USEFUL INFORMATION
1. Health
The United Nations Health Directive suggests that all visitors to Laos should have up to date inoculations for the following diseases: Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B, Malaria, Tuberculosis.
Over the counter prescription drugs are widely available in major cities.
2. Food
Vientianehas some of the best restaurants inIndochina. In particular, around the beautiful fountain in the center of town are high quality French, Lao, Indian and Italian restaurants.
Like most ofIndochina, the staple diet for local people is rice and fish. Also there are many interesting and innovative soup and noodle dishes served with local vegetables in season throughout the provinces.
3. Entertainment/ Ceremonies
Central to the Lao culture is the Baci (also called the Soookuan) ceremony based on the local belief that the human body possesses 32 "souls" which give health and prosperity to each person. Since unhappiness or bad health might come from the departure of such souls the ceremony is used to call back the souls back to the respective part of the person's body. As such the ceremony has become an important act of well wishing and hospitality between family, friends and guests.
Often accompanied by traditional music an dance, the recipients are presented with cotton bands, tied around the wrists, which should be worn for a number of days following the ceremony.
For more Western-style entertainment, there are discotheques, dancing and live music in many of the hotels and restaurants.
4. Language
Lao, as spoken inVientiane, has six tones and a fairly simple grammatical structure. The most commonly heard foreign languages are French, English and Russian.
5. Religion
The great majority of Lao are Theravada Buddhist. Indeed, even today large sections of the male population attend Buddhist Monasteries for training for a number of years before entering secular life. In addition, a number of the ethnic groups are animist. Anglican-Episcopal, Baha'i Faith, Buddhist, Christian Fellowship Group, Evangelical, Islam. Lutheran and Roman Catholic services all exist with varying frequency.
6. Ethnic Groups
Landlocked betweenThailand,Vietnam,Cambodia,Myanmar(formerlyBurma) andChina,Laosis home to three main ethnic groups: the Lao Loum are lowlanders; the Lao Theung are semis-nomadic mountain dwellers and the Lao Soung who include most hill tribes and minorities.
7. Handicrafts and souvenirs
Laoshas a very strong traditional of cotton and silk weaving. In fact several renowned European designers have recently started coming toLaosto purchase the work, which with such a high time and skill content is available in very few countries in the world. The typical style is of highly intricate embroidery, incorporating the dominant scenes and colors of each province. Such pieces can be bought in all the major markets, or directly from the markets in some of the silk weaving villages in Luang Prabang.
8. Climate and Seasons
Generally hot and humid, particularly in the South, there are three seasons inLaos. The hot and dry season from February to May. The rainy and cloudy from June to October and cool , dry season from November to January.
9. Festival and Holidays
Although the Lao New Year, Pimai, begins in December, it is officially celebrated three days in April (13 th , 14 th , 15 th ). The festival is characterized by the ceremonial washing of the Bhuddas in Wats.
Other noteworthy festivals include the Baci(see entertainment) and the Rocket Festival(during the full moon in May) when highly decorated rockets are launched in honor of Buddha and as a request for rain. Exciting to watch is the October Water Festival(Boun Souang Heua) on theMekongRiverand the accompanying pirogue races between boats with crews of fifty more.
Particularly important inVientianeis the That Luang Festival in November. A Buddhist festival in honor of that, the festival accompanied by a week-long carnival, a horse-less polo match, fireworks and a candlelit procession.
Western New Year (January 1 st ), International Labor Day (May 1 st ) and Lao National Day (December 2 nd ) are all officially recognized and observed.
10. Currency and Banking
The official currency is the Kip. Travelers cheques can be cashed at licensed foreign exchange bureau and
commercial banks. US dollars and Thai Baht are freely exchanged. Visa cards are accepted at a limited number of places but cash withdrawal service is not yet available.
