Useful Laos country guide - Thailand Tours & Holidays

LAOS GUIDE

Country Statistics

Time: GMT+7

Dialing code: 00 856

Area:

236,800 sq km

Elevation:

Lowest point: Mekong River 70m
Highest point: Phou Bia 2,817m

Population:

5,921,545 (July 2003 est.)

Capital:

Vientiane

Government:

Communist

Language:

Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Overview
Brief History
Highlights
Geography
Climate
Currency
Holidays

Religion
Vaccinations
Customs
Security
Visas
Flights

Overview

Laos is the last, largely untouched country in South East Asia were you can still experience a peace and tranquillity hard to find in other places in our hectic world. Isolated for decades, travellers are now re-discovering this remote Asian backwater, its stunning scenery, warm and friendly people and fascinating cultural history.

Laos exudes a unique cultural ambience, which can be found as readily in the local rice shops and noodle stands as it can be in the colourful Hmong-Mien and Thai hill tribes of the north. The former Royal Kingdoms of Vientiane and Luang Prabang boast a wealth of superb Buddhist temples along with more recent French colonial architecture, and the mysterious Plain of Jars is sure to leave you wondering. A rich assortment of distinctive handicrafts is available, including silverware, textiles, woodcarvings, tribal crafts, and ceramics.

The hilly, jungle-covered landscape is home to an astonishing variety of rare and beautiful wildlife, including leopard cats, Javan mongoose, goat-antelopes, gibbons and langurs, bears, gaurs and of course the majestic elephant. Gently flowing through the entire length of the country, the mighty Mekong River is home to the incredibly rare Irrawaddy Dolphin and also helps to support numerous species of resident and migratory birds.

But above all, Laos is a country of people – simple, warm, friendly and always with a welcoming smile. Their laid back approach and the gentle, unhurried pace of life is a real and refreshing change to the hustle and bustle that characterises much of the rest of Southeast Asia.

Brief History

The early inhabitants of Southeast Asia date back as far as 8,000 BC, and were simple hunter-gatherers. However, a slow southwestwardly migration of Austronesian (Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian) and Austro-Asiatic (Mon, Khmer, Vietnamese) speaking settlers, from China, gradually pushed out the native Australo-Melanesian speaking inhabitants. These new settlers brought with them Chinese agricultural practices based on intensive rice production, so that by about 4,000 BC rice was being cultivated throughout the region, and from about 3,000 BC metalworking started. Read more...

Highlights

Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Cahmpasak – classical Buddhist temples and colonial French architecture
Phonsavan – Plain of Jars, mysterious stone containers scattered across grassy meadows
Luang Nam Tha – colourful culture of the Hmong and Thai hill tribes and other ethnic minorities
Si Phan Don – beautiful collection of islands on the Mekong River, and home to the rare Irrawaddy Dolphin
Vang Vien – Limestone caves, waterfalls and traditional Lao villages

Geography

Laos is a landlocked country that has borders with Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. The great Mekong River runs the length of the country from north to south, and forms a border with Thailand to the west. The Mekong and its vast floodplain are important for wet-rice production as well as providing an abundant source of fish, a staple of the Laos diet. The two largest areas of wet-rice production surround Vientiane and Savannakhet. Almost the entire northern half of Laos is covered by broken mountains ranges rising to a high point of 2,817m at the summit of Phou Bia Mountain in Xieng Khuang Province. To the east bordering Vietnam, the Annamite Mountain Range runs for nearly half the length of the country. Laos has numerous mountain plateaus, the largest of which is the Xieng Khuang plateau just north of Phou Bia Mountain. Another is the Bolevan Plateau, which stands at the southern end of the Annamite Mountain Range and is an important rice, tea and coffee-growing region.

Climate

Like the rest of Southeast Asia, the climate in Laos is governed by the yearly cycle of ‘wet’ monsoon followed by ‘dry’ monsoon. The south-westerly ‘wet’ monsoon arrives between May and July and lasts until November. It brings with it, substantial rainfall across the country, with the heaviest rain in the highland provinces of Vientiane, Khammuan and Champasak. Temperatures average around 29 ^oC in the lowlands, dropping to 25 ^oC in the highlands.

From November to May the weather is dry and relatively cool (this is the effect of the north-easterly monsoon which actually bypasses Laos), and the temperature can drop to 15 ^oC. Night-time temperatures in the mountains can fall as low as 0 ^oC, but from February onwards the temperature steadily rises, reaching a high of 38 ^oC in March and April.

Vientiane

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Rain (mm)

5

15

38

99

267

302

267

292

302

109

15

3

Sun (hrs)

8

8

7

8

7

5

5

5

8

8

8

8

Temp (Max)

28

30

33

34

32

32

31

31

31

31

29

28

Temp (Min)

14

17

19

23

23

24

24

24

24

21

18

16

Days of Rain*

1

2

4

7

15

17

18

18

16

7

1

1

Hum (%)

52

44

40

49

60

67

69

73

72

69

63

57

* denotes number of days with at least 1.0 mm of rainfall

Currency

1 US$ = 7,600 Lao kip

Common notes

100 kip
500 kip
1,000 kip
2,000 kip
5,000 kip

NB US$ are accepted everywhere and is generally preferred for larger purchases. Thai baht is also widely accepted and change for both Thai baht and US$ is often in kip. Kip is mostly used for smaller day-to-day transactions.

