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Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, in Lao language, the country's name is "Meuang Lao". Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. You can see from the map below, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west.

Laos is divided into 16 provinces and 1 municipality, Vientiane Capital, which was created in 1989, when it was split off from the Vientiane Province. The capital of the country, Vientiane, is located here.

Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or better known as Land of a Million Elephants. Founded by Fa Ngum in 1353, himself descended from a long line of Lao kings. Lan Xang prospered until the 18th century, when the kingdowm was divided into three principalities, which eventually came under Siamese suzerainty.

In the 19th century, Luang Prabang was incorporated into the 'Protectorate' of French Indochina, and shortly after, the Kingdom of Champasak and the territory of Vientiane were also added to the protectorate. Under the French, Vientiane once again became the capital of a unified Lao state.

Following a brief Japanese occupation during World War II, the country declared its independence in 1945, but the French under Charles de Gaulle re-asserted their control and only in 1950 was Laos granted semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the French Union. The French remained in de facto control until 1954, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy.

Laos was dragged into the Vietnam War and the eastern parts of the country were invaded and occupied by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), which used Laotian territory as a staging ground and supply route for its war against the South.

Ultimately, the Laotian Civil War between the Royal Laotian government and the communist Pathet Lao. The NVA, with its heavy artillery and tanks, was the real power behind the Pathet Lao insurgency. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao, along with Vietnam People's Army and backed by the Soviet Union, overthrew the royalist Lao government, forcing King Savang Vatthana to abdicate on 2 December 1975. He later died in captivity.

After taking control of the country, Pathet Lao's government renamed the country as the "Lao People's Democratic Republic" and signed agreements giving Vietnam the right to station armed forces and to appoint advisers to assist in overseeing the country. Laos was ordered in the late 1970s by Vietnam to end relations with the People's Republic of China which cut the country off from trade with any country but Vietnam. Control by Vietnam and socialisation were slowly replaced by a relaxation of economic restrictions in the 1980s and admission into ASEAN in 1997.

In 2005, the United States established Normal Trade Relations with Laos, ending a protracted period of punitive import taxes.

"Laotian" is used to describe the people of Laos to avoid confusion with the Lao ethnic group. They are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia. The Lao people, like many other Tai people also refer to themselves as Tai and more specifically Tai Lao. The Laotians are descended from Tai people from what is now southern China and northern Vietnam beginning approximately 3,000 years ago, where many Tai people still remain to this day.

There are around 4 million Laotians in Laos or 69% of the population with the remainder are largely hill tribe people.

Language

The ethnic Lao speak a Kradai language which is closely related to Tai languages. It is an official language of Laos with a unique alphabet closely related to older forms of the Thai alphabet, all of which are ultimately derived from Brahmi scripts.

Culture

Laos is generally very rural areas and most of the people support themselves by agriculture, with rice being the most important crop.

Lao people are generally Theravada Buddhist, as is common in much of Southeast Asia with most villages containing a wat or temple.

With a total area of 236,800 square kilometers, around 70% of Laos' terrain is mountainous, the highest of which is Phou Bia at 9,242 feet (2,817 m), with some plains and plateaus.

The Mekong River is the main geographical feature in the west and, in fact, forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand, whereas the mountains of the Annamite Chain form most of the eastern border with Vietnam. High mountains rising to an average height of 1,500 meters dominate the Northern region.

The estimated length of Mekong River is 4,350 km, flows through nearly 1,900 km of Lao territory and shapes much of the lifestyle of the people of Laos. In the South the Mekong reaches a breadth of 20 kilometers, creating an area with thousands of islands.

The three highest mountains in the country are all located in the Phou Ane Plateau in Xieng Khouang Province. They are Phou Bia (2,820 m), Phou Xao (2,690 m) and Phou Xamxum (2,620 m).

Phou Bia - No one has been to the top in at least 30 some years. It is a restricted area and has been forever. All those land mines are going to take a long time to find, if ever. Long Chen, the old Hmong/Air America base for the war at the bottom of Phou Bia. Long Chen is an abandoned base from the conflict and interesting from a historical perspective.

Recommended reading - Tragic Mountains: the Hmong, the Americans, and the secret wars for Laos, 1942-1992 - Dr Jane Hamilton-Merritt

The Phou Luang (Annamite Range) stretches from Southeast on the Phouane Plateau down to the Cambodian border in the South.

The climate is tropical and monsoon. There is a distinct rainy season from May to November, followed by a dry season from December to April. Local tradition holds that there are three seasons (rainy, cold and hot) as the latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the earlier four months.

The best recommended time to visit is the end of the year, from November to beginning of February, which is the winter season or also called the dry season in Laos. The hot season from March to May, when the temperature can soar to 38°C, and the wet seasons from May to October, are low seasons for travel.

Most tourists enter Laos by either landing at the airports in Vientiane or Luang Prabang, or cross the border from Thailand by land.

By Air

Visitors arrive through Vientiane Wattay International Airport, Luang Prabang Airport and Pakse Airport in Champasak province by Lao Aviation, Vietnam Airline, The Southern China Airline, Thai airway International.

Wattay International Airport which is connected by daily flight to all parts of Laos to Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet and Xiangkhoang.

By Land

Entrance to Lao PDR through borders check points, which are open daily from 8:30 am-17: 00pm as below:

1. China
   • Via south of China, Muangla to Boten check point in Luang Namtha Province.
2. Thailand
   • Via Nongkai to Vientiane by friendship Bridge (shuttle bus)
   • Via Chiang khong (Thailand) to Houeixay by crossing Mekhong River (boat or ferry)
   • Via Mukdahan (Thailand) to Savannakhet (Boat or Ferry)
   • Via Chongmek to Pakse in Champasak Province (boat/ferry, across bridge & shuttle bus)
3. Vietnam
   • Via Vinh (Vietnam) to Lak Xao km20, Kham Keuth District, Bolikhamxai Province (bus/truck)
   • Via Lao-Bao to Savannakhet by road No 9.

By Road

The most important road is route No 13 linking from Pak Mong in the north to Kong in the south through Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Savannakhet, Champasak with 18.153 km of national roads with 2,500 km from China to Cambodia. Two more important roads No 1 and No 8 linked between Thailand and China by road, No 9 linked between Thailand and Vietnam.

Domestic bus services (Air-conditioned and regular) reaching in to all corners of Lao PDR every day.