Volunteer in Laos. Laos Information

Laos is a very small and very poor, landlocked and sparsely populated country. It shares the orders with China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Laos is increasingly popular with tourists, mainly backpackers. Rivers and mountains, cover 70 percent of the country. Lao has many historical, cultural and Eco tourist attractions. Lao PDR has a World Heritage City (Luang Prabang) and a World Historical Site (Wat Phou Champasack). The official language is Lao. But there are actually many Lao languages; Isan in particular is spoken in Lao and northeast Thailand. The Lao language is monosyllabic and tonal. Some Lao speak English, French, and even Russian. Buddhism plays an important role in the life of the Lao people and has given them a deserved reputation for friendliness, gentleness, kindness, gaiety and wisdom.

Laos Government: People’s Supreme Assembly, President of the Republic, Council of Ministers. The Communist Party, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government began encouraging private enterprise some 20 years ago.

Major Geographic Features and Tourist Attractions in Laos: Mountains, Rivers, Valleys, Jungles, Luang Prabang city (world heritage)

Wildlife and Environment Issues in Laos: Lao forests and animals are threatened today. Legal and illegal logging and poaching of hardwood trees and endangered animals. Wildlife protection (poaching of endangered species like tigers, gaurs, elephants etc. ) wildlife conservation (saving endangered species like the Siamese crocodile, tigers, Irrawaddy Freshwater dolphins, giant Mekong catfish etc.), deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); emissions

Major Ethnic Groups of Laos: Lao 48%, tribal Thai 14%, Sino-Tibetan (including the Hmong and Yao) 13%, Mon-Khmer 25%, Vietnamese and Chinese 1%. They are traditionally divided into 50 main groups according to their geographical location: Lao Loum (from the plain), Lao Theung (from the hills), and Lao Sung (from the mountains).

Terrain: Rugged mountains, dense jungle and plateau, except along the Mekong Plain. A lot of forests are being logged and disappear today, like in Thailand before

Laos Climate: Tropical Monsoon with 2 main seasons – dry season (Oct-Apr), and Rainy Season (May-Sept).

Visa to Laos: Today it is easy to get a 30 days tourist visa (about USD 30) at a Lao embassy or at the border.

Travel to Laos: Many visitors arrive via the Friendship Bridge in NongKhai. The capital, Vientiane, is connected by flights from Thailand but it is also possible to fly to Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and to take a bus from there to reach the border. Regular rail and bus services link Bangkok to NongKhai, the border town to Laos.

Travel in Laos: There are an increasing amount of bus services operating from Vientiane to many towns throughout the country; but traveling in Laos is time consuming!

Banks: Open Monday to Friday between 08.30 AM. And 04.00 PM. ATM machines in cities.

Lao currency: About 270 Lao Kip equals one Thai Baht! Most foreigners use Baht or USD instead. Electricity: Laos operates on 220 volt.

Natural Resources: Tin, Timber, hydroelectric power (most exported to Thailand), iron, coal, gold, copper, precious stones, potassium, phosphorite, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Agriculture: Rice, corn, tobacco, coffee, cotton, beans, cardamom, benzoine, sticklac, fruits

Industry: Tin, gypsum, mining, lumber, textiles, beverages/Lao Beer (better than Thai beer), bricks, tiles, pottery, cigarettes, and cement.

Handicrafts of Laos: Carvings, silk, cotton, silver incl. typical Lao black silver, pottery, jewelry, traditional musical instruments etc.

Laos Exports: Chiefly hydroelectricity, timber, coffee, tin, gypsum, cardamom, rattan, plywood, garments. The tourism industry is growing rapidly.

Major infectious diseases in Laos: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria