Capital:
Vientiane Official
Language: Lao Religions: 85%
Buddhist, 2% Christian, 135 Other Currency: Kip
= 100 cents Placements:
Laos Guest
House
Map
Background
Laos' isolation from foreign influence offers travellers an unparalleled
glimpse of traditional southeast Asian life. From the fertile lowlands of the
Mekong River valley to the rugged Annamite highlands, Laos is the
highlight of southeast Asia.
This is the least developed and most enigmatic of the three former French
Indochinese states. A ruinous sequence of colonial domination, internecine
conflict and dogmatic socialism finally brought the country to its knees in the
1970s, and almost 10% of the population left the country.
Special Events
Festivals in Laos are generally linked to agricultural seasons or historical
Buddhist holidays. The Lunar New Year begins in mid-April and the entire
country comes to a halt and celebrates. Houses are cleaned, offerings are made
in wats and everyone gets dowsed by water. Bun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival)
takes place in May. It's an irreverent pre-Buddhist celebration with plenty of
processions, music and dancing, accompanied by the firing of bamboo rockets to
prompt the heavens to send rain. The week-long That Luang Festival in
Vientiane in November has the whole repertoire of fireworks, candlelit
processions and music.
Climate
The annual Asian monsoon cycle gives Laos two distinct seasons: May to
October is wet, and November to April is dry. Temperatures vary according to
altitude. In the Mekong River Valley, the highest temperatures occur between
March and April (38°C/100°F) and the lowest between December and January
(15°C/59°F). During most of the rainy season, daytime temperatures average
around 29°C (84°F) in the lowlands and 25°C (77°F) in the mountain valleys.
Travel Info
There are flights from Vientiane's Wattay airport to Bangkok and Chiang Mai
in Thailand, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in
Cambodia, Yangon (Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma) and Kunming in China. There is a
10.00 departure tax.
It is now legal for non-Thai foreigners to cross into Laos at the following
points: Nong Khai (near Vientiane), Chong Mek (near Pakse), Nakhon Phanom
(opposite Tha Khaek), Chiang Khong (opposite Huay Xai), Mukdahan (opposite
Savannakhet) Huay Kon in Sainyabuli province and Paksan (120km /75mi from
Vientiane). Border crossings are open -. Use
of the Friendship Bridge spanning the Mekong at Nong Khai is hampered by
controls on foreign-registered vehicles, but individual travellers should
experience nothing more harrassing than a slight delay. It's possible to cross
to or from Vietnam via Lao Bao or Kuen Neua if you have a valid visa. It may
also be possible to cross into Cambodia at the border town of Voen Kham, in
Champasak Province. Entry to Laos is also possible from China's Yunnan Province
at Boten.
Visas
Fifteen-day visas are now available for
30.00 on
arrival at all official border crossings and at international airports in
Vientiane and Luang Prabang, though you'll need to meet a series of conditions
to get one. Fifteen-day and 30-day visas are generally issued through embassies,
consulates and authorised travel agencies.
Safety
Terrorism/Security In 2004, there were several
bombing incidents, mainly in the capital Vientiane, thought to be carried out by
a mixture of anti-Government groups and business disputes. While the
devices used were generally small and rudimentary, the explosions resulted in a
small number of deaths and casualties.
A number of fatal armed bus
attacks have occurred on Route 13, which links Vientiane to the north of Laos
through Luang Prabang, on route 7 linking Phou Khoun and Phonsavanh; and route 6
near the north-eastern town of Sam Neua, Huaphan Province. In February
2003, two foreign tourists were killed in a bus attack on Route 13. We
recommend that you only travel in daylight hours. You should be
particularly vigilant when travelling by road on Route 13 from Vangviang north
through Phou Khoun, to south of Luang Prabang, on Route 7 from Phou Khoun to
Phonsavan and on Route 6.
There continue to be small-scale
skirmishes between anti-government groups and government troops in isolated
areas along the Lao-Thai border. There is a danger you may inadvertently
get caught up in unpredictable acts of violence.
Local law
enforcement agencies in Laos have limited capability to counter these
threats.
You should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate
terrorist attacks, which could be deliberately aimed against civilian targets,
including places frequented by foreigners. There have been serious attacks
in other parts of South East Asia. In neighbouring Indonesia, Westerners
were killed and injured following the terrorist attacks in Bali (October 2002
and October 2005) and Jakarta (August 2003 and September
2004).
