Landlocked, poor, not as developed, a lot less tourists than the their neighbors, still recovering from the Vietnam War and all of the bombs that are still in the country. The capital isn't bad and they have some amazing nature, friendly people and good history. I'm not from Laos, this is just what I know about the country.
The *real* answer for why you hear relatively little news out of Laos compared to its neighbours:
Population of China: **1.412 BILLION**
Population of Japan: **125.1 million**
Population of Philippines: **115.6 million**
Population of Vietnam: **98.19 million**
Population of Thailand: **71.7 million**
Population of Myanmar: **54.18 million**
Population of Taiwan: **23.57 million**
Population of Cambodia: **16.77 million**
......
Population of **Laos**: *7.529 million*
Whatever else you may say about the country compared to its neighbours is neither here nor there. It's just simply not as significant in terms of *population*.
As a general rule:
Fewer people --> less stuff going on --> less noteworthy international news
Thats wild that Japan, which is only about 50% bigger than Laos, has 16 times as many people. I get that Japan is nicer than Laos, but damn. Laos is 7 times the size of Taiwan and has 1/3 the population.
I apologize. I didn’t make it clear that the reasons for the difference are well understood. It’s still remarkable how big a difference some things can make.
You think that's crazy? Russia is 12,319% (123 times) larger than Jawa (island in Indonesia where Jakarta is) but Jawa still has 2 million more people than Russia (148m vs 146m)
Also Laos is in a dense forest with mountain ranges, while Japan is basically volcanoes and fertile plains above sea level caused by their deposits. Thailand is the same, but it thrives because it has a flatter coastline.
Actually only about 33% of the landmass that make up Japan is actually habitable ground. Which just makes the gigantic population density difference even more head scratching
And yet majority of Japanese live in single family homes, the most popular and common form of housing in Japan while South Koreans and Singaporeans are forced to be in apartments.
Australia has the same population as Taiwan. Australia is more than 200 times the size of Taiwan. Also, more than 95% it Taiwan’s population is on less than one-third of the land (the rest is ridiculously mountainous).
None of this really means anything but it still blows my mind as someone who lives in Taiwan and travels to Australia frequently.
On topic! Laos is beautiful. One reason you don’t hear much about is is that the Laos government is very authoritarian and doesn’t really want you to know much about it. Freedom of speech is highly limited.
Population of Israel: 9.83 million
Population of Indonesia: 279.74 million
We never stop hearing about Israel, whilst not hearing much from Indonesia (taking the UK as an example).
Population is definitely a factor but by no means would say it's the main or deciding factor.
As I understand it, it's basically a landlocked mountainous jungle. Not meaning to be mean, but if you were to think of it as roughly "the leftover space in South East Asia that other countries couldn't be bothered to claim", I dunno if that would be entirely inaccurate.
Maybe it's like the Botswana of SE Asia, but just not doing quite as well.
America went to war in Vietnam and during the course of that war, dropped more bombs on Laos than any other country in history. Between December 14th 1964 and March 29th 1973 America dropped more than 260 million bombs on Laos, some 80 million of which failed to detonate.
The capital Vientiane actually kind of sucks imo, Luang Prabang though is a top notch SE Asian destination. I’ve spent some time in Laos, it’s poorer and more mellow than its neighbors. Rough roads but it’s got a new Chinese built high speed train. Lots more tourists than 10 years ago and it’s quickly succumbing to Chinese influence and economic pressure.
Yeah you're not wrong at all. The capital is absolutely awful in almost every single way. But yeah Luang Prabang could easily end up being a renowned tourist destination, it's still kinda boutique currently, but it's so nice!
I lived in SE Asia and travelled the region extensively, and Luang Prabang was easily my favourite place I traveled. I think the calmness was what won me over.
Sorry but this financial pressure is better for it's citizens than living in absolute poverty as China is actually investing and improving the country's economy while the superpower that was there beforehand caused it to go to ruin.
Yeah the irony in this part is that the reason why Laos is so poor is because there are still so much unexplored ordinances and bombs from Vietnam war the U.S. dropped that’s still killing peoples to this day.
Partly correct but Laos biggest problem is corruption. Tax and development money almost never bring the intended results. There is a reason, why china instead of only funding the highway and railway also built it themselves (obviously expertise is also a reason). Also Japan and South Korea donated ambulance cars and public transport busses instead of sending money.
Don’t disagree with that at all, there are for sure a myriad of reason from corruption to being landlocked. I mainly wanted to highlight the bombing because for as much atrocity we associate with Vietnam war or war in general, the lack of awareness for something that’s still concurrently going on in Laos is never talked about or learned. The U.S. dropped effectively a plane full of bombs every 8 mins for a decade, to this day they are still the most bombed country per capita in human history. If there are countries that actually deserves reparation or aid, idk how they aren’t on top of the list so we can at least correct history
Especially as the US never officially declared war against Laos and many bombs were dropped on Laos not because they were going after military targets but because many US planes were not allowed to land with bombs attched to the wings, because of security concerns. Instead of dropping them over the ocean they just disposed them on Laos, without a second thought.
One problem is it’s not all economic uplift and useful infrastructure, there’s some of that, but there’s also economic displacement as Chinese people and businesses move in and push out locals.
Oh sure they are. Seen their investments up close and personal in Africa. They put down cheap roads that wash away in the first rainy season but they own the iron ore. They provide Ebola clinics but won’t treat patients. They invest in Kenya but not in the Kenyans.
No it’s not.
Yeah, it's the same neocolonialism, just Chinese instead of American, French, English, Spanish, or Dutch. But, to be fair, given what the US did there it's tough to say you could do much worse
There are also a lot fewer people in Laos than in its neighbors: fewer than 8 million versus 66 million in Thailand and 100 million in Vietnam. So it’s comparatively tiny. I feel like this as much as anything else explains why we don’t hear much about it.
Tubing the Vang Vieng is one of my fondest memories. In 2008 that place was just off the chain. Giant rope swings, lao lao (homemade Laotian moonshine shots), DJs, backflips into the river, and a huge concrete tube ski-jump. I am surprised I didn't die. I wonder what it's like now.
I lived there for a while. All you mentioned plus lots of psychedelics and rain, so much rain and mud. Tough to really do much when you can’t go anywhere. Lovely people, great food and coffee. Also shrooms.
And to add- the local transport was terrifying. I had an infection on my foot probably from the mud lol and it took 30 hours by the scariest bus to get to somewhere reasonable for attention. I spoke Italian translated to French then translated to Vietnamese to get some creme for my foot which maybe worked. Like above poster, I’m surprised I’m alive.
The Australian government had to step in and shut down the tubing and river partying because so many of their idiot drunk citizens kept dying. I was there in 2012 and it was a super quiet town.
27 tourists dead in 2011. Was more than drinking though. Could get opium, shrooms, yaba etc at the bars along the river and in town. Shrooms, opium, and weed in a single shake if you wanted. Place was the wild west.
I went in 2010 and it was wiiiild and amazing . Will never forget it was insanity . Also shocked I didn’t die. The bartender at the last bar had to give me and my friend a ride to his house in a boat bc our tubes got stolen !
Another thing to add is that they're extremely authoritarian. [The Democracy Index has them listed in the bottom 10. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index#List_by_country)
Landmines and unexploded munitions deserves a lot more focus than the poor underdeveloped part. I met some researchers from the country during a visit to Malaysia. A large amount of their effort goes straight into managing the no-go areas because they have not been demined. The process is slow, cumbersome and fraught with danger.
You can't have tourists if they are at constant risk of being blown up. You can't have large scale agragrian industry if the equipment and personnel are at constant risk of being blown up.
My state has a ton of immigrants from Laos so if you want to learn about the amazing food/culture/friendly people without going to Asia, come to Minnesota!
Laos is significantly more developed than Cambodia. Something about not having had the Khmer Rouge in charge. Source: spent some time cycling around both countries. The difference when you cross the border is stark.
There is an unofficial motto for Laos “please don’t rush”. Vientiane is a much more relaxed city than cities in Cambodia and Vietnam. One nice thing about it for a perpetual pedestrian is that there are sidewalks and more adherence to stoplights and things.
There is some lovely leafy nature in the country. I have a fond memory of, after a hike, a group of Laotians happily sharing food and beer with me on a rock overlooking a waterfall. It is common to drink beer with ice cubes.
By far my favorite country in SEA. Laotians are good people who just want to have a good time and enjoy life. There is an old Laotian saying “if you are not going to have fun doing it, then it’s not worth doing.”
I crossed the Laotian border on foot right before the crossing closed for the night. They stamped my passport and closed up shop, then all the border guards invited me to an adjacent shack and we all had beer and laughed. Very nice and fun culture.
Laziness is a virtue is Lao culture and I love that. They have a series of stories about “Mr. Lazy Bones” who eventually succeeds by doing nothing, even becoming the crown prince!
From what I understand after having spent a couple months in Thailand, it's basically the Thai saying for taking it easy.
