Laos is a landlocked country in the center of Southeast Asia and for too long it has been overlooked by tourism but it is an absolute hidden gem. I have visited here 3 times and I will be coming back to visit ever since. If you’re looking for a travel destination a little bit different, also one of the cheapest countries in the world, but you’ve never been here before, these are 15 things that I think you should know before coming to Laos for the first time. So, let’s get started…
Customs that you should keep in mind
So the first thing we’re gonna talk about is the customs in Laos. The country is a lot more reserved so if you are a girl you shouldn’t really walk around in bikinis or topless. If you’re at a waterfall or somewhere secluded, it’s completely fine, it’s not a problem. But if you’re going into more public places, I definitely recommend putting a top on. It’s most likely that no Lao people are gonna say anything to you about this or tell you to do something, but they probably won’t appreciate it, so just cover up if you’re in a public space.
Another way in which Lao people are really polite is in their driving. Lao people will rarely be beeping on the road or getting road rage, especially seen as losing face and getting angry is really frowned upon when driving. So if you’re driving in Laos on a motorcycle or car, try and avoid beeping as much as possible. It would save you if you’re in a dangerous situation you could beep or if you feel like it’s absolutely necessary, but if it can be avoided, then it should be.
Another custom in Laos is no public display of affection, so if you walk around the house, don’t be kissing in public or holding hands. It’s really not done by locals, so try to avoid that if you can as well.
The most awesome people in the world
Even though the customs seem quite reserved and a little bit strict in a way, the Lao people themselves are actually super relaxed. Usually, you’ll see groups of Lao people all the time, drinking beer, chilling, super friendly, super well-mannered, really kind, and they’re also some of the most honest people that we’ve met. I think it’s probably one of the countries that we’ve felt safest in on our travels. No scams or dishonesty here. While we’ve been traveling, I’m not saying that that can’t happen, obviously, that can happen anywhere, but in terms of traveling around Southeast Asia, this has felt like the safest country for us so far.
“Bor pen yang” Attitude
The third thing you should know about Laos before coming here is the “bor pen yang” attitude. So if you’ve never heard of Laos, you probably have no idea what this means. “Bor pen yang” basically means “no worries” in Lao, and it’s kind of embedded in the culture here. Laos actually has a really rough history and is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, but what we’ve noticed is that people are always smiling, they always have a positive attitude, even in the worst situations imaginable. And that’s one of the things that we love most about this country.
There’s also a nervous side to this whole “bor pen yang” attitude, which is not so positive. It’s something that can be quite annoying for tourists in particular, which is that things are not rushed to be done. So if you’re taking public transport, it’s most likely not going to leave on time. So just don’t get mad at this situation. Things are just gonna happen in Lao time. It’s a different time zone, it’s gonna go a bit slower, but you’ll get there in the end. There’s no rush, there’s no worries.
Devlopments
So my first thoughts of the country Laos before I had ever heard of it, really, or been to it, or knew anything about it, was that it was just jungle and nothing else there, which is completely not true. A lot of people think that there is no development here, but Laos has actually been changing rapidly. Since I visited for the first time here in 2020, so many things have changed. I have seen the first highway being built here, new roads constantly being built all the time, and the first high-speed railway here all the way from Vientiane to China. The internet connection is actually really good here in Laos, especially with the local SIM cards. It’s not just like you’re in the middle of a jungle and there’s no connection, especially some of the best internet we found in Southeast Asia, to be quite honest. There are also loads of popular international chains that have just recently opened up in Laos. They’ve got the first Starbucks here and they’ve just opened up a 7-Eleven here as well. So international brands are starting to move into Laos, and I think there’s only going to be more and more in the future.
Transportation
The next thing I am going to talk about is transport and how to get around Laos. Laos actually has quite a few airports, so if you wanted to fly between cities and get around faster and see quite a lot of places in a short amount of time, that would be the best way to do it. In-country flights can be quite expensive and infrequent, so if you’re not wanting to do that, the next best thing would probably be the Laos-China train. It stops off in all the main places. That’s probably the most comfortable and convenient way to get around.
But if you’re wanting to kind of get off the tourist trail and you want to travel in a cheap way, the cheapest way would definitely be to take just local buses or minivans. There are also overnight buses that you can take across Laos, so if you’re doing a long distance from like the center all the way to the north or the south, they do have those. I wouldn’t say that they’re the most comfortable and you don’t really know what you’re going to get when you go with that, but it’s all part of the experience, right? And it’s cheap, so what more can you ask for, really?
If you wanted to experience Laos to the fullest, I actually recommend just renting or getting your own motorbike or car because there are a lot of places in Laos where it’s just a lot easier to do it with your own transport. So if you want to explore places like the Thakhek Loop or the Pakse Loop in the south, the best way is to do it with your own transport because you can go to all the little hidden gems along the way and a lot of people tend to skip this as well, which is a shame because they are some of the most beautiful places in Laos.
