I was sad to receive a phone call around 8 pm last night telling me that Talat Tong Khan Kham, one of my favourite fresh markets in Vientiane was on fire. It was an enormous blaze that could be seen across the city and the entire market was destroyed.

I used to visit this once vibrant market every time I am in Vientiane and was only there very recently. I feel for the vendors who’s lives will be so badly affected by this tragedy.

It was a fantastic place to photograph. Colourful, chaotic, and a visual feast, the market was always full of friendly folks eager for a joke and a bit of banter.

The traders are a resilient, hardworking bunch and I am sure they will be setting their produce out on a roadside somewhere tomorrow. Let’s hope the site gets cleared and rebuilt as quickly as possible.