Travel in Laos: Free online guide

Less than a decade ago, Laos (pop. 5.25 million) was largely unknown to Western travellers. Other than a brief period during the 1960s, when the former French colony became a player in the Vietnam War, it has been largely ignored by the West – a situation that only intensified after the 1975 revolution and the years of xenophobic communist rule that ensued. However, since the Lao People's Democratic Republic reluctantly reopened its doors in the 1990s, a steady flow of visitors has trickled into this poverty-stricken, old-fashioned country, and a few traveller-oriented services have begun to emerge. For many, a journey through Laos consists of a whistlestop tour through the two main towns of Vientiane and Louang Phabang, with perhaps a brief detour to the mysterious Plain of Jars or ancient Wat Phou. However, those willing to explore further and brave difficult roads and basic, candlelit accommodation will be rewarded with sights of a rugged natural landscape and ethnically diverse people not much changed from those that greeted French explorers more than a century ago.

Laos's life-line is the Mekong River, which runs the length of the landlocked country and in places serves as a boundary with Thailand. Set on a broad curve of the Mekong, Vientiane is perhaps Southeast Asia's most modest capital city, and provides a smooth introduction to Laos, offering a string of cosmopolitan cafés to compensate for a relative lack of sights. From here, most tourists dash north, usually by plane, to Louang Phabang, though it's worth taking more time and doing the journey by bus, stopping off en route at the town of Vang Viang, set in a spectacular landscape of rice paddies and karsts. Once the heart and soul of the ancient kingdom of Lane Xang, tiny, cultured Louang Phabang is Laos's most enticing destination, with a spellbinding panoply of gilded temples and weathered shop-houses.

The wild highlands of the far north aren't the easiest to get around, but the prospect of trekking to nearby hilltribe villages has put easy-going Muang Sing on the map. From here, you can travel to the Burmese border at Xiang Kok, and then down the Mekong River to Houayxai, an entry point popular with travellers arriving from Thailand in search of a slow boat for the picturesque journey south to Louang Phabang. Lost in the misty mountains of the far northeast, the provincial capital of Xam Nua gives access to Viang Xai, where the Pathet Lao directed their resistance from deep within a vast cave complex. Following Route 6 south brings you to the bustling town of Phonsavan, set beside the Plain of Jars, a moonscape of bomb craters dotted with very ancient funerary urns. In the south, the vast majority of travellers zip down Route 13, stopping off in the three major southern towns: Thakhek, genial and cultural Savannakhet – also a handy border crossing with Thailand, and offering buses to Vietnam, too – and the important transport hub of Pakxe. Further south, near the former royal seat of Champasak, lie the ruins of Wat Phou, one of the most important Khmer temples outside Cambodia. South again, the countless river islands of Si Phan Don lie scattered across the Mekong, boasting scores of traditional fishing communities and the chance to spot the rare Irawaddy dolphin.

November to February are the most pleasant months to travel in lowland Laos, when daytime temperatures are agreeably warm and evenings slightly chilly; at higher elevations temperatures can drop to freezing point. In March, temperatures begin to climb, reaching a peak in April, when the lowlands are baking hot and humid. Generally, the rains begin in May and last until September, rendering many of Laos's unsealed roads impassable.

Communications

Mail takes one to two weeks in or out of Laos. Express Mail Service operates to most Western countries and certain destinations within Laos; the service cuts down on delivery time and automatically registers your letter. When sending parcels, leave the package open for inspection. However, it's not advisable to ship anything of value home from Laos; if you're going to Thailand, wait and send it from there. Incoming parcels are also subject to inspection.

Poste restante services are available in Vientiane and Louang Phabang; always address mail using the country's official name, Lao PDR, rather than "Laos".

The best place to make overseas telephone calls is the local Telecom Office (8am–9pm); elsewhere, international calls can sometimes be placed at the post office. To call abroad from Laos, dial 00 and then the relevant country code. Calls to the UK and North America cost approximately $3 per minute, $1.50 to New Zealand and less than $1 to Australia. There's no facility for collect or reverse-charge calls, but you can often get a "call back" for a small fee: ask the operator for the minimum call abroad and then get the person you're calling to ring you back. International fax services are available at upmarket hotels in Vientiane and Louang Phabang and at most provincial post offices.