Roads condition in Laos
If you decide you want to explore Laos on your own with your own vehicle, you need to know about the road conditions. Around most tourist areas, the roads are pretty good and well-built. But if you want to venture off a bit more, the roads can get pretty dangerous. There can be a lot of potholes and they might not be fully built up. So if you’re not a confident or experienced driver, I would definitely not recommend driving in Laos. To illustrate, in the areas I’ve seen accidents, I’ve seen landslides, and I’ve driven on some of the worst roads imaginable here, which you can see in our travel documentary when we drove from the southernmost point of Laos all the way to the north at the China border to get an idea of what the roads are like.
Visa
When it comes to the visa, you’re probably going to be getting the visa on arrival. This costs $40 for 30 days, and you can pay for the visa fee in dollars or in Lao Kip. However, we would recommend only paying for the visa in US Dollars because if you pay in Lao Kip, the exchange rate ends up being about $10 more than what it is. So make sure you have US Dollars when you come into Laos. Make sure that the notes are crisp and clean; otherwise, they won’t accept them. Also, make sure you have the exact amount in dollars, just in case they ask for that when you fill out the visa on arrival form. Also, if you’re coming from a land border from Vietnam into Laos, you might want to actually check with that land border checkpoint if you can do a visa on arrival because some of them only allow for the e-visa, which you need to get in Hanoi or a major city before you come to Laos. So, ensure you have your visa sorted out before arrival.
Money Exchange/ATMs
So, you’ve got your visa sorted out at the country. Usually, the next thing that you want to do is find a way to get some money if you haven’t already got some on you. To exchange money, we would recommend only exchanging what you’re going to need, so don’t over-exchange because if you exchange Lao Kip back into a different currency, you’re actually going to end up losing money because the Lao Kip isn’t that strong at the moment. If you want to use an ATM, the ATMs we would recommend are BCEL Bank, I think it’s the most popular, and JDB Bank. The ATM fees are actually quite cheap here in Laos, it’s about 20,000 to 13,000 Kip at the moment, which is, I think, $1 dollar. That’s a lot cheaper than neighboring countries like Thailand, which is like $7 each time to withdraw money.
But actually, the withdrawal limit in Laos is a lot lower, so the most we could take out is about 2 million Kip at a time. Sounds like a lot, but it’s actually maybe less than $100, so it kind of works out the same as Thailand because that withdrawal limit is lower and the fee is high.
Sim Card
And so after you’ve got your visa and money, the third thing, the main three things you always need when you go to a country, is the third one is internet. So, SIM cards in Laos. There are two main providers in Laos, UNITEL and Lao Telecom. We’ve actually tried both, and we would definitely recommend UNITEL over any of the others. It’s super easy to get a local SIM card; you can go to any phone shop and just ask for a UNITEL card and ask them to help register it for you. Maybe go somewhere where they can speak English so you can explain what you’re actually trying to do in a simple way. Then you just buy these little scratch cards and you can top up however much. I usually get a 10,000 Kip card, which is like 50 cents, and you get 5 GB for 3 days with that. You can also get longer deals, depending on what you need it for and stuff, but it is really cheap to get internet here and actually, UNITEL SIM cards are really fast. I’ve worked online, I’ve uploaded videos, and I’ve never had any issues, so it’s actually really fast and reliable.
Language
In terms of language, the national language here in Laos is Lao. It’s quite similar to Thai actually, so if you speak Thai, then you could communicate probably the basics here and you’ll get by just fine. However, English is only spoken in the main tourist areas. So if you wanted to go off the beaten path, I would definitely recommend either having a translation app with you or learning some basic Lao phrases. Lao people really love it and respect it, and you’ll get loads of smiles and people will be even friendlier, if that’s possible, if you speak a little bit of Lao with them.
Foods
Laos is not necessarily known internationally for its food, but it is definitely some of the craziest and spiciest food that we have ever experienced in our travels. The main dish to try here is sticky rice, which is the main staple of the whole country. In fact, you can eat it with anything and everything, savory or sweet. You basically adapt to Laotian culture and never try to eat without sticky rice—it’s almost a crime!
Other dishes you should definitely try when you come to Laos include “laap,” which is the national dish here, and also papaya salad. It’s a lot more potent than the Thai version because it includes fermented fish sauce and is very spicy. Actually, it originated in Laos, so try the original version. Also, make sure you try things like Lao sausage and any barbecue meats at markets. They’re pretty good, and there’s also a lot of other crazy foods you can try as well, like raw blood salads and intestine soups.
But don’t worry, guys. There is also Western and international food everywhere as well. You can find everything you can find in any other country as well. It’s not like you’re stuck with raw blood salad every day. So for all the vegetarians and vegans out there, if you’re coming to Laos, there is food for you. Don’t worry. And in major tourist destinations like Luang Prabang and Vientiane, you’ll find loads of veggie/vegan restaurants and dishes catered to you.
