GENERAL INFORMATION OF LAOS

LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic ( Lao PDR. ) more commonly referred to as “ Laos “ , is located in the center of the Indochinese Peninsula , stretching 1,700 km from the North to the South. Laos shares its borders with and surrounded by China and Myanmar in the North , with Vietnam in the East , with Thailand in the West and with Cambodia in the South. Laos has a total land area of 236,800 square kilometers characterized by three regions : the North , the Central and the South.
The population of Laos in 2022 is 7.5 millions habitants , including 3 mains groups of Lao Loum ( Lao low land ) , Lao Theung ( Lao in the mid high land ) and Lao Soung ( Lao high land ) which there are 50 subgroups of minorities with their own different language such as Hmong , Yao , Lao Houay, Khmu, Ta oy, Kalum, etc … . The density of population is 34 per square kilometer or 87 persons per square kilometer. The country’s main geographical features include low calciferous mountains, limestone karsts formations in Xiengkhouang Province , Bolaven Plateau, and the Mekong River Valley.
The highest peak mountain is Phou Bia reaching over 2,820 meters . The Mekong River is the main river making the border between Laos and Thailand and flows from the North to the South of Laos 1,865 km .
Laos has two seasons in the year : Dry Season from October to May and Rainy Season from June to September. The weather in Laos is tropical. The lowest temperature in the Northern in December is 12- 14 degree Celsius and the highest in April is 40 – 42 degree Celsius in the central and southern.
FESTIVALS
Each region from the North to the South , people have their culture and tradition. Every year , people celebrated the tradition in their villages . The main festivals we like to visit and practice in every year are :
-Lao New Year in April
-That Luang Festival/ Buddhist Festival in November
-New Year Festival of Hmong minority in December
-Khmu Festival in February
-Rocket Festival in May- June
-Boat Racing in October
MONEY
The official currency is Lao Kip . The ATMs for cash , the credit Visa cards, Master cards are widely used .
POST , TELEPHONE AND INTERNET ACCESS
There are post offices in all provincial cities where letters and parcels may be sent to your country like DHL and FedEx . The internet access and telephone are available in all part of cities.
ELECTRICITY
24 hours electricity is available in all major population centers and many district capitals. Laos uses 220 volts AC .
BUSINESS HOURS
Government offices are open : moring from 08: 30 to 12: 00 and afternoon from 13: 30 to 16: 00 from Monday to Friday.
HISTORY
The first Lao Kingdom , Lane Xang was founded in the 14th century by King Fa Ngum after he conquered and unified the North lands of Vientiane , including Luangprabang , Xieng Khouang and Khorath Plateau in the Northeast of Thailand. At that time Luangprabang is the Capital of Lane Xang . Then later in 1554, King Phothisarath moved the Capital from Luangprabang to Vientiane and Luangprabang remained the country’s spiritual and religious center. In 1694 the Kingdom of Lane xang is broken up into three separate Kingdoms: Vientiane, Champasack and
Luangprabang.
Part of French Indochina during the 19th to early 20th century , the colonial period Laos archived complete independence in 1975with the foundation Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

CLIMATE
Laos generally enjoys a mild tropical climate. The temperature range from 10 to 40 degrees Celsius. There are two distinct seasons : dry season from October to April which including cool from November to February and rainy season from May to September.
The best travelling in Laos is from November to February .
LANGUAGE
The national language is Lao , but Thai , English , French, Chinese Vietnam are commonly used in major tourist centers . RELIGION
Almost of Lao people are Buddhists , but for the people in the remote area , in the mountains , they are Animist.
HEALTH
Laos has the hospitals in many capital cities and the infirmaries in the small cities and remote areas . We recommend you drinking the drinking water in the bottles and eating food in the restaurants. TRANSPORTATION
BY ROAD AND RIVERS
In Laos , travelling by bus , taxi , song teo are very common . We also travel by boat for the group tours on the Mekong River and some sub-rivers of the Mekong.
BY AIR
Lao Airlines has flights to many domestic destinations and a number of of regional capitals . The international airports existed in Vientiane , Savannakhet , Pakse and Luangprabang . TRAIN
The High Speed Train Laos – China is open and largely and useful used for tourists travelling in Laos and to China and from China to Laos.
ENTRY POINTS TO LAOS
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS:
-Wattay International Airport in Vientiane Capital
-Luangprabang International Airport in Luangprabang Province
-Pakse International Airport in Pakse Province
-Savannakhet International Airport in Savannakhet Province
INTERNATIONAL BORDERS CHECKPOINTS
-With Thailand, Myanmar, China , Vietnam , Cambodia . .