Public card-phones are wired for both domestic and international calls. Phone booths are usually stationed outside post offices in provincial capitals, and occasionally elsewhere in larger towns. Phonecards (bat tholasap; $2.50–6) are sold at shops and post and telephone offices in several denominations of time "units"; these are units of time rather than money. Because of high charges for overseas calls and the low amount of time units available, it's difficult to make an overseas call that lasts for more than a few minutes before you're cut off. Local calls can be made at hotels and guesthouses for a small fee. Regional codes are given throughout the section: the "0" must be dialled before all long-distance calls.

The emergence of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Laos has drastically reduced the price and increased the availability of access to the web. Currently you'll find email and internet services at cybercafés and computer shops in Vientiane, Louang Phabang, Vang Viang, Oudomxai, Houayxai, Thakhek, Savannakhet and Pakxe, although it won't be long before these services spring up in other parts of the country. Charges range from 100K to 1000K per minute, depending on how far you are from the capital, where the lone ISP – Laonet – is based.

Crime and safety

Laos is a safe country for travellers. The recent economic woes have pushed crime rates up slightly, but petty crime remains on a small scale. As you would anywhere, keep your wits about you. If you do have anything stolen, you'll need to get the police to write up a report for your insurance: bring along a translator if you can.

Banditry

South of Route 7 lies the Xaisomboun Special Zone, an administrative district carved out of parts of Xiang Khouang and Bolikhamxai provinces and administered by the army. It is considered unsafe and is currently closed to tourists. Route 6 from Muang Khoun to Pakxan in the eastern part of the Special Zone should be avoided. Caution should also be exercised in the far south along the Cambodian border.

Drugs

It is illegal to smoke ganja in Laos although it continues to be widely available. Tourists who buy and smoke ganja risk substantial "fines" if caught by police, who do not need a warrant to search you or your room. Despite laws against possession, distribution and trafficking of opium, Laos has seen a steady rise in recent years of "drug tourism". Since 2001 there has been a wide-scale government crack-down on such drug tourism and opium dens in tourist centres such as Vang Vieng and Muang Sing have been shut down.

Emergency numbers

In Vientiane dial the following numbers (there are no emergency numbers for the rest of the country):

Fire 190

Ambulance 195

Police 191

Medical care and emergencies

You'll find pharmacies in all the major towns and cities. Pharmacists in Vientiane and Louang Phabang are quite knowledgeable and have a decent supply of medicines.

Healthcare in Laos is so poor as to be virtually non-existent. The nearest medical care of any competence is in neighbouring Thailand, and if you find yourself afflicted by anything more serious than travellers' diarrhoea, it's best to head for the closest Thai border crossing and check into a hospital. A clinic attached to the Australian embassy in Vientiane is mainly for embassy personnel, but can be relied upon in extreme emergencies.

Money and costs

Lao currency is the kip and is available in 5000K, 2000K, 1000K and 500K. There are no coins in circulation. In addition, the Thai baht and American dollar operate parallel to the kip. Although a 1990 law technically forbids the use of foreign currencies to pay for local goods and services, many hotels, restaurants and tour operators actually quote their prices in dollars, and accept payment in either baht or dollars. The government-owned airline, Lao Aviation, only accepts payment in American dollars cash.

The Asian financial crisis in 1997 badly affected the kip. Between June 1997 and early 1999, the kip, which is not freely convertible, fell more than eighty percent against the dollar and inflation was running at over a hundred percent a year. Although inflation has settled to 35 percent per annum, many Lao are suffering real hardship, as prices continue to rise while salaries remain the same.

The difference between the official and black-market rate is now so small that the once thriving black market (talat meut) in foreign currencies hardly exists. The government urges tourists to use banks and official exchange kiosks but just about every business in Laos is happy to change your currency at a favourable rate. At the time of writing, the official exchange rate was 9500 kip to the US dollar, 215 kip to the Thai baht and 12,975 kip to the pound.