But if you are heading off the beaten path, you are probably really going to struggle. When we went all the way up north to the China border, there were some areas where literally all there was to eat was buffalo. We couldn’t find chicken; I couldn’t find pork. So even as meat-eaters, I struggled. So if you have dietary restrictions, you would struggle out there as well, or if you’re just a picky eater, you might struggle in rural areas. So just keep that in mind when you plan where you want to go.
NightLife
Now, let’s talk about nightlife here in Laos. It’s definitely not a country known for that. Like we said before, most people think it’s just a jungle. When you come here for the first time, there’s not really any full moon parties like you would get in Thailand, but there are still bars and you can still have a good time here. There is actually a curfew at midnight across the whole country, so the streets do get quite quiet. It’s a national curfew, and it’s not strictly enforced, but most places do close by then. If you’re in tourist areas like Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and the 4000 Islands down south, you’ll definitely be able to find bars open throughout the night. So, you can still enjoy a night out in Laos, just don’t expect the same level of nightlife as you might find in other Southeast Asian countries.
Best time to visit
So that’s two seasons here in Laos: the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from October to April. The best time to visit, we think, is actually right after the rainy season, from October to December, when the weather is the most dry and stable, and the lagoons and waterfalls look the best. Another reason to go during October is also because there is the light festival during that time, which is one of our favorite festivals in Laos. And if you don’t know what it is or you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend looking it up. The best place to experience it is definitely in Luang Prabang.
Another popular festival to witness is Lao New Year, which occurs at the same time as Thai and Cambodian New Year, during April. So, the dry season is the best time to visit, but keep in mind that it gets colder in the months of December to January, particularly in the north of Laos.
There is also burning season to keep in mind as well, especially if you wanted to travel to the north of Laos because it could impact your trip. This happens, I think, around March sometimes, sometimes February just before Lao New Year. It can affect the visibility and air quality pretty bad. It might depend on the year; some years are worse than others, but definitely look that up and see what the situation is before you plan a trip because it could affect it.
Budget
Laos is a very affordable country to travel, and it can be done on as little as $15 to $20 a day on a budget for the basics. Based on our experience here as budget travelers, we spend around $10 a day for a basic private room in a guesthouse, which you can find as cheap as $5 a night for a basic bungalow in some areas. Dormitories are around $5 on average, but accommodation is probably the most expensive in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. It is still affordable though, just maybe a few dollars more than other areas.
In terms of food, if you want to eat on a budget, the cheapest place to eat would definitely be in markets. There are loads of modern markets and night markets everywhere, and the street food is super cheap. Things like barbecue meat and sticky rice for a local meal from a simple restaurant are around $2. If you want Western food or something from a nice restaurant, obviously it’ll be a bit more, maybe around $5 to $10 a meal, depending on how fancy the place is. Things like fruit shakes and coffees are all around $1 to $2 each, so really cheap. They do come with sugar in if you don’t ask, though, so my biggest tip for you is “baw sai nam tan,” which means “no sugar,” so say that if you ever want to get a fruit shake or a coffee without sugar.
Public transport is generally the most affordable way to get around, whether by bus or minivan. Like I said earlier, motorbike rentals are around $5 to $10 a day for a simple scooter, depending on what area you’re in.
Accommodation, food, transport, the basics, and then the last one we like to discuss is how I divide up our budget for activities and stuff. Most waterfalls, lagoons, hikes, viewpoints, and museums in Laos have a very small entry fee, around $1 to $2, so you can easily see all the main attractions on a budget. If you want to do more adventurous or extreme activities like jungle treks, ethnic homestay experiences, or river rafting, all that kind of stuff, this will cost more, but it’s still really affordable for the once-in-a-lifetime experience that you get.
Where To visit
The main things you probably want to know if you’re coming to Laos for the first time are actually where to visit, where should you go, what should you do, and what are the main places that you should see in Laos.
The main tourist areas are obviously Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Vientiane is a big major transport hub and it’s the easiest way to get from place to place across Laos. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and probably one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. There’s also Vang Vieng, which has a lot of nature. It’s supposedly known for its parties, but I would say there is a lot more to Vang Vieng than just parties. In fact, we rarely go there to party; we go there for the nature. So, there is a lot to do there if you want some quiet time in nature as well.
A couple of other popular tourist destinations are Nong Khiaw, just above Luang Prabang, and Muang Ngoi as well. We’ve been to both of them and we definitely recommend them. They have really beautiful views and hikes and just lovely village vibes in rural Laos to visit.
Other places to consider in northern Laos, a bit off the tourist path, would be Phongsaly. It’s got a lot of different ethnic groups, and you can do all kinds of experiences with tribes. It was one of our favorite places in Laos, actually.
Other places would be Luang Namtha, Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars, and in the south of Laos, there is the Thakhek Loop, the Bolaven Plateau Loop just by Pakse, the 4000 Islands, and again, we cover every single area that we’re talking about right now in Laos in our eBook, which is in the description below if you want to plan an exciting trip.
That’s the complete guide for Laos I thing. But if you need more information, feel free to comment blew. Also, you can subscribe our blog for important travel tips direct to your mail inbox.
Happy travel.