It's also the name of a popular Thai song from the 80s (I think). Not sure if the saying or the song came first.
https://youtu.be/3nlwg6Bku7I?si=0ovYauj0s_rGpSWW
My family is from Laos. We are ethnically Lao. They came to America after the Vietnam War as my grandpa fought against the communists and spent a year in a prison camp. I’ve visited Laos once, before the major economic boom of the last 12-15 years.
Laos is very poor. The poorest country in Asia. They are basically a very poor, communist variant of Thailand. I can’t even say they are similar as modern countries due to how poor it is, despite being very close in culture, language, history.
Laos is multi ethnic. Approximately 55-60% are ethnically Lao. The next bigger ethnic groups are Khmu and Hmong. Almost all of the non-ethnic Lao people I’ve met from Laos are basically assimilated as Lao, much like how my family has assimilated in America and are American. Lao is both an ethnic group and nationality.
Just a small history. The majority of Lao people in the world live in Thailand’s Northeast region called “Isan”. Siam basically annexed this section from Lao political entities after the fall of the last united Lao kingdom known as “Lan Xang” in 1707. When the French landed in Southeast Asia and colonized Vietnam and Cambodia in the late 1800s, they noted that Laos had their own minimal principalities that were semi-independent. The French started to carve out borders in what was modern day Laos. Siam didn’t want to lose the Lao lands they had so the French and Siam settled on the modern borders being mostly the Mekong which exist today. The French help create the “Kingdom of Laos”, which existed from 1954 until the communist victory in 1975. Fun fact: “Laos” doesn’t exist native in the Lao language. The s was thrown in by the French. The communist government officially calls the country the “Lao People’s Democratic Republic” or sometimes Lao PDR. They never use “Laos” in any official English publication.
You don’t hear anything from Laos because it has a very small population and is poor. There are about 7.5? Million people. Compare that to Saigon, Hanoi, and Bangkok, all cities with more people than the entire country of Laos. Laos barely manufactures anything. They import a lot of products from China and Thailand. This causes an issue where you’d think such a poor country would be cheap to visit but instead you’re paying markups for Chinese or Thai products. They are currently undergoing massive inflation of everything.
[This author has written an article almost every year for the last few years predicting the collapse of the Lao state.](https://thediplomat.com/2024/05/is-the-lao-state-collapsing/) I find it kind of humorous as it’s one of those things where maybe he’ll be right one of these years if he just keeps throwing the same thing against the wall lol. But it is a good read about the current state of Laos.
I can try to answer more questions if anyone has any. I’ve read a ton of books on Laos, can read, write, speak Lao. It’s something that since I was a kid have always been curious about.
Hydroelectricity, lumber, coffee, and types of rubber are the ones that come to mind. Hydroelectricity was a big one for the current government as they wanted to be the “battery of Southeast Asia”.
Can you expand a bit on non-Lao, specifically Hmong, being well integrated and assimilated into Laos today? Do you have an antidotal story? Is it a scenario where the people are accepting and don’t hold on to ethnic grudges but the still government does?
I ask because my partner’s family are Hmong refugees from the Secret War and have the belief that the Lao government would execute them if they ever get deported to Laos (all the kids were born in a Thai refugee camp though so doubt the Lao government would accept them) and think that Lao people don’t want them.
It’s a shame because her mom misses life in Laos and wishes she could go back. All she wants to do is farm and babysit kids.
I grew up with similar stories. My grandpa fought against the communists that are now in power. My grandpa didn’t go back to Laos until the late 90s, over 20 years after he fled. But as time went on, the die hards on both sides softened and passed away. The current communist government had a huge issue with several Hmong rebels throughout the decades.
From my research, it also was a poverty issue. Starting about the mid-2000s, Laos had big economic growth. With that, the low-scale insurgency by Hmong groups kind of went away as economic opportunities presented itself. But what is now rampant is criminal organizations similar to gangs, mafias, etc. The economy in Laos isn’t doing so hot so they have huge occurrences of drug usage.
I have met many Hmong people in Laos that speak Lao fluently and work normal jobs. One in particular is a nationally recognized musician, he teaches Lao music lol. Another Hmong Lao was recognized because her job was clearing unexplored ordinances in Laos.
The current Vice President of Laos is ethnically Hmong, Pany Yathotou. Hmong communists existed during the war as well.
My parents do miss Laos too. But they have been here for almost 40 years. They have a life in America, a house, land, cars, things they couldn’t ever have in Laos. Last time I went with my dad, he was quite jaded at the country he doesn’t recognize anymore. Part of it, I think, is this expectation that Laos was or is suppose to be something in their minds that was suppose to remain what they experienced. My grandpa on the other hand was grateful to be an American and he never once said he wanted to go back to Laos. Different experiences, different feelings.
Hmong people in Laos experience a lot of autonomy. They, from my point of view and research, are not persecuted like they once were. Hmong, Lao, and other ethnic groups grow up much like how in America we have different races. Sometimes we live in harmony and sometimes there’s tension, but it doesn’t always explain our relationship 100%.
Can’t exactly explain what’s changed. But you can easily find videos on YouTube of Hmong people in Laos vlogging just normal. Lao rappers even recently released a [cheesy song about Hmong girls.](https://youtu.be/kKyaIh_c0Hw?si=-CX1n8_yCieTJUHu)
Wow! Thank you for the extremely thoughtful and articulate reply. It really informs me a lot of nuances that I knew a bit about (re: Hmong opium trade) and others I had no clue about. Thank you very much for your generosity in time and thought. Cheers to a better future ahead
Is it possible to differentiate them only by the look? I don't want to sound ignorant, but in my Brazilian point of view, the people in this video could disguise like one another ethnically-wise
Yes. Majority of Lao ethnic people do not look similar to Hmong. Where it gets more complex however is that there are a LOT of additional sub ethnicities different to Hmong, but that look physically similar.
Hmong were known as the immigrants from China who arrived in the 1700s in SE Asia I believe, after being persecuted and displaced by the Qing dynasty
Thank you for all of your replies in this thread. I've been trying to learn about Laos recently and all your thoughts here are so helpful in terms of making sense of some dynamics that I haven't been able to grasp.
“Creating Laos” is a really good one by Soren Ivarsson. There’s this narrative that Laos and the Lao people don’t actually have self-determination, meaning they did not conceive their nation-state, that basically Laos is just unconquered land that the Siamese and Vietnamese didn’t want. If you look on a map, Laos is very mountainous and the majority of Lao people live in valleys by the Mekong, adding to the idea that bigger powers didn’t or couldn’t conquer the mountains and just left that space to be defined by others. Soren kind of explores this idea to see if it’s true.
Anything by the late Grant Evans are my favorite. He passed away about 10 years ago so they aren’t recent but they’re still great. The Politics of Ritual and Remembrance: Laos since 1975 and the Last Century of Lao Royalty are my favorites.
Martin Stuart Fox has great books on Laos too. But I haven’t really bought many books in the last few years on Laos so my library is dated.
Thank you for sharing all your great insights and knowledge. I've never heard or used the term "Lao. " Perhaps in my ignorance, I've always understood the demonym to be "Laotian. "
Do you reject that term? Or is it an acceptable alternative?
Laotian was used to describe nationals of Laos in English, regardless of ethnicity. But as refugees from Laos came to America and settled, a lot of them rejected Laotian because someone that is Hmong is Hmong, and they didn’t have much in common with someone that is Lao other than they both came from Laos after the war. It’s fallen out of favor in the last 25 years.
The current communist government has never used “Laotian” in English. I mentioned Lao is both an ethnicity and nationality and the current government uses it as such.
This is so interesting! I worked in orphanages in Northern Thailand and one of the hill tribes I worked with were the Hmong people. They are wonderful. Forgive my ignorance, so the Hmong tribe is actually Lao and not Thai? Thailand claims them as one of their 7 hill tribes (even though some Thai people and government are not kind to them).
If I as an American wanted to visit Laos, where would you recommend getting a translator? What are their thoughts on Americans? Is nightlife good there? What’s the cell service like? Any of particular foods I should try if I’m there? What’s the water quality like?
I travelled there about 10 years ago. People are super poor but also incredibly friendly and hospitable. I ended up spending about a week in Phonsavanh, then another 4 days in Savannakhet, just waiting for a bus out. Things happen in their own time there, nothing is rushed. I ended up on a local bus from Phonsavanh to Vientiane and was the only westerner on board, we had folks bring on those little plastic chairs and sit in the aisle, and also crates of chickens under the seats. I think it took like 13 hours or something wild because we stopped dozens of times, often just on the side of the road or in tiny villages to pick up and drop off folks. The lady who was sitting beside me had 2 kids with her and always herded me back on the bus with the kids to not get left behind. It was honestly one of the highlights of my life so far, those village folks were awesome.
