Travel To Laos

[enigma6164]

Hi everybody

My wife and I are thinking of taking a trip to Laos, purely for relaxation purposes and maybe to visit some of the Ahka villages there, as my wife is Thai/ahka

I have read in some forums (not Thaivisa), warning of travelling in Laos for personal safety reasons. We were thinking of going to Vientienne and maybe Luang Prabang & Luang Namtha.

Can anyone with personal experience verify or deny these statements. Sure, every where can have its danger spots for travellers, but this did make me somewhat wary of going. We also considered going on to China, any thoughts on that?

I know we can get flights to Laos from Chiang Mai, but my preference would be to drive and take in the countryside.

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Also my apologies to any Laos nationals if i have offended.

Thanks

enigma

[djayz]

I've been to Laos many times (mainly Vientiane and once to Luang Prabang) and I've never had any problems anywhere.

Amn't aware of any "safety reasons".

Relax and enjoy it - life is slower in Laos.

[lovelaos]

In the 8 years I have lived in Laos I have never had any problems. There were some problems around 10 years ago in the far north and the army used to ride on the buses. Some American chap went missing a few years back after wandering into the jungle in a very remote village and a bus was ambushed around 8 years ago resulting in some farang being killed.

In recent times there have been no reported incidents.

It is a very safe country to travel to as long as you use common sense as you would everywhere.

My advice would be to see it now while it's still nice (especially Luang Prabang). It's changing quickly for the worse.

[stickyrice2000]

Trust me. It is much safer than Thailand. You better go now because Laos is changing very fast. The reason being is many investors are pouring money into Laos. The lifestyle and cultures will soon fade away with this civilization.

[D24]

I just came back from Luang Prabang and spent 3 weeks there with GF/wife, and a week total in Vientiane. Nice, and safe.. Nice change of pace from Thailand. Enjoy the journey..mini bus over 'vip' bus saves a bit of time. airfares are set price. some food items are more expensive in high volume tourist areas, but follow the locals to find the local price/meals. I'm putting together a food guide for Luang Prabang/Vientiane now. Great finds!

[Javabear]

My wife and I just spent a few days in Savannakhet while I was getting my new visa and found the locals to be quite helpful and friendly. They didn't seem to have the "just after your money" attitude and seemed to be more concerned with providing a good value product or service.

[talisman01]

I concur with previous posts. I have been to Laos many times and stayed off the beaten track and taken buses up and down the country and have never had any problems. But, as someone said, things are changing. Vientiane is changing fastest and other places are sure to follow given time.

[pomchop]

I concur with previous posts. I have been to Laos many times and stayed off the beaten track and taken buses up and down the country and have never had any problems. But, as someone said, things are changing. Vientiane is changing fastest and other places are sure to follow given time.

the ONLY worry i have ever had in Laos was that some of the scruffier backpackers might steal something from some of the not very secure bamboo bungalows.......the Laos people could not have treated me nicer....enjoy it.

[keestha]

What about changing money in Laos, I believe there are no ATM's? Take cash Baht, US$ or Euro, or maybe traveler's cheques? Possible to withdraw money at banks using a credit card?

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread.

[TheKeeNok]

Been to Vientienemany times. Never had any problems. There were bombings at the Morning Market many years ago, but that kind of stuff seems to have tappered off.

[stickyrice2000]

They accept dollar, baht and kip. Baht and kip would be more acceptable. If you carry dollar, you have to look for the shops that exchange it into kip.

[el jefe]

Pretty easy to get to Akha villages from Luang Namtha but better yet, go on to Muang Sing. Since your wife speaks Thai and Akha it should be pretty easy to get a guide to bring you to the villages. There are very few opportunities to visit hilltribes in Vientiane or south of there. Vientiane is already a big city. imho it has very little charm. Luang Prabang is touristy, but for good reason. The smaller villages of the north are the most interesting but they are changing fast as the Chinese take over. Go now!

There's no problem crossing the border at BoTen into China. You'll need a visa in advance. There are plenty of hill tribe villages on the other side too. If you want complete info on bringing a vehicle into Laos and China, you should consult the GT-Rider website and forum.

As for the danger factor, I assume you're reading the old warnings of bus hijackings by the Hmong on Rte 13? As others have said, that is 7-10 year old info. There has only been one incident that I've heard of in the past 5 years. The govt blamed it on the Hmong rebels, but more likely it was a simple robbery. If you read other forums (Thorntree, Travelfish, etc) you'll read of an occasional robbery where even the most experienced travelers are vulnerable. But, all in all, it appears equally safe as Thailand.

As to someone else's question about ATM's, they are available in almost every major town and accept all western cards. No fee either.

[rak sa_ngop]

Be aware of the dangers from 'tubing on the river' in Vang Vieng (reports of several more deaths in the past few weeks), and also deaths from people falling into the Mekong from the river boats. (I believe some people have fallen asleep on the roofs of these boats and rolled off into the river to drown).

[dantilley]

What about changing money in Laos, I believe there are no ATM's? Take cash Baht, US$ or Euro, or maybe traveler's cheques? Possible to withdraw money at banks using a credit card?

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread.

ATMs are quite common now, especially anywhere a tourist might find him/herself. Quite a low maximum withdrawal amount, but you can just stick your card straight back in again if you want more.

Having said that, it might be sensible to have some backup cash, as I remember being in Luang Prabang and every ATM in the town was down due to some network or server problem. This was on the day we were leaving for a long journey across the country so not the best timing!

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[Kwasaki]

What about changing money in Laos, I believe there are no ATM's? Take cash Baht, US$ or Euro, or maybe traveler's cheques? Possible to withdraw money at banks using a credit card?

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread.

No hijack just a fact and worth a mention, we got caught out by exactly that, thinking ATM no problem but the ATM's we could access at the time would only except Laos bank card holders, with my passport in the Thai Embassy to get a visa, went into bank for money no can do without passport, mrs had to sell some gold.

[enigma6164]

Thank you all for your comments. They are well received and very helpful.