Traveller's cheques are a safe way to carry your money, but it's a good idea to have a decent supply of American dollars or Thai baht in cash if you intend to spend time in the remoter parts of the country. Before travelling to smaller towns, change enough money to use until the next major town. Major credit cards are accepted at many hotels, upmarket restaurants and shops in Vientiane and Louang Phabang. Cash advances on Visa cards, and less frequently MasterCard, are possible in most major towns. At present, it still isn't possible to withdraw cash from ATMs in Laos. Bear in mind that you cannot change kip back into dollars or baht when leaving the country – and that duty-free shops only accept dollars and baht.

Food and drink

Fiery and fragrant, with a touch of sour, Lao food owes its distinctive taste to fermented fish sauces, lemon grass, coriander leaves, chillies and lime juice and is closely related to Thai cuisine. Eaten with the hands along with the staple sticky rice, much of Lao cuisine is roasted over an open fire and served with fresh herbs and vegetables. Pork, chicken, duck and water buffalo all end up in the kitchen, but freshwater fish is the main source of protein. An ingredient in many recipes is nâm pa, or fish sauce, which is used like salt. Most Lao cooking calls for fish sauce so you may want to order "baw sai nâm pa" ("without fish sauce").

Vientiane and Louang Phabang boast the country's best food, with excellent Lao food and international cuisine, but in remote towns you'll often only find noodles. Although Laos is a Buddhist country, very few Lao are vegetarian. It's fairly easy however to get a vegetable dish or a vegetable fried rice.

Hygiene is always an important consideration when eating out in Southeast Asia. All over Laos, the kitchen is often just a shack without proper lighting or even running water, and cooking is done over an open fire. Furthermore, in many northern towns there is no electricity to run refrigeration. As a rule, sticking to tourist-class restaurants is the safest bet but it is by no means a guarantee of not getting an upset stomach.

In smaller towns and villages, there may not be any sit-down restaurants as so few people can afford to eat out. Street stalls and food shacks that do a brisk business are the safest bets but cooked food that has been left standing should be treated with suspicion. Dishes containing raw meat or raw fish are considered a delicacy in Laos, but people who eat them risk parasites.

Where to eat

The cheapest places for food are markets, food stalls and noodle shops. Found in most towns throughout Laos, morning markets (talat sâo) remain open all day despite their name and provide a focal point for noodle shops (hân khãi fõe), coffee vendors, fruit stands and sellers of crusty loaves of French bread. In Louang Phabang and Vientiane, vendors hawking pre-made dishes gather in evening markets known as talat láeng towards late afternoon. Takeaways such as grilled chicken (pîng kai), spicy papaya salad (tam màk hung) and minced pork salad (làp mu) are commonly available.

Some noodle shops and food stalls feature a makeshift kitchen surrounded by a handful of tables and stools, inhabiting a permanent patch of pavement or even an open-air shop-house. Most stalls will specialize in only one general food type, or even only one dish, for example a stall with a mortar and pestle, unripe papayas and plastic bags full of pork rinds will only offer spicy papaya salads. Similarly, a noodle shop will generally only prepare noodles with or without broth – they won't have meat or fish dishes that are usually eaten with rice. A step up from street stalls and noodle shops are hân kin deum, literally "eat-drink shops", where you'll find a somewhat greater variety of dishes, as well as beer and whisky. Outside of Vientiane, street stalls and noodle shops rarely stay open beyond 8pm.

Most proper restaurants (hân ahãn) are run by ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese. Since Lao seldom eat outside the home there are few Lao-food restaurants. Many local eateries don't have menus – in Lao or English – so it's a good idea to memorize a few stock dishes such as fried rice (khao phat). Restaurants catering more to foreigners usually have an English menu and offer fried noodles and fried rice as well as a variety of Lao, Chinese and Thai dishes. Vientiane has a range of more expensive Lao restaurants, as well as good international food. A meal in one of these places won't cost more than $15.