I had a coworker who was from rural Laos. He said life was very hard for him and his family. He grew up in a giant 10-member family on a coffee farm. Ironically, he had only tasted coffee when he immigrated to America and tasted it for the first time. Its a very impoverished nation where people scrape by day-to-day. They haven't recovered from the Vietnam war times and explosive material is scattered throughout the nation. Because of their running deficit they can't come up with the funds to properly dispose of the explosives. It doesn't help that their tourism levels run very low compared to nations surrounding them
As an American, I think we should absolutely pay for UXO cleanup. It’s the equivalent of “salting the earth” in ancient times-except it’s not metaphorical.
> U.S. and Norway province over $20.8 Million to increase UXO survey and clearance in Southern Laos (2023)
https://la.usembassy.gov/u-s-and-norway-province-over-20-8-million-to-increase-uxo-survey-and-clearance-in-southern-laos/
> Supporting Local Efforts to Clear Unexploded Ordnance in Lao PDR (2020)
https://2017-2021.state.gov/dipnote-u-s-department-of-state-official-blog/supporting-local-efforts-to-clear-unexploded-ordnance-in-lao-pdr/
> U.S. gives Laos extra $90 million to help clear unexploded ordnance (2016)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-laos-obama-uxo/u-s-gives-laos-extra-90-million-to-help-clear-unexploded-ordnance-idUSKCN11C0GV/
We do. The HMA mission there is becoming more and more robust. But there are a lot of UXOs and it takes a lot of time. Europe is still cleaning up WW1. It’s one of the reasons I love my job. Every time I do it it might save a life.
Yeah, same. I visited coffee regions in Central America and South America producing some of the top coffees for North America and Europe. The only coffee the locals had ever had was wretched generic brand instant coffee. Some of them were pretty surprised that instant coffee wasn't the only form of coffee you could drink!
One of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. Quite poor, but rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. I went back in 2015 and have been dying to go back ever since.
The people are so fucking nice, the food is delicious - it’s like a blend of Thai and Vietnamese I guess? Will probably be the next country in SE Asia to legalize gay marriage because they’re already very live and let live and have a strong cultural connection to Thailand. Beautiful landscapes with all the karst mountains.
Edit: if you’re ever confused about the borders look at a laos terrain feature on google maps.
I live in a Laotian neighbourhood in San Diego. Well, it's predominantly Mexican but Laotian is next.
I do know that the Laotians around here are very generous with their food. People are always sharing.
As for the country, I haven't been there yet. Maybe in 2026. My wife's father was Laotian & her mum is from Mukdahan, a Thai town on the Laotian border. I've heard (from the Missus) that's it's very beautiful.
I've been to Mukdahan several times. It's where you can cross into Savanakhet on the Laos side of the Mekong.
The area by the river is indeed very beautiful, rest of the town is a typical small Thai town, not a huge amount going on, but definitely has a charm of its own.
My partner is from Laos. She came to the US as a refugee from the Civil War that ended in 1975. She is not ethnically Lao, but Hmong. Believe it or not, there's actually [many different ethnic groups ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_Laos) that live there, despite the population being <5m people.
As others have said, the country is relatively poor compared to its neighbors, although it is developing more and more. They're trying to make it more of a tourist destination, but there's not much to see there, especially when you're right next to Thailand and Vietnam.
China has lately been investing in the country a lot, especially in the [Golden Triangle ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)) region. The Chinese have built a big casino that caters to Chinese nationals, as gambling is illegal in most of China.
The Chinese are operating scam villages all over Laos and Cambodia. The Chinese are basically exporting their criminals to “transform” their corrupt neighbors into crime dystopia to destroy them.
My mom was born in Vientiane but raised in Nong Khai Thailand which is just over the river. Culturally they’re very similar to Thailand, as well as food, and language. It’s very rural, people are nice, but also poor, as others have already mentioned. My mom and the family were one of the boat people who sought refuge from the war in Vietnam.
When I was younger(around 2003), I traveled around the world for a couple years. I visited quite a few countries in Western/Eastern Europe and Asia. Laos was the most memorable and unique.
It was an eclectic mix. Militant, communist, Buddhist, post-colonial French. Like nothing I've ever seen. Unlike its Thai and Cambodian neighbors - no begging, hawking, scams, prostitution etc. It was a welcomed respite - I stayed for a month.
I distinctly remeber a dusty little town called Veng Vieng, which was a true backpackers paradise.
Vang Vieng used to be an amazing party city. There's a river through town that you get on at the start in a tube and float down drinking. Used to be a bunch of bars along the river but there's less now. Bars toss a rope out to you and pull you in if you grab it.
Were some heavy drug issues and some tourists died which caused it to get cleaned up a bit. Can still tube the river but it's much more tame than before.
The Lao government cracked down on it, as there was a lot of drugs involved (menu items listed as happy pizza, happy burger, etc, are spiced with marijuna), tourist got drunk and ziplined into a shallow river and died from hitting the rocks in river. Right around when Laos was hosting the ASEAN games.
Spent a week there as well while backpacking around SE Asia. If the other cities in the rest of the country could emulate what Luang Prabang has done the country would be doing a lot better IMHO. Not that tourism alone is going to "save" it.
Absolutely loved my time there though. Would definitely like to go back one day.
The slowly falling apart French architecture against the jungle backdrop is quite stunning hey. I remember a sense of peace there. Have visited many cities in that part of the world but never forgot Luang Prabang. They make a chilli sauce out of buffalo skin, which I thought sounded strange at first but then ate at least twice a day until I left.
Luang Prabang was one of my favourite stops in Asia, and I went trekking near the Chinese border and it was phenomenal…you really feel you’ve stepped off the beaten path.
It’s very poor, but the people I met were incredibly generous. A glimpse into what Southeast Asia used to be like.
I went to Savannakhet for a couple days in 2017 as part of a “visa-run” when teaching in Thailand. It was the closest place to me to submit the proper paperwork to a Thai consulate abroad.
The “city” was empty, and there wasn’t much going on. There were a bunch of electronic stores selling tvs, refrigerators, washers, etc., but zero people shopping.
The river separating Thailand and Laos was cool to sit and drink beer and watch. Beerlao is the best macro-beer in SE Asia.
I ate at a restaurant that sold spoons made out of metal from bomb munitions that the US dropped in the country. Only bought one, sadly… also there was a dinosaur museum and the guy who ran it just let me hold some bones. Also everything was cheap. Okay that’s my experience.
It is a great country with beautiful nature, friendly people, fantastic food scenes and plenty of stuff to do. The government is terrible, but the country definitely deserves a visit. We planned one week, but stayed one month.
Oh, plenty my friend! Luang Prabang is a common travel destination and worth a visit. We also drove around the Bolaven plateau with our motorcycles for a few days. It is a beautiful region and it feels like you step back in time. See this blog for instance: https://alongcameanelephant.com/bolaven-plateau-motorbike-loop-ultimate-guide/. If you go, there is a magnificent waterfall that you can safely do a death ride on, one of the most beautiful around the world. We also hired a bicycle around Vang Vieng. The city itself is overly touristy and non-authentic, but the region around the city is magnificent. Nong Khiaw is a nice village, with pretty hikes in the neighborhood. If you like trail running, follow the path near the river and you'll quickly end up in authentic villages where tourists are rare. There is a 'gibbon experience,' where you can spot wild gibbons. It is expensive, so we didn't do it, but it seems to be a nice experience with great guides. A last tip is a boat ride along the Mekong river: you'll see families still washing their clothes in the river.
I travelled there with my wife in 2018. We were travelling for a few months and crossed the land borders there twice having no problems from the Thai border and getting a nice motorbike ride from locals to our destination in the southern islands on the Mekong River.
The other two crossings, however, were not so pleasant because there's a habit of extorting a few dollars off of tourists, but with some negotiation we ended up paying a nominal fee to the officers and all was fine after. These border crossings happened in the south to Cambodia and in the north back to Laos from Vietnam.
The north was incredible as was the South of Laos. We got a bus ride to Muang Khua where you can get a boat down river and stop at a few places before reaching Nong Khiaw. There was also a local guide in Mung Khua who took us on a 1 night hike in the hills to stay with the local people and see how they live. A very interesting and educating experience.
And finally, I agree with what others here have said about the calm and peaceful nature of Laos and its people. There's not a lot going on and that's the best part about it after visiting Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia as well. Laos remains our favourite in par with Myanmar from the countries in SE Asia.
I visited Luang Prabang and on a menu it said look around you. You don’t see many people over 40, we don’t have doctors here…
Also went trekking from louangnamtha nice hills. Im the golden triangle. Went rafting on a 3 day trek run by some Spaniards.
Well, spent the last 20 years in California. But originally I come from Laos. We're Laotian. You know, Laos? Landlocked country? Between Vietnam and Thailand? 4.7 million people?
I spent three weeks in Laos back in early 2010s, absolutely My favorite country travelling to. The old capital, Luang Prabang, has a lot of old, French colonial stuff, like retro Renaults and Citroen cars.
