Altogether, Laos is said to have some 16 basic weaving styles across four regions. Southern weavers, who often use foot looms rather than frame looms, practice Laos’s most continuous textile traditions in terms’ of styles and patterns, some of which…
Apart from the historic Plain of Jars, Xieng Khouang Province is best known for the pounding it took during the war. Many of the sights are battered monuments to the plateau’s violent recent history. Given the cost of the return…
Yalakhuntum (Laos)-Bo Y (Vietnam) The border crossing between Bo Y and Yalakhuntum, on the 18B (113 km from Attapeu), is open daily 08:00-16:00.30-day Laos visas are issued at the border. Vietnamese visas are not available at the border and will…
The far south is studded with wonderful attractions: from pristine jungle scenery to the cooler Bolaven Plateau and the rambling ruins of Wat Phou, once an important regional powerbase. The true gems of the south, however, are the Siphandon (4000…
The misty, mountain scenery of the far north conjures up classic Indochina imagery of striking rice terraces, golden, thatched huts and dense, tropical forests, all dissected by a cross-hatching of waterways. Here, life is beautifully interwoven with the ebb and…
The central provinces of Laos, sandwiched between the Mekong (and Thailand) to the west and the Annamite Mountains (and Vietnam) to the east, are the least visited in the country, which is a shame as the scenery here is stunning,…
Scholars of Lao history, before they even begin, need to decide whether they are writing a history of Laos; a history of the Lao ethnic group; or histories of the various kingdoms and principalities that have, through time, been encompassed…
Most of the interesting buildings in Vientiane are of religious significance. All tour companies and many hotels and guesthouses will arrange city tours and excursions to surrounding sights but it is just as easy to arrange a tour independently with…
Arriving in Vientiane Getting there by air Most visitors arrive in Vientiane by air, the great bulk on one of the daily connections from Bangkok, with Thai Air (www.thaiair.com) or Lao Airlines (www.laoairlines.com); the latter also runs international flights from…
Laos is fast becoming the darling of Southeast Asia, satisfying all the romantic images of perfumed frangipani trees, saffron-robed monks, rusty old bicycles and golden temples, all set among a rich tapestry of tropical river islands, ethnic minority villages, cascading…