Asau is the main village of Vaitupu and home to most of the island's 1,600 people. It sits on the western, lagoon-facing side of the island, a long strip of low concrete houses, coconut palms, and well-swept yards under the trees. The island council office, the maneapa, the Catholic and Protestant churches, the wharf, and the only co-operative shop are all here.
By Tuvaluan outer-island standards it is a sizeable place — the village extends for the best part of two kilometres along the shore, and at dusk the streets are busy with people walking, children playing in the road, and motorbikes ferrying things back and forth. Sit on the wharf at sunset; this is one of the few places in the country where you might see twenty boats coming in at once.