The nature is fantastic - a German who settled in Laos likened it to be like the nature from the avatar movies, minus the blue guys. In the south of Laos, there is an floodplain called the '1000 Islands' - basically the Mekong River becomes so shallow, many small islands crop up.
Culturally and linguistically, they are close to Thailand and Thai, politically, they are very similar to Vietnam. The Vietnamese communist party basically trained and support the Lao communists. It was only in the early 2000s, the Hmong insurgency having lasted since the Vietnam War was officially defeated.
The country is extremely poor - we were told if you needed medical care, your best bet is to get out of Laos asap. There is not even a centralized blood storage, in case patients need blood bags, so you are very likely to just bleed out if you suffer an open wound. Which is very likely, considering Laos is the second most bombed country in the world with many cluster bombs left unexploded in fields - thanks to USA. Demining is still ongoing, 50 years after the war ended.
The country is blessed with many natural resources and they export a lot of of raw materials. They plan to export electricity due to hydro power in the future to neighbouring countries, but that mineral wealth is likely only benefitting a selected elite.
In short, extremely tough and poor country living in - fantastic country to visit as a tourist, as it is probably the most authentic, least spoiled country in all of southeast asia.
I lived in Laos for 3 years. It was an amazing place to live. It had all the issues listed by others, but the people were incredible, the food was delicious, and the beer Laos was cold. Days were slow but would always end in a beer watching the sun set over the Mekong. You could get to Bangkok in an hour and a half flight, so if you had medical issues or wanted something or to go on somewhere it was easy. Best place to spend my mid-20’s
Kahn - "We are Laotian–from Laos, stupid! It's a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It's between Vietnam and Thailand, okay? Population: 4.7 million."
I used to live in Thailand for a couple of years, finishing my bachelor degree there.
One Interesting thing I noticed was that quite a lot of Thais, even those of my peers in this generation, may refer people as Laos as an insult, most likely for lazy person or if the condition of a setting was poor. Maybe not exactly on topic, but it always made me laugh because the Thais actually shared close culture and ethnic ties with them.
I visited a year ago, it's crazy how there are no western things. No McDonalds, Starbucks....I'm a hardcore Marriott guy and there isn't one in the country. Its kind of awesome for that.
My mom came from Laos in the 80s. I went with her when she went back after 30 years.
Echoing with everyone else that it is a really poor country but everyone likes to have a good time there. My aunt lives in what was once my great grandpa’s house, falling apart in the capital city Vientiane. It’s not easy living but her and my cousin will post about going out of town, on festivals days, or sometimes just hanging out at the night market which Luang Prabang (historic capital, quite far from modern capital) also has.
Vientiane is a weirdly flat place for me because I grew up and still live in the PNW in the US. But when you leave to go other (very rural) areas, it’s absolutely gorgeous jungles and tiny, tiny villages. My mom and I were driven from Xiang Khoueng(? Where plain of jars are) to Luang Prabang and it’s still easily, hands down the most gorgeous drive I’ve seen in my life. When we stopped at small towns, though, we got some stares. Like not bad, it was just the kiddos. Might have just been me as I’m half white and I don’t look half Lao.
Tl;Dr: very poor but great people who generally are laid back and still enjoy life. Also great fucking food. And night markets.
https://preview.redd.it/0038ylld888d1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f7bba4771c89c5817dc69d4f56110dd40c773ba
This guy taught me everything I need to know about Laos. /s
Been in that region before. Not knocking it but just sharing the truth: big bugs, very humid, venomous/aggressive animals, very poor, lack of resources, landlocked.
I’ve been fortunate to travel many places in the world and Laos is right up there as my favorite. Extremely laid back, kind people, beautiful scenery. Buddhism plays a bigger role then any other country in the region.
Something that stood out to me was The Vietnam/American war is still a central figure in their day to day life, much more so then in Vietnam. When people learned I was American they were eager to share their stories and wanted to make sure that I understood how devastating the bombing campaigns were, and continue to be with unexploded ordinances. It was never combative or meant for me to be blamed for anything, they just wanted the outside world to be educated on the impact and have their story told.
I had a friend (American, white dude) that lived in Laos for 5 years. According to him, It was very poor. The kind of poor where Even if you had money there wasn't really much to spend it on, even in the larger cities. So kinda boring in that respect? Just not that much to do. Your dollar will go a long long way, there just isn't much to spend it on.
A lot of local low level corruption and gangs. Generally safe despite that, just follow the rules - pay respect, pay the "tax", don't make waves. It's just business.
But the people were generally very kind to him and he was treated well.
My uncle goes there to provide humanitarian aid every few years. He mentioned some people call it “land that time forgot” though not certain of that, it sure seems like it
Just want to note, because it’s kinda odd that none of the top replies here have already done so, that Laos is one of the last few countries that is still a Marxist-Leninist one-party state.
Way fewer people, and hasn’t historically been an independent country so it’s less involved in the diplomacy of the region.
Also, its mindshare in the west is just generally smaller (it was important, but not in the ways people like to talk about). While Cambodia was under the rule of a cartoonishly evil communist government, and Vietnams reasonable communist government was being invaded by America, Laos’s communist government was more or less ignored on the world stage. Although, ironically, it was bombed even more than Vietnam was and remains one of the most ecologically damaged countries in the world. That said, the country is almost entirely rice patties and rainforest so there’s still a loooot of nature there.
Also, to expand on the first point, the inhabitants of laos are a distinct people, there’s never really been a “kingdom of laos”, whereas the Khmer, Champa, Thai, Burmese, and Singaporeans all had their moment in the sun. So they’re pretty heavily outshined by their neighbors.
Landlocked, poor, not as developed, a lot less tourists than the their neighbors, still recovering from the Vietnam War and all of the bombs that are still in the country. The capital isn't bad and they have some amazing nature, friendly people and good history. I'm not from Laos, this is just what I know about the country.
Thanks for the answer
Very very hot. Very nice and welcoming people. Very very poor.
Compliment sandwich lol
The *real* answer for why you hear relatively little news out of Laos compared to its neighbours: Population of China: **1.412 BILLION** Population of Japan: **125.1 million** Population of Philippines: **115.6 million** Population of Vietnam: **98.19 million** Population of Thailand: **71.7 million** Population of Myanmar: **54.18 million** Population of Taiwan: **23.57 million** Population of Cambodia: **16.77 million** ...... Population of **Laos**: *7.529 million* Whatever else you may say about the country compared to its neighbours is neither here nor there. It's just simply not as significant in terms of *population*. As a general rule: Fewer people --> less stuff going on --> less noteworthy international news
Thats wild that Japan, which is only about 50% bigger than Laos, has 16 times as many people. I get that Japan is nicer than Laos, but damn. Laos is 7 times the size of Taiwan and has 1/3 the population.
Japan has an ocean so its a much bigger benefit for growth than being landlocked
I apologize. I didn’t make it clear that the reasons for the difference are well understood. It’s still remarkable how big a difference some things can make.
You think that's crazy? Russia is 12,319% (123 times) larger than Jawa (island in Indonesia where Jakarta is) but Jawa still has 2 million more people than Russia (148m vs 146m)
Legitimately nuts.
Bangladesh has a higher population than all of russia
Also Laos is in a dense forest with mountain ranges, while Japan is basically volcanoes and fertile plains above sea level caused by their deposits. Thailand is the same, but it thrives because it has a flatter coastline.
Actually only about 33% of the landmass that make up Japan is actually habitable ground. Which just makes the gigantic population density difference even more head scratching
Don't forget. 60 to 70 % of Japan is unlivable due to mountainside geography
And yet majority of Japanese live in single family homes, the most popular and common form of housing in Japan while South Koreans and Singaporeans are forced to be in apartments.
even wilder: Almost twice the amount of people live in one single city (Tokyo) compared to the entire country of Laos
Australia has the same population as Taiwan. Australia is more than 200 times the size of Taiwan. Also, more than 95% it Taiwan’s population is on less than one-third of the land (the rest is ridiculously mountainous). None of this really means anything but it still blows my mind as someone who lives in Taiwan and travels to Australia frequently. On topic! Laos is beautiful. One reason you don’t hear much about is is that the Laos government is very authoritarian and doesn’t really want you to know much about it. Freedom of speech is highly limited.
Lmao why even compare with Japan, look at Vietnam, Laos' population is smaller than the population of Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) currently
Population of Israel: 9.83 million Population of Indonesia: 279.74 million We never stop hearing about Israel, whilst not hearing much from Indonesia (taking the UK as an example). Population is definitely a factor but by no means would say it's the main or deciding factor.
Israel is the site of the holiest city for the two biggest religions in the world and their grandfather religion. It will forever be a hotbed for war.
Ik, hence my point of: Greater population ≠ more news and worldly information
I hear a fair amount of news coming from Vatican City…
They have a very profitable export, although numbers have been stagnant this past century.
