LAOS Travel Information

TIME ZONE

Standard time in Laos in winter is 6 hours ahead of Central European Time (CET), 7 hours ahead of GMT, 12 hours ahead of time in New York, 3 hours behind time in Sydney, two hours behind of Tokyo and in the same time zone as Bangkok.

ELECTRICITY
Electricity. 220V. However, electricity supply can be unreliable in smaller towns.

COMMUNICATION
Telephone : International direct dialing is available, though limited. Country code: +856, the city code for Vientiane is (0) 21, for Luang Prabang dial (0) 71 and for Pakse is (0) 31. When making international calls from Laos, dial 00 before dialing the desired country code and phone number. It is also possible to make international phone calls via the internet for much cheaper rates then the telephone networks.
Mobile Telephone : The network operators in this area are Lao Telecom, Tango, ETL and Lao Asian. Coverage is still not widespread, although the Thai mobile telephone system may be accessed in Vientiane and border regions. Here international roaming is available by making use of one of the Thai networks.
Internet : Most major towns have internet cafes.
Post : Postal services can be slow, but outgoing mail is fairly reliable and inexpensive.

HEALTH & SECURITY
We strongly recommend having good health insurance and carrying a good first aid kit. In general there is a lack of international standard medical help and hospitals. For minor ailments, the Vientiane International Clinic offers good service. For any major health problems we recommend going to Thailand.

Vaccinations : The government of Laos does not require you to have any vaccinations except for cholera if you are coming from an infected area. Please contact your doctor for recommended vaccinations.

Malaria : The best protection against malaria is to avoid being bitten in the first place: make sure to bring along mosquito repellent. Check with your physician about taking a course of anti-malarial. If it is considered necessary given your itinerary, you might need to begin before your trip and continue for a time after you return. The greatest risk of contracting malaria is between May and October at altitudes below 3,000 ft./ 1,000 m. There is no malaria in Vientiane or Luang Prabang.

Dengue fever, which is also transmitted by mosquitoes, is often mistaken for malaria. Its symptoms are severe pain in the joints, high fever, and extreme headache. Aside from avoiding being bitten altogether (this mosquito is active in daytime and is often a striped variety), there is no prevention available. Hospital treatment is urgently required.

Food & Water : Although towns have access to safe water, less than a third of the countryside can claim the same. Avoid all water that hasn't been thoroughly boiled or sterilized and drink only sterilized water or soft drinks. All water and ice-cubes that are served to you in restaurants in the cities are safe for consumption. You should not eat any uncooked vegetables and do not eat any fruit that you haven't peeled yourself. Make sure that fish and meat is well cooked. Do not swim in stagnant water as you run the risk of contracting bilharzias.

Security : Mines & Munitions. Xieng Khouang province (the Plain of Jars), the Bolaven Plateau and areas along the Ho Chi Minh Trail are strewn with antipersonnel mines and bomblets discharged from cluster bombs. Many large unexploded bombs have been left lying around all over Laos, mainly in the countryside. They are very dangerous so always keep to existing tracks and if you see any unknown objects, do not touch.

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS
Festivals in Laos are largely linked to agricultural seasons or historical Buddhist holidays. The general word for festival in Laos is boun (merit) - which means doing good things during the festivities in order to gain merit for a life after death.

top