Crime Violent crimes such as
robbery, rape and other sexual offences are on the increase. Foreigners
have been assaulted after having their drinks drugged. You should be
careful about taking drinks from strangers. The theft of passports is a
particular problem. You should have insurance cover for unexpected losses
such as cancelled flights, stolen cash, cards, passports or luggage. There
are reports of a visa scam affecting travellers to Laos.
Local
travel There is a risk of banditry in rural areas as
well as the risk of further bombings and attacks (see Terrorism/Security
section).
You should be aware of the dangers of unexploded
ordnance, particularly in Xieng Khouang Province (Plain of Jars), increasingly
in Luang Prabang Province (as a result of scrap metal collection) and areas of
the Lao-Vietnamese border, which were formerly traversed by the Ho Chi Minh
Trail. Mined areas are frequently unmarked. You should therefore not
stray off main routes in rural areas.
There is no curfew in
Vientiane but you should be aware that people travelling in the city might be
stopped by the police at any time, particularly in the evening. You may be
asked to show identification papers before being allowed to travel on. You
should comply with requests to stop at checkpoints and
roadblocks.
You will require a permit to visit Xaysomboune Special
Zone, but currently none are being issued.
Seasonal flooding occurs
in Laos starting at the end of July or early August, and continuing until
November. Travel to some provinces can be seriously disrupted during this
time.
Road Safety The majority of roads
in Laos are in a poor condition. Travel should only be undertaken during
daylight hours. Travel after dark significantly increases the risk of an
accident and vehicles often do not have lights. Livestock often stray on
to the roads causing accidents.
The numbers of road accidents and
fatalities in Laos have risen sharply in recent years along with the increase in
the number of motor vehicles, especially motorbikes. If you are involved
in a road accident you will generally be required to pay compensation for third
party property damage and injury, even if you are not judged to be at
fault. Lao insurers will generally only meet a small proportion of the
costs of an accident and will not cover this compensation, which can be the
largest part of the expense.
If you are planning to travel by road
or river you should check with a travel company on arrival for an update on
local conditions.
River Safety Travel on
the Mekong River by speedboat is dangerous, particularly in the dry season,
November to April. Life-vests and crash helmets should be provided and
worn. White water rafting and kayaking are also dangerous. Incidents
of drowning have been reported.
Air
Safety Prospective air
travellers should be aware of doubts about the maintenance procedures of
internal flights. Travel by Lao Airlines is strongly discouraged except on
the ATR 72 aircraft and the Airbus 320. Yuen-7 and Yuen-12 aircraft should
be avoided whenever possible. Since 2000, there have been several deaths
as a result of domestic air accidents on Yuen-12 aircraft in Laos.
LOCAL LAWS AND CUSTOMS
Penalties for using illegal drugs (opium, heroin, amphetamine type
stimulants including Ecstasy and marijuana etc) in Laos are severe. You
should avoid any perceived association with drug trafficking or use. There
have been several recent deaths as a result of drug abuse among foreigners
visiting Laos.
In 2001, the death penalty was introduced for persons
found guilty of the illegal production, possession, trafficking or trade of 500
grams or more of heroin, or 3 kilograms or more of opium, or 10 kilograms or
more of marijuana.
The Lao Government prohibits sexual relationships
between foreign citizens and Lao nationals, except when the two parties have
been married in accordance with Lao Family Law. It is not unknown for Lao
authorities to demand entry into hotel rooms or guest houses where they suspect
this regulation is being broken. Permission for marriage or engagement to
a Lao citizen must be submitted in a formal application to the Lao
authorities. Penalties for engaging in prohibited sexual contact or
failing to register a relationship range from US$500 to US$5,000 and may also
involve imprisonment.
Photographing or visiting military sites is
prohibited and can result in arrest or detention.
Health
We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical
insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that
your policy covers you for the activities you want to
undertake.
Avian Influenza (Bird
Flu)
In May 2004, there were outbreaks of Avian Influenza (also
known as Bird Flu) in poultry in Laos. No human infections or deaths
have been reported.
The risk to humans from Avian
Influenza is believed to be very low. As a precaution, you should avoid
visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come
into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and
egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.
If you have an unstable medical
condition you should seriously consider not travelling to Laos. Medical
care in Vientiane is extremely basic and outside the capital there are no
reliable facilities to deal with medical emergencies. Medical evacuation
is difficult to organise and very expensive.
You should seek
medical advice about endemic diseases including HIV or AIDS before
travelling. Safe sex practices are essential.
Injections required
Immunisations advised
Diptheria/Tetanus,
Poliomyelitis,
Hepatitis A,
Typhoid,
Yellow fever
Immunisations that maybe required Tuberculosis,
Hepatitis B,
Rabies,
Japanese B Encephalitis