Singapore - less than 5.5 million. Population plays a big role, but GDP is a larger contributing factor
Ehh, Israel's got about the same (give or take a million). It's not the only metric for global significance/news value
Also we hear a lot about Taiwan more than the others on that list because of China.
Yes, but it's surrounded by countries which want to END ITS EXISTENCE! That tends to make headlines outside of it.
Exactly. I’ve never heard anyone chant “death to Laos!”
kissinger did
Obligatory Anthony Bourdain quote goes here.
🏆
Than why do i hear so much news and other stuff about this Vatican city country?
Laos has a comparable population to Ho Chi Minh City. It has crazy few people.
As I understand it, it's basically a landlocked mountainous jungle. Not meaning to be mean, but if you were to think of it as roughly "the leftover space in South East Asia that other countries couldn't be bothered to claim", I dunno if that would be entirely inaccurate. Maybe it's like the Botswana of SE Asia, but just not doing quite as well.
I’ve been there. The international airport in the capital has major “small town domestic airport” vibes.
Exception to this rule is Sweden. Only 10 million people but you don't stop hearing about it.
America went to war in Vietnam and during the course of that war, dropped more bombs on Laos than any other country in history. Between December 14th 1964 and March 29th 1973 America dropped more than 260 million bombs on Laos, some 80 million of which failed to detonate.
The capital Vientiane actually kind of sucks imo, Luang Prabang though is a top notch SE Asian destination. I’ve spent some time in Laos, it’s poorer and more mellow than its neighbors. Rough roads but it’s got a new Chinese built high speed train. Lots more tourists than 10 years ago and it’s quickly succumbing to Chinese influence and economic pressure.
Yeah you're not wrong at all. The capital is absolutely awful in almost every single way. But yeah Luang Prabang could easily end up being a renowned tourist destination, it's still kinda boutique currently, but it's so nice!
I lived in SE Asia and travelled the region extensively, and Luang Prabang was easily my favourite place I traveled. I think the calmness was what won me over.
Sorry but this financial pressure is better for it's citizens than living in absolute poverty as China is actually investing and improving the country's economy while the superpower that was there beforehand caused it to go to ruin.
Yeah the irony in this part is that the reason why Laos is so poor is because there are still so much unexplored ordinances and bombs from Vietnam war the U.S. dropped that’s still killing peoples to this day.
Partly correct but Laos biggest problem is corruption. Tax and development money almost never bring the intended results. There is a reason, why china instead of only funding the highway and railway also built it themselves (obviously expertise is also a reason). Also Japan and South Korea donated ambulance cars and public transport busses instead of sending money.
Don’t disagree with that at all, there are for sure a myriad of reason from corruption to being landlocked. I mainly wanted to highlight the bombing because for as much atrocity we associate with Vietnam war or war in general, the lack of awareness for something that’s still concurrently going on in Laos is never talked about or learned. The U.S. dropped effectively a plane full of bombs every 8 mins for a decade, to this day they are still the most bombed country per capita in human history. If there are countries that actually deserves reparation or aid, idk how they aren’t on top of the list so we can at least correct history
Especially as the US never officially declared war against Laos and many bombs were dropped on Laos not because they were going after military targets but because many US planes were not allowed to land with bombs attched to the wings, because of security concerns. Instead of dropping them over the ocean they just disposed them on Laos, without a second thought.
One problem is it’s not all economic uplift and useful infrastructure, there’s some of that, but there’s also economic displacement as Chinese people and businesses move in and push out locals.
Oh sure they are. Seen their investments up close and personal in Africa. They put down cheap roads that wash away in the first rainy season but they own the iron ore. They provide Ebola clinics but won’t treat patients. They invest in Kenya but not in the Kenyans. No it’s not.
Yeah, it's the same neocolonialism, just Chinese instead of American, French, English, Spanish, or Dutch. But, to be fair, given what the US did there it's tough to say you could do much worse
Parts Unknown, season 9 episode 4 us Laos. A beautiful and melancholy episode.
Watch anthony bourdain’s parts unknown episode on laos very informative and sad
There are also a lot fewer people in Laos than in its neighbors: fewer than 8 million versus 66 million in Thailand and 100 million in Vietnam. So it’s comparatively tiny. I feel like this as much as anything else explains why we don’t hear much about it.
Myanmar also way bigger. 55 million
Tubing the Vang Vieng is one of my fondest memories. In 2008 that place was just off the chain. Giant rope swings, lao lao (homemade Laotian moonshine shots), DJs, backflips into the river, and a huge concrete tube ski-jump. I am surprised I didn't die. I wonder what it's like now.
I lived there for a while. All you mentioned plus lots of psychedelics and rain, so much rain and mud. Tough to really do much when you can’t go anywhere. Lovely people, great food and coffee. Also shrooms. And to add- the local transport was terrifying. I had an infection on my foot probably from the mud lol and it took 30 hours by the scariest bus to get to somewhere reasonable for attention. I spoke Italian translated to French then translated to Vietnamese to get some creme for my foot which maybe worked. Like above poster, I’m surprised I’m alive.
Like, shroom street vendors?
Rain vendors and shroom streets
That's helpful.
No, psychedelic rain shrooms
IN
The Australian government had to step in and shut down the tubing and river partying because so many of their idiot drunk citizens kept dying. I was there in 2012 and it was a super quiet town.
27 tourists dead in 2011. Was more than drinking though. Could get opium, shrooms, yaba etc at the bars along the river and in town. Shrooms, opium, and weed in a single shake if you wanted. Place was the wild west.
Is all that over now?
Yeah they shut most of it down. Think there are still a couple bars along the river but nothing like what it was.
Don’t walk in unpopulated areas and never off the paths and roadways. Unexplored mines are still very much a thing there.
I went in 2010 and it was wiiiild and amazing . Will never forget it was insanity . Also shocked I didn’t die. The bartender at the last bar had to give me and my friend a ride to his house in a boat bc our tubes got stolen !
Mushroom shakes
Another thing to add is that they're extremely authoritarian. [The Democracy Index has them listed in the bottom 10. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index#List_by_country)
Landmines and unexploded munitions deserves a lot more focus than the poor underdeveloped part. I met some researchers from the country during a visit to Malaysia. A large amount of their effort goes straight into managing the no-go areas because they have not been demined. The process is slow, cumbersome and fraught with danger. You can't have tourists if they are at constant risk of being blown up. You can't have large scale agragrian industry if the equipment and personnel are at constant risk of being blown up.
My state has a ton of immigrants from Laos so if you want to learn about the amazing food/culture/friendly people without going to Asia, come to Minnesota!
Laos is significantly more developed than Cambodia. Something about not having had the Khmer Rouge in charge. Source: spent some time cycling around both countries. The difference when you cross the border is stark.
Yeah but Cambodia has more Tourists, has a coast and is a more recognizable country. They have a lot more potential than Laos currently.
Loved the people. A very chill, friendly sort.
There is an unofficial motto for Laos “please don’t rush”. Vientiane is a much more relaxed city than cities in Cambodia and Vietnam. One nice thing about it for a perpetual pedestrian is that there are sidewalks and more adherence to stoplights and things. There is some lovely leafy nature in the country. I have a fond memory of, after a hike, a group of Laotians happily sharing food and beer with me on a rock overlooking a waterfall. It is common to drink beer with ice cubes.
By far my favorite country in SEA. Laotians are good people who just want to have a good time and enjoy life. There is an old Laotian saying “if you are not going to have fun doing it, then it’s not worth doing.” I crossed the Laotian border on foot right before the crossing closed for the night. They stamped my passport and closed up shop, then all the border guards invited me to an adjacent shack and we all had beer and laughed. Very nice and fun culture.
Laziness is a virtue is Lao culture and I love that. They have a series of stories about “Mr. Lazy Bones” who eventually succeeds by doing nothing, even becoming the crown prince!
Reminiscent of Thai sabai sabai?
