the vehicle; a tuk-tuk should cost around half American dollar.

Breathtaking Beauty

Minutes later I was next to the building and found that Vientiane did that again; the simple and classic lines of the huge terminal building were charming. Falling in love with the structure was easy.

A three layered roof – each layer smaller than the one below it – was slightly curved upwards; there was a significant gap between it and the structure’s walls. At its corners were schematic "spirit exits" (curved additions to the roof corners in Laos and Thailand supposedly allowing spirits to leave the building and not getting trapped in them).

The overall effect was of an oversized traditional market in Laos. It is surprising that such a poor nation that suffered so heavy losses in the Vietnam War can constantly prove that beauty can be achieved with simple means.

Airlines and Services

As expected flights to and within Laos are rather expensive; there is little competition and few travelers. Yet, I believe this is one of the few places in the world where you can still rent a helicopter (a Soviet one!) and take a look at the city for forty American dollars.

The main destinations served by the airport are Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Kunming on the international front, and Luang Prabang within Laos. These locations have daily flights; others – like my flight to Luang Nam Tha – are sporadic. However, most of the provincial capitals can be reached if one is ready to wait a few days in Vientiane; for me, such a delay is a blessing. Some of these destinations – especially Huay Xai – are extremely difficult to reach overland.

Banks and restaurants, duty free shops and a post office fill up the building’s interior. However, being the place so close to downtown Vientiane, I recommend buying souvenirs – especially local products like silk and traditional clothes – at town. Few places in Asia compare to Vientiane’s Morning Market.

Flying Tuk-tuk

Entering the main building I searched for the domestic terminal and checked in. Many people were waiting there, as usual in Laos with the help of an improvised meal of sticky rice and insects or meat. Soon I found out the flight would leave late. No explanations were provided.

Eventually, a small airplane appeared – I apologize but I didn’t pay attention to the aircraft model – and stopped in front of us. A staircase was attached to it and we boarded. Vientiane provided a serene beauty from above; the plains were left behind in minutes and the bulky mountains of central Laos appeared below us.

I was sitting in the third row and could thus notice immediately the white smoke that appeared from above the seat of the first row. It wasn’t like something was burning – there was no smell – but more like if a cloud had decided to enter the aircraft. A flight attendant appeared and signaled that everything was OK to the worried passengers, but beyond that did nothing to solve the mystery. A few minutes later everything was fine.

To keep us calm and happy, the same attendant re-appeared, this time with a tray on which were a 1.5 liter plastic bottle of a popular soft drink and many tiny plastic cups. She did manage to serve the drink without spilling even one drop, a remarkable feat given the situation and poor facilities.

"It’s a flying tuk-tuk," I commented to the passenger sitting next to me.

Luag Nam Tha’s airport was just a long strip of flattened ground, we left the plane and were in an open field. Tuk-tuk drivers surrounded us.

From journal AA