Laos - Lào

Laos is a landlocked country in the region Southeast Asia. Laos adjacent to Vietnam in the East, China North, Thailand West, Myanmar northwest and Cambodia in the south.

overview

Lao PDR is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos borders Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand in the west. Laos is also known as "the country of a million elephants" or Van Tuong; The language of this country is Lao. Previously, Laos was also known as Ai Lao (Chinese: 哀牢), Lao Qua (Chinese: 老撾).

History

The history of Laos before the 14th century was associated with the domination of the kingdom of Nanchao (南詔). Until the 13th century, the territory of Laos today still belonged to the Khmer empire, then to the kingdom of Sukhothai. In the 14th century, King Pha Ngum (Fa Ngum) ascended the throne and changed the country's name to Lan Xang (Lan Xan). Over the next several centuries, Laos had to repeatedly resist invasions by Burma and Siam.

By the 18th century, Thailand gained control over the few remaining emirates. These territories were within the French sphere of influence during the 19th century and were annexed to the Indochinese Federation in 1893. During World War II, France was replaced by Japan in Indochina. After Japan surrendered to the Allies, on October 12, 1945, Laos declared its independence. In early 1946, France returned to invade Laos. In 1949 this country was under the leadership of King Sisavang Vong and was named Kingdom of Laos. In July 1954, France signed the Geneva Accords, recognizing the independence and territorial integrity of Laos.

When the war spread to the whole of Indochina, in 1968 the volunteers Vietnam went to war with the Pathet Lao army, against the government of the Kingdom of Laos and the US army. In 1975, the Pathet Lao communist movement led by Prince Souphanouvong abolished the Lao kingdom government, sent King Savang Vatthana to a re-education camp and took over the leadership of this country. On December 2, 1975, the Lao National People's Congress decided to abolish the monarchy and establish the Lao People's Democratic Republic. This day is also taken as the national day of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Laos has been a member of the United Nations since December 14, 1955. In the late 1980s, Laos implemented a policy of loosening economic controls. In 1997 the country joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Currently in contact with Vietnam remains the basis of Laos' foreign policy.

Geography

Laos is the only country in Southeast Asia that is not bordered by the sea. Laos borders China in the North with a border line of 505 km long; armor Cambodia in the south with a border line of 535 km long; adjacent to Vietnam in the East with a border of 2069 km long, bordering Myanmar in the Northwest with a border line of 236 km long; adjacent to Thailand in the West with a border line of 1835 km long.

The topography of Laos has many mountains covered with green forests; The highest peak is Phou Bia, 2,817 m high. The remaining area is plains and plateaus. The Mekong River flows along most of the western border, bordering Thailand, while the Truong Son range runs along the eastern border with Vietnam.

Climate

The climate in the region is the tropical climate of the monsoon region with two distinct seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season lasts from May to November, followed by the dry season from December to April next year.

Politic

The only Lao political is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. The head of state is the President who is appointed by the National Assembly for a term of 5 years. The head of government is the Prime Minister. The Government is nominated by the President and approved by the National Assembly. The government's policy line is led by the Party through 9 members of the Politburo and 49 members of the Party Central Committee. Important decisions of the government are approved by the Council of Ministers.

Laos adopted a new constitution in 1991. In the following year, elections to the National Assembly with 85 delegates were held. Members of parliament are elected by secret ballot. The National Assembly, which was increased by the 1997 election to 99 deputies, passed new laws, although the executive branch retained the power to issue related decrees. The most recent election took place in February 2002 with 109 delegates.

Region

City

• Vientiane, the capital, is located on the Mekong River, the largest city.
• Luang Prabang, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is famous for its many temples, colonial architecture, and lively night markets
• Huay Xai - in the north, on the Mekong River and the border with Thailand
• Luang Namtha - the center of the north, known for trekking
• Muang Xay - also known as Oudomxay, capital of the multi-ethnic province of Oudomxay
• Pakbeng - half point on overnight slow boat between Huay and Luang Prabang
• Pakse - gateway to Wat Phu and "four thousand islands" (Si Phan Don)
• Savannakhet - in the south on the Mekong River, connected by Mukdahan's bridge Thailand
• Tha Khaek - a popular base for exploring Phou Hin Boun National Park including the famous Konglor . cave

Other destinations

• Plain of Jars, an area with many giant jars
• Vang Vieng, travel along the river and explore caves and forests.