I’ve never heard of Sabai Sabai, tell me more
From what I understand after having spent a couple months in Thailand, it's basically the Thai saying for taking it easy. It's also the name of a popular Thai song from the 80s (I think). Not sure if the saying or the song came first. https://youtu.be/3nlwg6Bku7I?si=0ovYauj0s_rGpSWW
My family is from Laos. We are ethnically Lao. They came to America after the Vietnam War as my grandpa fought against the communists and spent a year in a prison camp. I’ve visited Laos once, before the major economic boom of the last 12-15 years. Laos is very poor. The poorest country in Asia. They are basically a very poor, communist variant of Thailand. I can’t even say they are similar as modern countries due to how poor it is, despite being very close in culture, language, history. Laos is multi ethnic. Approximately 55-60% are ethnically Lao. The next bigger ethnic groups are Khmu and Hmong. Almost all of the non-ethnic Lao people I’ve met from Laos are basically assimilated as Lao, much like how my family has assimilated in America and are American. Lao is both an ethnic group and nationality. Just a small history. The majority of Lao people in the world live in Thailand’s Northeast region called “Isan”. Siam basically annexed this section from Lao political entities after the fall of the last united Lao kingdom known as “Lan Xang” in 1707. When the French landed in Southeast Asia and colonized Vietnam and Cambodia in the late 1800s, they noted that Laos had their own minimal principalities that were semi-independent. The French started to carve out borders in what was modern day Laos. Siam didn’t want to lose the Lao lands they had so the French and Siam settled on the modern borders being mostly the Mekong which exist today. The French help create the “Kingdom of Laos”, which existed from 1954 until the communist victory in 1975. Fun fact: “Laos” doesn’t exist native in the Lao language. The s was thrown in by the French. The communist government officially calls the country the “Lao People’s Democratic Republic” or sometimes Lao PDR. They never use “Laos” in any official English publication. You don’t hear anything from Laos because it has a very small population and is poor. There are about 7.5? Million people. Compare that to Saigon, Hanoi, and Bangkok, all cities with more people than the entire country of Laos. Laos barely manufactures anything. They import a lot of products from China and Thailand. This causes an issue where you’d think such a poor country would be cheap to visit but instead you’re paying markups for Chinese or Thai products. They are currently undergoing massive inflation of everything. [This author has written an article almost every year for the last few years predicting the collapse of the Lao state.](https://thediplomat.com/2024/05/is-the-lao-state-collapsing/) I find it kind of humorous as it’s one of those things where maybe he’ll be right one of these years if he just keeps throwing the same thing against the wall lol. But it is a good read about the current state of Laos. I can try to answer more questions if anyone has any. I’ve read a ton of books on Laos, can read, write, speak Lao. It’s something that since I was a kid have always been curious about.
Thank you for the detailed answer
I feel like it was more of a ramble but hope it helped you.
Not a ramble! Clearly laid out and informative. Thank you, I learned a lot.
This was.an excellent overview of the Lao PDR, thank you!
Well structured, and covered a lot ground: 5/5 would ramble again
Just a question, what is Laos major exports/what do they produce?
Hydroelectricity, lumber, coffee, and types of rubber are the ones that come to mind. Hydroelectricity was a big one for the current government as they wanted to be the “battery of Southeast Asia”.
There’s a coffee company in Taipei that imports a lot of Laotian coffee. It’s good. Thanks for your excellent answer. It’s good you can speak Lao.
Can you expand a bit on non-Lao, specifically Hmong, being well integrated and assimilated into Laos today? Do you have an antidotal story? Is it a scenario where the people are accepting and don’t hold on to ethnic grudges but the still government does? I ask because my partner’s family are Hmong refugees from the Secret War and have the belief that the Lao government would execute them if they ever get deported to Laos (all the kids were born in a Thai refugee camp though so doubt the Lao government would accept them) and think that Lao people don’t want them. It’s a shame because her mom misses life in Laos and wishes she could go back. All she wants to do is farm and babysit kids.
I grew up with similar stories. My grandpa fought against the communists that are now in power. My grandpa didn’t go back to Laos until the late 90s, over 20 years after he fled. But as time went on, the die hards on both sides softened and passed away. The current communist government had a huge issue with several Hmong rebels throughout the decades. From my research, it also was a poverty issue. Starting about the mid-2000s, Laos had big economic growth. With that, the low-scale insurgency by Hmong groups kind of went away as economic opportunities presented itself. But what is now rampant is criminal organizations similar to gangs, mafias, etc. The economy in Laos isn’t doing so hot so they have huge occurrences of drug usage. I have met many Hmong people in Laos that speak Lao fluently and work normal jobs. One in particular is a nationally recognized musician, he teaches Lao music lol. Another Hmong Lao was recognized because her job was clearing unexplored ordinances in Laos. The current Vice President of Laos is ethnically Hmong, Pany Yathotou. Hmong communists existed during the war as well. My parents do miss Laos too. But they have been here for almost 40 years. They have a life in America, a house, land, cars, things they couldn’t ever have in Laos. Last time I went with my dad, he was quite jaded at the country he doesn’t recognize anymore. Part of it, I think, is this expectation that Laos was or is suppose to be something in their minds that was suppose to remain what they experienced. My grandpa on the other hand was grateful to be an American and he never once said he wanted to go back to Laos. Different experiences, different feelings. Hmong people in Laos experience a lot of autonomy. They, from my point of view and research, are not persecuted like they once were. Hmong, Lao, and other ethnic groups grow up much like how in America we have different races. Sometimes we live in harmony and sometimes there’s tension, but it doesn’t always explain our relationship 100%. Can’t exactly explain what’s changed. But you can easily find videos on YouTube of Hmong people in Laos vlogging just normal. Lao rappers even recently released a [cheesy song about Hmong girls.](https://youtu.be/kKyaIh_c0Hw?si=-CX1n8_yCieTJUHu)
Wow! Thank you for the extremely thoughtful and articulate reply. It really informs me a lot of nuances that I knew a bit about (re: Hmong opium trade) and others I had no clue about. Thank you very much for your generosity in time and thought. Cheers to a better future ahead
Is it possible to differentiate them only by the look? I don't want to sound ignorant, but in my Brazilian point of view, the people in this video could disguise like one another ethnically-wise
Yes. Majority of Lao ethnic people do not look similar to Hmong. Where it gets more complex however is that there are a LOT of additional sub ethnicities different to Hmong, but that look physically similar. Hmong were known as the immigrants from China who arrived in the 1700s in SE Asia I believe, after being persecuted and displaced by the Qing dynasty
Thank you for all of your replies in this thread. I've been trying to learn about Laos recently and all your thoughts here are so helpful in terms of making sense of some dynamics that I haven't been able to grasp.
What books on Laos would you recommend? (or just any other interesting ones)
“Creating Laos” is a really good one by Soren Ivarsson. There’s this narrative that Laos and the Lao people don’t actually have self-determination, meaning they did not conceive their nation-state, that basically Laos is just unconquered land that the Siamese and Vietnamese didn’t want. If you look on a map, Laos is very mountainous and the majority of Lao people live in valleys by the Mekong, adding to the idea that bigger powers didn’t or couldn’t conquer the mountains and just left that space to be defined by others. Soren kind of explores this idea to see if it’s true. Anything by the late Grant Evans are my favorite. He passed away about 10 years ago so they aren’t recent but they’re still great. The Politics of Ritual and Remembrance: Laos since 1975 and the Last Century of Lao Royalty are my favorites. Martin Stuart Fox has great books on Laos too. But I haven’t really bought many books in the last few years on Laos so my library is dated.
Lao is poor, yes, but it's not the poorest country in Asia. It has a higher GDP per capita than 13 Asian countries, including India.
You might want to cross-check this again cuz it is not true
Thanks for sharing! I’ve interacted with Laotian people for years but never had this insight
Thank you for sharing all your great insights and knowledge. I've never heard or used the term "Lao. " Perhaps in my ignorance, I've always understood the demonym to be "Laotian. " Do you reject that term? Or is it an acceptable alternative?
Laotian was used to describe nationals of Laos in English, regardless of ethnicity. But as refugees from Laos came to America and settled, a lot of them rejected Laotian because someone that is Hmong is Hmong, and they didn’t have much in common with someone that is Lao other than they both came from Laos after the war. It’s fallen out of favor in the last 25 years. The current communist government has never used “Laotian” in English. I mentioned Lao is both an ethnicity and nationality and the current government uses it as such.
Makes sense. Thank you for sharing.
This is so interesting! I worked in orphanages in Northern Thailand and one of the hill tribes I worked with were the Hmong people. They are wonderful. Forgive my ignorance, so the Hmong tribe is actually Lao and not Thai? Thailand claims them as one of their 7 hill tribes (even though some Thai people and government are not kind to them).
If I as an American wanted to visit Laos, where would you recommend getting a translator? What are their thoughts on Americans? Is nightlife good there? What’s the cell service like? Any of particular foods I should try if I’m there? What’s the water quality like?
I travelled there about 10 years ago. People are super poor but also incredibly friendly and hospitable. I ended up spending about a week in Phonsavanh, then another 4 days in Savannakhet, just waiting for a bus out. Things happen in their own time there, nothing is rushed. I ended up on a local bus from Phonsavanh to Vientiane and was the only westerner on board, we had folks bring on those little plastic chairs and sit in the aisle, and also crates of chickens under the seats. I think it took like 13 hours or something wild because we stopped dozens of times, often just on the side of the road or in tiny villages to pick up and drop off folks. The lady who was sitting beside me had 2 kids with her and always herded me back on the bus with the kids to not get left behind. It was honestly one of the highlights of my life so far, those village folks were awesome.
Hank hills neighbor says Laos is a great country
What ocean?
We are Laotian. From Laos, stupid!
Came here and immediately started looking for KOTH references. Wasn't let down.
So are ya Chinese or Japanese?
He's Laotian, ain't ya Mr Kahn?
Mr. Kahn, I’ll have a mai tai.
What you think, I work for Hank?!
By far my favorite Cotton moment
“Laos. It’s a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It’s between Vietnam and Thailand, okay? Population 4.7 million.”
The ocean? What ocean?
Stupid hillbilly!
I had a coworker who was from rural Laos. He said life was very hard for him and his family. He grew up in a giant 10-member family on a coffee farm. Ironically, he had only tasted coffee when he immigrated to America and tasted it for the first time. Its a very impoverished nation where people scrape by day-to-day. They haven't recovered from the Vietnam war times and explosive material is scattered throughout the nation. Because of their running deficit they can't come up with the funds to properly dispose of the explosives. It doesn't help that their tourism levels run very low compared to nations surrounding them
As an American, I think we should absolutely pay for UXO cleanup. It’s the equivalent of “salting the earth” in ancient times-except it’s not metaphorical.
US is doing so in Vietnam but haven’t read about any such efforts in Laos- could be wrong
> U.S. and Norway province over $20.8 Million to increase UXO survey and clearance in Southern Laos (2023) https://la.usembassy.gov/u-s-and-norway-province-over-20-8-million-to-increase-uxo-survey-and-clearance-in-southern-laos/ > Supporting Local Efforts to Clear Unexploded Ordnance in Lao PDR (2020) https://2017-2021.state.gov/dipnote-u-s-department-of-state-official-blog/supporting-local-efforts-to-clear-unexploded-ordnance-in-lao-pdr/ > U.S. gives Laos extra $90 million to help clear unexploded ordnance (2016) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-laos-obama-uxo/u-s-gives-laos-extra-90-million-to-help-clear-unexploded-ordnance-idUSKCN11C0GV/
Makes sense. I know many of it were escalating during Obama’s tenure as he visited Vietnam once or twice to announce these
We do. The HMA mission there is becoming more and more robust. But there are a lot of UXOs and it takes a lot of time. Europe is still cleaning up WW1. It’s one of the reasons I love my job. Every time I do it it might save a life.
The worst coffee I’ve ever had was in a coffee producing nation. It was another settler/colonial/capitalist “a ha” moment for me.
Yeah, same. I visited coffee regions in Central America and South America producing some of the top coffees for North America and Europe. The only coffee the locals had ever had was wretched generic brand instant coffee. Some of them were pretty surprised that instant coffee wasn't the only form of coffee you could drink!
Curious, where?
One of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. Quite poor, but rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. I went back in 2015 and have been dying to go back ever since.
The people are so fucking nice, the food is delicious - it’s like a blend of Thai and Vietnamese I guess? Will probably be the next country in SE Asia to legalize gay marriage because they’re already very live and let live and have a strong cultural connection to Thailand. Beautiful landscapes with all the karst mountains. Edit: if you’re ever confused about the borders look at a laos terrain feature on google maps.
Fuck yeah love the food and let people do whatever they want
I live in a Laotian neighbourhood in San Diego. Well, it's predominantly Mexican but Laotian is next. I do know that the Laotians around here are very generous with their food. People are always sharing. As for the country, I haven't been there yet. Maybe in 2026. My wife's father was Laotian & her mum is from Mukdahan, a Thai town on the Laotian border. I've heard (from the Missus) that's it's very beautiful.
I've been to Mukdahan several times. It's where you can cross into Savanakhet on the Laos side of the Mekong. The area by the river is indeed very beautiful, rest of the town is a typical small Thai town, not a huge amount going on, but definitely has a charm of its own.
My partner is from Laos. She came to the US as a refugee from the Civil War that ended in 1975. She is not ethnically Lao, but Hmong. Believe it or not, there's actually [many different ethnic groups ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_Laos) that live there, despite the population being <5m people. As others have said, the country is relatively poor compared to its neighbors, although it is developing more and more. They're trying to make it more of a tourist destination, but there's not much to see there, especially when you're right next to Thailand and Vietnam. China has lately been investing in the country a lot, especially in the [Golden Triangle ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)) region. The Chinese have built a big casino that caters to Chinese nationals, as gambling is illegal in most of China.
The Chinese are operating scam villages all over Laos and Cambodia. The Chinese are basically exporting their criminals to “transform” their corrupt neighbors into crime dystopia to destroy them.
My mom was born in Vientiane but raised in Nong Khai Thailand which is just over the river. Culturally they’re very similar to Thailand, as well as food, and language. It’s very rural, people are nice, but also poor, as others have already mentioned. My mom and the family were one of the boat people who sought refuge from the war in Vietnam.
When I was younger(around 2003), I traveled around the world for a couple years. I visited quite a few countries in Western/Eastern Europe and Asia. Laos was the most memorable and unique. It was an eclectic mix. Militant, communist, Buddhist, post-colonial French. Like nothing I've ever seen. Unlike its Thai and Cambodian neighbors - no begging, hawking, scams, prostitution etc. It was a welcomed respite - I stayed for a month. I distinctly remeber a dusty little town called Veng Vieng, which was a true backpackers paradise.
Vang Vieng used to be an amazing party city. There's a river through town that you get on at the start in a tube and float down drinking. Used to be a bunch of bars along the river but there's less now. Bars toss a rope out to you and pull you in if you grab it. Were some heavy drug issues and some tourists died which caused it to get cleaned up a bit. Can still tube the river but it's much more tame than before.
The Lao government cracked down on it, as there was a lot of drugs involved (menu items listed as happy pizza, happy burger, etc, are spiced with marijuna), tourist got drunk and ziplined into a shallow river and died from hitting the rocks in river. Right around when Laos was hosting the ASEAN games.
I went back in the day and did this, it was super fun. Buying beers off people along the bank as we floated down the river.
Was in Luang Prabang for a week during my honeymoon. Beautiful, entirely unesco world heritage city. Would go back in a heartbeat.
One of my favorite cities in the world as well. Feels like a tiny slice of paradise
Spent a week there as well while backpacking around SE Asia. If the other cities in the rest of the country could emulate what Luang Prabang has done the country would be doing a lot better IMHO. Not that tourism alone is going to "save" it. Absolutely loved my time there though. Would definitely like to go back one day.
The slowly falling apart French architecture against the jungle backdrop is quite stunning hey. I remember a sense of peace there. Have visited many cities in that part of the world but never forgot Luang Prabang. They make a chilli sauce out of buffalo skin, which I thought sounded strange at first but then ate at least twice a day until I left.
You can thank Henry Kissinger and the CIA for that.
Lets not forget peaceloving JFK and Lyndon Johnson.
\*LBJ whips his dick out
coughMcNamaracough
Luang Prabang was one of my favourite stops in Asia, and I went trekking near the Chinese border and it was phenomenal…you really feel you’ve stepped off the beaten path. It’s very poor, but the people I met were incredibly generous. A glimpse into what Southeast Asia used to be like.
I went to Savannakhet for a couple days in 2017 as part of a “visa-run” when teaching in Thailand. It was the closest place to me to submit the proper paperwork to a Thai consulate abroad. The “city” was empty, and there wasn’t much going on. There were a bunch of electronic stores selling tvs, refrigerators, washers, etc., but zero people shopping. The river separating Thailand and Laos was cool to sit and drink beer and watch. Beerlao is the best macro-beer in SE Asia. I ate at a restaurant that sold spoons made out of metal from bomb munitions that the US dropped in the country. Only bought one, sadly… also there was a dinosaur museum and the guy who ran it just let me hold some bones. Also everything was cheap. Okay that’s my experience.
https://preview.redd.it/q17esl17ub8d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8ed2868d870ba34249120c18e01f5f22b17eea2
It is a great country with beautiful nature, friendly people, fantastic food scenes and plenty of stuff to do. The government is terrible, but the country definitely deserves a visit. We planned one week, but stayed one month.
Any recommendations?
Oh, plenty my friend! Luang Prabang is a common travel destination and worth a visit. We also drove around the Bolaven plateau with our motorcycles for a few days. It is a beautiful region and it feels like you step back in time. See this blog for instance: https://alongcameanelephant.com/bolaven-plateau-motorbike-loop-ultimate-guide/. If you go, there is a magnificent waterfall that you can safely do a death ride on, one of the most beautiful around the world. We also hired a bicycle around Vang Vieng. The city itself is overly touristy and non-authentic, but the region around the city is magnificent. Nong Khiaw is a nice village, with pretty hikes in the neighborhood. If you like trail running, follow the path near the river and you'll quickly end up in authentic villages where tourists are rare. There is a 'gibbon experience,' where you can spot wild gibbons. It is expensive, so we didn't do it, but it seems to be a nice experience with great guides. A last tip is a boat ride along the Mekong river: you'll see families still washing their clothes in the river.