Overland routes into Laos

Laos has borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, and Burma.
FROM BURMA
Western tourists are not permitted to cross between Burma and Laos at Muangmom or Xiang Kok, the two main border points between the two countries.
FROM CAMBODIA
Although the border crossing between Cambodia and Laos is not "officially" open, a steady stream of Western travellers have been getting through in both directions without incident.
FROM CHINA
From the town of Jinghong in China's southwestern Yunnan province, daily buses travel to and from Muang Sing, Oudomxai, and Louang Namtha. The last town on the Chinese side is the village of Mo Han and the first Lao village you come to is Boten. The river route from China to Laos is currently only open to cargo boats but there is talk of allowing foreign tourists to use this route in the near future.
FROM THAILAND
There are currently five points along the Thai border where Westerners are permitted to cross into Laos: Chiang Khong to Houayxai; Nong Khai to Vientiane; Nakhon Phanom to Thakhek; Mukdahan to Savannakhet; and Chong Mek to Pakxe.
FROM VIETNAM
There are now two border crossings open to foreigners between Vietnam and Laos: the most popular is Highway #8 from Cau Treo to Lak Xao, since the Highway #9 crossing from Lao Bao to Daen Sawan and Savannakhet is unpaved.

Information and maps

The National Tourism Authority of Laos (NATL) operates offices in a few major towns, but the staff are generally untrained and speak little English. Sodetour and Diethelm, two privately owned companies with offices in most major towns, can provide more reliable data. Word-of-mouth information from other travellers is often the best source, as conditions in Laos change with astonishing rapidity.

Good maps for Laos are difficult to find. The best road map of Laos is the Laos 2002 Guide Map published by Golden Triangle Rider and available at bookstores in Thailand or at Wildside Outdoor Adventure offices in Laos. The latest edition of Nelles 1:1,500,000 map of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is adequate for orientation but not very good for pin-pointing towns or villages. Likewise, the Bartholomew 1: 2,000,000 Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos map is attractive but not always reliable.

Entry requirements and visa extension

Visas are required for all foreign visitors to Laos except Thais. A fifteen-day visa on arrival is available for $30 (US dollars cash only, plus one photo), but is only available to travellers flying into Vientiane's Wattay airport, Louang Phabang airport or at the Friendship Bridge between Vientiane and Nong Khai, Thailand.

If you plan to enter Laos via somewhere other than these border points, or if you want a longer visa, you will have to apply for a visa in advance at a Lao embassy or through a travel agency. Many visitors do this while staying in Bangkok or Hanoi. In Bangkok, you can apply for a thirty-day visitor visa directly from the Laotian embassy, for B1000–1600 depending on your nationality; fifteen-day visas are not significantly cheaper. You will need two passport photos, and if you apply before noon it will be ready the same afternoon. An alternative option is to apply through a travel agent in Bangkok; they charge B750 for a fifteen-day tourist visa, and B1200–1600 for a thirty-day visitor visa; allow three working days for processing. There is a Lao consulate in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand which can also issue visas, though fees and processing times are variable.

Travellers entering Laos from Chiang Khong in Thailand's Chiang Rai province, can arrange fifteen-day visas through Chiang Khong guesthouses and travel agencies: the processing takes two working days and costs about $27. Thirty-day visas can also be arranged here for $38 but take two to three days to process.

Travellers from Vietnam can get visas for Laos at the Lao embassy in Hanoi or at the consulates in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. It's important to note that the conditions and fees for Lao visas issued in Vietnam vary from place to place and change constantly. The Lao Embassy in Hanoi does one-month visitor visas ($50–70; 3 working days) and five-day transit visas ($25–40; 3 working days), the latter of which may only be valid for one province. The one-day express service costs an extra $20. In Ho Chi Minh City, you can get a thirty-day visitor visa ($50; same day service) but in Da Nang, you can only get a fifteen-day tourist visa ($50; 2 working days) or a five-day transit visa ($30, 2 working days) which will allow you to take Route 9 over to Mukdahan, Thailand.

Non-extendible transit visas, good for only five days ($25–30; allow three working days), are offered at the Lao embassy in Hanoi and the consulate in Kunming, China, for travellers flying to Bangkok who wish to make a stopover in Vientiane.

Visa extensions can be applied for at the immigration office in Vientiane on Hatsady Road. The extension charge is $2 per day; the maximum length of your visa extension is fifteen days but this is up to the official on duty. Officially, only the immigration office in Vientiane can issue visa extensions, but it's always worth trying in other towns. Both airport and border immigration offices generally charge $5 per day for overstays.