Money can be changed at any bank, but a commission will be charged, exchange kiosk (lower rates) or hotel (lowest rates). Banks open from 8.30am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. In Vientiane it is possible to exchange UK£, CAN$, AUS$ and other currencies, but US$ and Thai baht are best in the rest of the country. Traveller’s cheques get a slightly better rate and are widely accepted at banks in the major cities, but they also charge a commission. There are no ATM’s in Laos at present. Credit cards are only accepted at some hotels, restaurants and gift shops in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, with Visa and MasterCard being the most popular. Elsewhere in Laos credit cards are generally useless.

Holidays

New Year’s Day	-	1 ^st January
Pathet Lao Day	-	6 ^th January
Army Day	-	20 ^th January
Women's Day	-	8 ^th March
Lao People's Party Day	-	22 ^nd March
Chakri Memorial Day	-	6 ^th April
Lao New Year	-	15 ^th-17 ^th April
International Labour Day	-	1 ^st May
Children's Day	-	1 ^st June
Lao Isara	-	13 ^th August
Liberation Day	-	23 ^rd August
Freedom from France Day	-	12 ^th October
National Day	-	2 ^nd December
New Year’s Eve	-	31 ^st December

For exact dates of holidays and festivals for the coming year please click here

NB Banks and government offices are closed during the holidays above.

There are many other national Buddhist festivals throughout the year that are linked to the lunar calendar, usually during full moons.

There are also numerous regional holidays, festivals and fairs throughout the year.

Religion

Laos is a dominantly Buddhist country (60%), however animist ‘spirit’ worship, though officially banned, is still widely practised. There is also a small Christian following (1.5%) leftover from the French occupation.

Vaccinations

Recommended vaccinations and other health protection measures vary and are subject to change. You must consult your GP on current vaccinations needed for your destination. You can also visit our travel health website at:

TravelHealthZone

This has links to up-to-date information on vaccination requirements as well as much more general travel health information and advice.

For direct, up-to-date information on vaccination requirements for Laos please click here

Customs

Greetings are usually accompanied with a small bow, a big smile and hands together in prayer.
Laos is a Buddhist country and religion is taken seriously. Images of the Buddha are regarded as sacred and should be treated as such by foreign visitors. Always take your shoes off before entering a temple and remember to dress conservatively, shorts are not allowed. Women are forbidden to touch, give to, or receive from a Buddhist monk.
Laotian women are conservative and should not be touched without their consent, this includes the offer of a handshake. Public shows of intimacy, such as holding hands and kissing, are frowned upon. Open displays of emotion, and in particular anger, are also considered impolite. You should try to dress conservatively wherever possible.
The feet are considered as unclean and should not be used to point to things or to touch someone with. It is also considered rude to show the soles of your feet in public, so try to avoid putting you feet up on a chair or table. Try not to touch the head or ruffle the hair, as this is also considered rude. You should also remove your shoes when entering houses.
When visiting minority villages you should always be respectful of their customs. Many tribes fear photography, therefore you should always ask permission before using your camera, even if this is through a simple hand gesture.
Tipping is not expected except at fashionable resorts, however a small tip will always be appreciated.
Haggling is a much gentler affair than in neighbouring countries but just as essential. You can haggle for just about everything, but do not expect to get prices down by large amounts, as Laotians tend to be fairer in the pricing for foreigners. For the best results haggle with a smile and a light-hearted approach. Always be wary of street sellers, as what they sell may not always be what you think it is.

Security

In general, travel in Laos is safe and only the usual precautions are necessary. The most common form of crime against tourists is theft, usually by stealth rather than violence, so visitors should take care to secure their personal possessions at all times. In more remote areas the risk of muggings and robberies does exist and recent attacks in the area around Vang Vieng and south of Phonsavan have made travel to these areas difficult.

Unexploded ordnance is a real problem in much of the north and east of Laos – 15 of the 18 provinces are contaminated to some degree. More than 500,000 tons of unexploded ordinance left over from the Vietnam War causes about 120 casualties per year, though visitors are not usually among those at particular risk. The most hazardous regions are said to be Xieng Khuang, Salavan and Savannakhet. The types of ordnance range from small but deadly US-made cluster bombs (called "bombies" by Laotians) to 2,000lb bombs that failed to explode when dropped from B-52s. There are mortar rounds, phosphorus canisters and thousands of armed and decaying land mines. All the major tourist areas have been thoroughly cleared of landmines and therefore the risk to tourists is very small indeed. With this in mind you should never stray from well-worn pathways and never touch, or pick up any military looking objects.

For more specific, up-to-date security information and how this may affect your tour, please visit our regional security page.

Visas

Most foreign nationals can get a 15-day visa for US$30. Visas are obtained on arrival at Vientiane International airport, or at the friendship bridge land border. Other visas, including 30-day tourist visas and business visas are obtainable in advance in your home country, for a fee.

There is a US$10 departure tax when leaving by air to international destinations.

Flights (from the UK)

There are no direct flights to Laos and the most often-used stopover airports are Bangkok and Singapore.

UK return - UK£600to UK£700with Thai Airways (with a short stopover in Bangkok).