BROKEN: ເຈັບ
Vientiane, Laos, holds a special place in my heart, but I’ve got to be honest, getting around can be a real adventure – and not always the fun kind. Public transport is pretty scarce, mostly just buses. While taxis, tuk-tuks, and even ride-hailing apps exist, they’re often unreliable and, let’s just say, not exactly budget-friendly. Even as a native speaker, I’ve seen drivers try to inflate fares, and I can only imagine how frustrating that must be for visitors. It’s a shame, as it really risks tarnishing the city’s welcoming image.
Despite the challenges, I recently had the chance to hop on Vientiane’s small and large green buses, and I was genuinely surprised. The fare is incredibly cheap – seriously, getting to or from the airport or the new Lao-China Railway station was no more than K25,000 (about A$3.00)! Not only are they affordable, but they’re also clean, air-conditioned, and even have sunshades. It’s no wonder you see so many people using them. It just goes to show there’s a real demand for reliable, affordable public transport. My biggest wish? That they ran more frequently and on a more consistent schedule.
Vientiane is a capital city, but by Asian standards, it’s quite small and has a wonderfully laid-back vibe. This is precisely why I believe a tram or trackless tram system would be an absolute game-changer. Imagine how much easier it would be for locals and tourists alike to explore the city, visit attractions, and, yes, spend more money at local businesses if transport was a breeze. It would inject new life into the city’s arteries and make getting around an enjoyable part of the Vientiane experience.
On a positive note, I’ve observed a lot of construction happening across the city, which is a sign of growth. What’s even better is that the authorities seem to be making a concerted effort to clean up the mess often associated with such projects, particularly along the pavements. For a relatively small capital, it’s crucial for Vientiane to look its best. It shouldn’t appear poorly maintained or neglected.
After all, Vientiane often serves as the first impression for most foreigners and visitors before they venture out to explore the rest of Laos. Let’s make that first impression count.
What are your thoughts on Vientiane’s transport challenges or its future development? Share your experiences and comments!
In the Lao language, the word “ເຈັບ” means pain — not just physical pain, but emotional hurt, heartache, and deep sorrow. It’s a single word that carries so much weight, so many feelings.
This is for anyone who is going through ເຈັບ right now.
Maybe you’re dealing with loss. Maybe your heart is healing from something that still feels too fresh to talk about. Or maybe you’re simply tired — tired of pretending everything is okay when it’s not.
I’ve been there. We all have, at some point. Pain has a way of making you feel alone, like no one else could possibly understand what you’re going through. But the truth is, you are not alone. Even if no one else says it out loud, almost everyone has felt this kind of hurt before.
If you’re in that place right now — in the thick of the pain — I hope you find a little comfort here. I hope you know that it’s okay to not be okay. And I hope you hold on, even when it feels hard, because better days are ahead.
You are stronger than you think.
ເພງ: ເຈັບ
ຄືນນີ້ເດືອນເພັງ ແສງສ່ອງເງົາກາຍ
ນັ່ງຄົນດຽວເຫງົາໃຈ ຄິດຮອດເຈົ້າ
ສຽງເພງຄິດຮອດ ຍັງກ້ອງຢູ່ໃນໃຈ
ແຕ່ບໍ່ມີເຈົ້າຢູ່ຂ້າງກາຍ ອີກແລ້ວ
ເຈັບປວດໃຈເຫຼືອເກີນ ທີ່ຮັກເຮົາສິ້ນສຸດ
ນໍ້າຕາໄຫຼບໍ່ຢຸດ ຍ້ອນຄວາມຊໍ້າ
ຄວາມຮັກທີ່ເຄີຍຫວານ ມັນກາຍເປັນພິດ
ເຮັດໃຫ້ໃຈອ້າຍເຈັບຊໍ້າ ເຫຼືອທົນ
ຈື່ໄດ້ບໍ່ນໍ ມື້ທີ່ເຮົາພົບກັນ
ຮອຍຍິ້ມຂອງເຈົ້ານັ້ນ ຍັງຕິດພັນ
ຄຳສັນຍາຮັກ ທີ່ເຮົາໃຫ້ກັນ
ດຽວນີ້ມັນບໍ່ມີຄ່າ ອີກແລ້ວ
ຄິດຮອດຄັ້ງເກົ່າ ຮູບພາບຍັງຄາຕາ
ຄວາມຊົງຈຳດີໆ ມັນຍິ່ງພາໃຫ້ລົ້ມ
ຢາກລືມໃຫ້ໄດ້ ແຕ່ໃຈມັນຍັງຈົດຈຳ
ຄວາມເຈັບນີ້ມັນຍັງຝັງເລິກ ເກີນໄປ
ໂອ້ຍ…ເຈັບ… ເຈັບຈົນບໍ່ມີແຮງ
ຫົວໃຈອ້າຍແຕກສະລາຍ… ຍ້ອນເຈົ້າ
ເຈັບ… ເຈັບ…