Arrive

Citizens of Russia, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines can enter Laos visa-free [1]; All visitors need a tourist form visa (for 1 or maybe 2 months) issued by a consulate or embassy. visa on arrival also issued to most nationals of countries in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse, as well as the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge between Nong Khai live Thailand and Vientiane and the Laotian border/Vietnam. Visas are also issued when entering Laos via Stung Treng Lane (Cambodia), although guest houses in Cambodia and the Lao Consulate in Phnom Penh will say that there is no fee for visa services. When applying for a tourist visa or a visa on arrival, 1 (maybe 2 at the Lao Embassy) passport photo (you can pay 1 USD "fee" to waive this requirement).

By air

Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, has direct flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Luang Prabang Airport in Luang Prabang has direct flights to Hanoi.

By train

By car

From Vietnam You can go by road along Highway 9 through Lao Bao border gate or Highway 12 through Cha Lo border gate through Laos. Two-lane paved road.

By road

Vietnam:

There are 6 border gates between Laos and Laos Vietnam, including:

• Donsavanh - Lao Bao - to/from Savannakhet
• Keo Nua Pass
• Lak Sao - to/from Khammouan province
• Nam Can - come/go Plain of Jars
• Na Meo - come/go Sam Neua
• Tay Trang - to/from Muang Khua and Nong Khiaw
• Bo Y (nearest town on the Vietnam is Ngoc Hoi and the Lao side is Attapeu)

By motorbike from Vietnam

Driving to Tay Trang border gate, you will have to fill out a form "temporary export - re-import" and present a motorbike registration form and pay a fee of 10 USD. After submitting to customs, you will be stamped on the application.

You have to drive nearly 6 km in the mountains to get to Lao customs. The customs officers at the border gate asked for 5,000 Kip for the general cost and 25,000 Kip for the import of the vehicle. They fill out the form themselves and issue a 30-day visa. The procedure for each side takes about 20 minutes.

Go

Language

Lao is the official language. This is a tonal language and is quite close to Thai. Due to the popularity of Thai media in Laos, many Laotians can understand Thai.

Visitors are always encouraged and welcomed when trying to speak Lao with locals, even if you only know certain words. English is a popular foreign language among young people in Laos, but proficiency is still low. In some tourist areas, Lao children sometimes start a conversation with tourists because they are asked by teachers to do it as homework. After talking, the children can ask visitors to take pictures and sign their names to bring back to the school. For tourists, this is a good opportunity to know more interesting tourist places.

In Laos, a small number of elderly people can speak French, a legacy from the colonial era.

Shopping

Lao currency is kip, this money is not convertible outside of Laos, the value is not stable and is often subject to inflation. Exchange rate as of August 2013, 1 USD is approximately 8,000 kip. For Vietnamese Dong, 1,000,000 Vietnamese Dong is about 380,000 kip [2], or 1 kip is worth approximately 2.7 VND. Visitors should use up all their kip inside Laos. You can also change money at the airport before leaving Laos. Since the exchange of money at the airport starts at 9am, you should be careful if you book an early flight leaving the country.

The 100,000 kip banknote is not common (although you can sometimes get it from an ATM). Popular banknotes include 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 kip. If you withdraw 1,000,000 kip from an ATM, you will normally receive 20 50,000 kip bills and this can be a bit annoying. Today, accepting USD is not as common as it used to be. You can still use US dollars to pay from time to time, but with the value reduced by 5-10%. Laotians can accept Thai baht along the border with Thailand, including the capital Vientiane. However, for most of rural Laos, only kip is used.

Expense

The main development direction of Laos is based on tourism, it is like "a dairy cow". They capture anything that other tourists are willing to pay for. Recently the price has exceeded the cost of the neighboring country Thailand although the standard is lower. The hotel is of lower quality, and the cost is higher than Thailand or Cambodia. Quality in tourist centers like Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng lags behind smaller towns and villages.

Not like in Thailand, visiting temples in Luang Prabang is not free but costs about 10,000 KIP.

Cost in Laos is more expensive than in Thailand and Cambodia, most goods, petrol and food are imported from Thailand and Vietnam, and because most people have the habit (especially tuk tuk drivers) to see 1 US dollar is equivalent to 10,000 kip, but in reality it is only 8,000 for 1 dollar, so remember to bargain with the tuk tuk driver and when shopping at markets.

2nd opinion: In addition to tourist centers, room rates are about 2.50 USD, and even in Si Phan Don is 5 USD/night.