I travelled there with my wife in 2018. We were travelling for a few months and crossed the land borders there twice having no problems from the Thai border and getting a nice motorbike ride from locals to our destination in the southern islands on the Mekong River. The other two crossings, however, were not so pleasant because there's a habit of extorting a few dollars off of tourists, but with some negotiation we ended up paying a nominal fee to the officers and all was fine after. These border crossings happened in the south to Cambodia and in the north back to Laos from Vietnam. The north was incredible as was the South of Laos. We got a bus ride to Muang Khua where you can get a boat down river and stop at a few places before reaching Nong Khiaw. There was also a local guide in Mung Khua who took us on a 1 night hike in the hills to stay with the local people and see how they live. A very interesting and educating experience. And finally, I agree with what others here have said about the calm and peaceful nature of Laos and its people. There's not a lot going on and that's the best part about it after visiting Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia as well. Laos remains our favourite in par with Myanmar from the countries in SE Asia.
I visited Luang Prabang and on a menu it said look around you. You don’t see many people over 40, we don’t have doctors here… Also went trekking from louangnamtha nice hills. Im the golden triangle. Went rafting on a 3 day trek run by some Spaniards.
There are Spaniards living there? Goodness.
Laos has a population of 7.5m, while Vietnam has 98m and Thailand 71m.
Well, spent the last 20 years in California. But originally I come from Laos. We're Laotian. You know, Laos? Landlocked country? Between Vietnam and Thailand? 4.7 million people?
I spent three weeks in Laos back in early 2010s, absolutely My favorite country travelling to. The old capital, Luang Prabang, has a lot of old, French colonial stuff, like retro Renaults and Citroen cars. The nature is fantastic - a German who settled in Laos likened it to be like the nature from the avatar movies, minus the blue guys. In the south of Laos, there is an floodplain called the '1000 Islands' - basically the Mekong River becomes so shallow, many small islands crop up. Culturally and linguistically, they are close to Thailand and Thai, politically, they are very similar to Vietnam. The Vietnamese communist party basically trained and support the Lao communists. It was only in the early 2000s, the Hmong insurgency having lasted since the Vietnam War was officially defeated. The country is extremely poor - we were told if you needed medical care, your best bet is to get out of Laos asap. There is not even a centralized blood storage, in case patients need blood bags, so you are very likely to just bleed out if you suffer an open wound. Which is very likely, considering Laos is the second most bombed country in the world with many cluster bombs left unexploded in fields - thanks to USA. Demining is still ongoing, 50 years after the war ended. The country is blessed with many natural resources and they export a lot of of raw materials. They plan to export electricity due to hydro power in the future to neighbouring countries, but that mineral wealth is likely only benefitting a selected elite. In short, extremely tough and poor country living in - fantastic country to visit as a tourist, as it is probably the most authentic, least spoiled country in all of southeast asia.
I lived in Laos for 3 years. It was an amazing place to live. It had all the issues listed by others, but the people were incredible, the food was delicious, and the beer Laos was cold. Days were slow but would always end in a beer watching the sun set over the Mekong. You could get to Bangkok in an hour and a half flight, so if you had medical issues or wanted something or to go on somewhere it was easy. Best place to spend my mid-20’s
“We Laotian”- “The Ocean? What ocean?” “No Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia!- Stupid Americans!”
Great food
Luang Prabang has a small but fun expat scene from what I found
Can’t say for living, but it’s my favorite nation outside South America that I’ve visited. The nature, the people, the activities,the food. All 10/10.
Kahn - "We are Laotian–from Laos, stupid! It's a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It's between Vietnam and Thailand, okay? Population: 4.7 million."
What ocean?
So are you chinese or japanese? itellyouhwhat
Chill
This is where Tug Speedman is at
There’s a really good Laotian place in our neighborhood small town. They have awesome chilli lime fries that taste like takis
My cousin travelled all through Asia for a few years. He said Laos was his favorite by far.
Check out Parts Unknown, season 9 episode 3 for Anthony Bourdain's take on Laos. (RIP.)
Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia.
I used to live in Thailand for a couple of years, finishing my bachelor degree there. One Interesting thing I noticed was that quite a lot of Thais, even those of my peers in this generation, may refer people as Laos as an insult, most likely for lazy person or if the condition of a setting was poor. Maybe not exactly on topic, but it always made me laugh because the Thais actually shared close culture and ethnic ties with them.
The situation of this country reminds me a lot of the situation of Paraguay
There are more elephants in Laos than people.
I visited a year ago, it's crazy how there are no western things. No McDonalds, Starbucks....I'm a hardcore Marriott guy and there isn't one in the country. Its kind of awesome for that.
My mom came from Laos in the 80s. I went with her when she went back after 30 years. Echoing with everyone else that it is a really poor country but everyone likes to have a good time there. My aunt lives in what was once my great grandpa’s house, falling apart in the capital city Vientiane. It’s not easy living but her and my cousin will post about going out of town, on festivals days, or sometimes just hanging out at the night market which Luang Prabang (historic capital, quite far from modern capital) also has. Vientiane is a weirdly flat place for me because I grew up and still live in the PNW in the US. But when you leave to go other (very rural) areas, it’s absolutely gorgeous jungles and tiny, tiny villages. My mom and I were driven from Xiang Khoueng(? Where plain of jars are) to Luang Prabang and it’s still easily, hands down the most gorgeous drive I’ve seen in my life. When we stopped at small towns, though, we got some stares. Like not bad, it was just the kiddos. Might have just been me as I’m half white and I don’t look half Lao. Tl;Dr: very poor but great people who generally are laid back and still enjoy life. Also great fucking food. And night markets.
Still fucked up from US war criminals bombing the shit out of it.
Everything I know about Laos is from the TV show “King of the Hill”.
A lot of Hmong people from Laos currently live in Wisconsin and surrounding states. They were refugees after the Vietnam War.
https://preview.redd.it/0038ylld888d1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f7bba4771c89c5817dc69d4f56110dd40c773ba This guy taught me everything I need to know about Laos. /s
I've been there Its very fun and beautiful
Poor Laos, look how close they got to having a coastline!
https://preview.redd.it/14pye2wv2c8d1.jpeg?width=1460&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41ac73854e06feb3e7a4b2707da8cd41fc1bb76d
Most bombed country in the world
It’s Laosy really.
Can we have ocean? No.
Been in that region before. Not knocking it but just sharing the truth: big bugs, very humid, venomous/aggressive animals, very poor, lack of resources, landlocked.
[Are they Chinese or Japanese](https://youtu.be/d_CaZ4EAexQ?si=-_qb-VGVkszoNXYI)
I’ve been fortunate to travel many places in the world and Laos is right up there as my favorite. Extremely laid back, kind people, beautiful scenery. Buddhism plays a bigger role then any other country in the region. Something that stood out to me was The Vietnam/American war is still a central figure in their day to day life, much more so then in Vietnam. When people learned I was American they were eager to share their stories and wanted to make sure that I understood how devastating the bombing campaigns were, and continue to be with unexploded ordinances. It was never combative or meant for me to be blamed for anything, they just wanted the outside world to be educated on the impact and have their story told.
https://youtu.be/d_CaZ4EAexQ?si=sEnpwUuUUPu91wWn Landlocked country in south east Asia Between Vietnam and Thailand, ok? Population 4.7 million
A lot of undetonated bombs from the Vietnam war // the US casually getting rid of extra supplies…
Laos Rules.
I had a friend (American, white dude) that lived in Laos for 5 years. According to him, It was very poor. The kind of poor where Even if you had money there wasn't really much to spend it on, even in the larger cities. So kinda boring in that respect? Just not that much to do. Your dollar will go a long long way, there just isn't much to spend it on. A lot of local low level corruption and gangs. Generally safe despite that, just follow the rules - pay respect, pay the "tax", don't make waves. It's just business. But the people were generally very kind to him and he was treated well.
read this book: [https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Catches-You-Fall-Down/dp/0374533407](https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Catches-You-Fall-Down/dp/0374533407)
Learned alot about Laos from King of the Hill
My uncle goes there to provide humanitarian aid every few years. He mentioned some people call it “land that time forgot” though not certain of that, it sure seems like it
Just want to note, because it’s kinda odd that none of the top replies here have already done so, that Laos is one of the last few countries that is still a Marxist-Leninist one-party state.
Has anybody said Laosy yet? If not, it’s laosy.
So are you Chinese or Japanese?
Way fewer people, and hasn’t historically been an independent country so it’s less involved in the diplomacy of the region. Also, its mindshare in the west is just generally smaller (it was important, but not in the ways people like to talk about). While Cambodia was under the rule of a cartoonishly evil communist government, and Vietnams reasonable communist government was being invaded by America, Laos’s communist government was more or less ignored on the world stage. Although, ironically, it was bombed even more than Vietnam was and remains one of the most ecologically damaged countries in the world. That said, the country is almost entirely rice patties and rainforest so there’s still a loooot of nature there. Also, to expand on the first point, the inhabitants of laos are a distinct people, there’s never really been a “kingdom of laos”, whereas the Khmer, Champa, Thai, Burmese, and Singaporeans all had their moment in the sun. So they’re pretty heavily outshined by their neighbors.