Food

Lao cuisine has many delicious dishes, such as: grilled chicken, sausages, steamed pork with bamboo shoots (or steamed fish with banana leaves), chicken (fish) cooked with tamarind, boiled vegetables, rice (sticky rice). There are also other dishes such as: frogs, fried squid with garlic, grilled ribs, fermented pork rolls... Lao cuisine, in addition to these dishes, there are also dishes that are considered specialties such as: Tam Maak Hung also called It is a papaya salad consisting of pickles, papaya, cowpeas, pounded eggplant and then mixed with dozens of very strange spices. In addition to Tam Maak Hung, there are also dishes such as Thot mún, steamed shrimp, grilled fish… Each dish has other ingredients such as Lap made with pork, minced, mixed with Lao spices, eaten with sticky rice or rice. , mixed with hot peppers, grilled fish is salted on the skin, when cooked, the skin of the fish is not burnt but covered with a layer of salt, the fish meat does not stick to the skin, fragrant, dipped with "chopped" water (specially made from chili peppers) , garlic, onion, fish sauce, salt, monosodium glutamate and lemon).

Drinks

The most popular drink in Laos is Lao beer, is made from Laotian jasmine rice and is one of the few products of Laos to be exported. The gold branded tiger head can be found everywhere, and the large 640 ml bottle costs no more than 10,000 to 15,000 kip in restaurants. It comes in 3 forms: original (5%), black (6.5%) and light (2.9%).

Accommodation

Accommodations outside of the tourist attractions in the Mekong valley are few and far between hotels and guest houses, but there are many good and mid-priced hotels and guest houses, and a few more expensive hotels in the region. Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Pakse has Champasak Palace.

Do

Be a volunteer [3].

Sauna

A Laotian relaxation is herbal sauna. These services are usually easy to find, just a bamboo hut, stove and plumbing, they usually serve in the evening. The process includes the following steps:

• Enter and pay in advance about 10,000 kip (1.5 USD), if you want a massage, pay an additional 40,000 kip (5 USD).
• The first is to enter the changing room to wear a sarong (provided by them).
• Take a shower.
• into a private steam room. The room was dark, just hot with the smell of herbs including lemongrass or whatever the doctor cooked that day, and then sweat.
• When you're comfortable, step outside and have a light cup of tea.

Safe

• sex between Lao nationals and foreigners is illegal unless they are married, and marriage requires special procedures. Lao hotels do not allow foreigners and Laotians to share hotel rooms. "Number One" condoms cost 1,000-5,000 kip for a box of 3. This is probably the cheapest condom in the world (and the quality is probably OK).

Medical

To respect

Dress respectfully (long pants, long-sleeved shirt) when you visit temples and take off your shoes before entering temples and private homes.

Like with other Buddhist countries, exposing the soles of your feet is very poor manners. Never touch anyone's head. Although alcohol is popularly cheap, getting drunk is considered disrespectful and dishonorable. Things in Laos happen slowly and rarely as expected. They will stay calm, and your venting of anger will embarrass everyone involved and certainly won't move things forward, especially when dealing with government bureaucracy.

Respecting monks is a part of Lao life, and monks take their duties seriously. Remember that monks are forbidden to touch women, nor are they allowed to accept or touch money. Some make an oath of silence, and won't answer you even if they can understand and speak English. It's best not to force them to take pictures with you, or start talking, if they seem reluctant.

Contact

Internet Cafe possible in large towns, but the speed of access is slow and the service staff has little knowledge. Mostly good connection is in Vientiane with a cost of about 100 kip/minute, the lowest is about 4000 kip/hour. However, internet security is not guaranteed and there are many computer viruses.

Diplomatic missions of Vietnam In Laos:

• Consulate General of Vietnam in Luang Prabang, ☎TLSQ Office: (856 - 71) 254 745; (856-20) 5486 6868; Consular Department: (856 - 71) 254 748FORMATNOCC, fax: (856 - 71) 254 746NOCC, email: [email protected].  
• Consulate General of Vietnam in Pakse, house number 31 Ban Pha Bat, Pakse, Champassak Province, ☎VP: 21-2824 -27; Area Manager: 21 4199 -NR: 25 2947FORMATNOCC, fax: 21 2058 (VP); 21 4140 (consular)FORMATNOCC, email: [email protected].  
• Consulate General of Vietnam in Savannakhet, No. 118, Sisavangvong Road, Kayson Phomvihan District, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR, ☎(856) 41 212418; Mobile: (856) 2096677999FORMATNOCC, fax: (856) 41 212182NOCC, email: [email protected].  

This tutorial is just an outline, so it needs more information. Have the courage to modify and develop it !

Wikipedia has articles about Laos