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CountryOnlineFind.com > Reception > Popular country > Democratic republic Lao
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Popular destination Democratic republic Lao
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Popular democratic republic Lao (LA) |
| Continent: |
Asia |
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| Surface: |
236.800 km ² |
| Inhabitants: |
606.811 |
| Capital: |
Vientiane |
International banking code (ISO Codes): |
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| Official language: |
Laotian |
Code: |
+856 |
| Currency: |
Kip |
Number plate: |
LAO |
| Routes of Popular Democratic republic Lao: |
363 |
Routes towards Popular Democratic republic Lao: |
389 |
| Preferred airports: |
Sayaboury (ZBY), Luang Prabang (LPQ), Savannakhet (ZVK), Vientiane - Wattay (VTE), Xieng Khouang (XKH), Udomxay (UDO), Oudomxay (ODY), Houeisay (HOE), Bounneua, Phongsaly (PCQ), Pakse (PKZ) |
| Principal cities: |
Vientiane, Pakse, Savannakhét, Luang Prabang, Xam NUA, Muang Khammouan, Muang Pakxan, Champasak, Phonhong, Saravan, Lamam, Attopeu, Round of applause Nahin, Nam Tha, Phou Pialông |
| Airline company based in Popular Democratic republic Lao: |
Lao Aviation |
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Tourist guide Popular Democratic republic Lao (Asia) |
The democratic Popular republic Lao, or Laos is a landlocked country and surrounded of the neighbors larger and more populated than are China, Vietnam, Kampuchea, Thailand and Myanmar. Since 1975, it is controlled by the popular revolutionary party in a communist way.
Geography: Put aside along the Mekong river, which runs along the border with Thailand, Laos is rather a mountainous country with the very green, typical landscapes of the tropical climates, and with the thick forests. The country is populated little and is particularly well adapted to the trekking. However, it is interdict to camp.
Mountains and rivers: The culminating point of the country is the mount Phu Bia with its 2.820 meters. It is in the annamitic cordillera, which is particularly appreciated amateurs of trekking. The longest river is Mekong, with its very fertile alluvial grounds. It measures approximately 1800 km. Mekong crosses all the country in its length and thus forms a natural border with Thailand and Myanmar. This river is also the principal sea route of the country. For the new ones arrived, it is the occasion to acclimatize itself carefully to the tropical heat of the climate, by carrying out a cruising. At the edge of Mekong, one finds also the towns of Vientiane and Luang Prabang, which are both of the big cities to the picturesque charm. They are also known under the name of “cities with the thousand temples and contain many works of art and architectural.
Climate and advised season: Laos knows a hot tropical climate with periods of monsoons. However, the level of the temperatures depends much on altitude. The best period to visit Laos lies between November and April. Precipitations are then less and the more bearable temperatures in day. However, the trekking in mountain is possible until June, since the mountains enjoy a pleasant climate, even in spring. Between June and October, it is the period of monsoons. It can then happen that strong precipitations destroy the roads and that the local populations must be run away on board many small boats. Even the level of the Mekong, which is the artery of the country and the main axis of transport, assembles 15m during the season of monsoons.
Language (S) of the country and communication: The official language is the Laotian, but the populations often speak about another dialects. In the big cities, one also often speaks the French, the English, the Vietnamese and Chinese-Han.
Health and vaccines: The yellow fever is not present in this country and one should present a certificate of vaccination only if you accomplished as a preliminary a stay in a zone where the disease is present. However, there exists all the year and in all the country a risk of infection of to not filtered water or with the malaria/paludism. Before leaving, please inform itself near your attending physician in connection with a possible preventive medication of the malaria (paludism). The quality of the care cannot be compared with the European standards. It is thus recommended to provide itself with a special health insurance for the voyages, valid in the whole world and including/understanding a insurance-repatriation in the event of urgency. It is important to have an excellent anti-mosquito protection and anti-insect, and also to be protected correctly during possible sexual relations, the virus of the AIDS not ceasing progressing to Laos. For the travellers who wish to move in the motor bike, the port of the helmet is imperative, considering the number of accidents in Laos. The fact also should be considered that the Laotians enjoy to slip by at any speed, in a state of intoxication, particularly the evening and the weekend and that in the event of accident, some is the degree of culpability of the Laotian, it is the foreigner who will have to pay all the expenses.
Conditions of entry: The visa is obligatory. You can make of it the request near the embassy of Laos or at the time of your arrival to the international airport of Vientiane, Luang Prabang or Pakxe. The children must be provided with an individual passport. All the documents must be valid still at least 6 months after having left the territory. Do not forget to check that you have a visa in your passport, if not you will be able to have considerable difficulties at the time of your departure, which can show a imprisonment or a fine.
If you wish to obtain from advantage of information in connection with the conditions of entry or safety, or on the vaccines to be carried out, please consult Internet site of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Arrival and displacements on the spot: There does not exist unfortunately direct flight. But of good connections exist all the same, such as for example, that which proposes Air France in collaboration with Lao Airlines or Thai Airways, with a correspondence in Bangkok, towards the airport of Wattay Airport in Vientiane. The airport is located at only 4km city. You can also take the national company Lao Airlines of Bangkok from Hanoi. This solution is especially interesting for the travellers who continue their voyage with an interior flight towards Luang Prabang or Pakxe. The Taiwanese company Eva Airways proposes it also interesting solutions in Southeast Asia.
Capital: Vientiane (also called Vieng Chan) is the capital of Laos. It is located at the North of the country, surrounded by a luxuriant vegetation as one finds it along Mekong. Its agglomeration, it takes into account 600.000 inhabitants. This city, which is the smallest capital of Southeast Asia, has a French charm which goes up at the time colonial. It is also called Paris of the East. The most known monument dating from the colonial time is the “Monument of Deaths”, which resembles the Parisian Triumphal arch a little. It is in Vientiane that largest stupa is Buddhist country, Phat That-Luang, who was set up at the 16th century on the ruins of an old 13 century Khmer temple. It is especially in end of the afternoon that the buildings of the temple reveal all their splendor, the rays of the sun being reflected then on the gilded cupola. This Stupa royal represents the existing bond between Bouddhisme and Laoïsme. It is also a symbol of the Laotian national conscience. It is said that the temple in the past contained a fragment of bone having belonged to Bouddha, but that could not be proven scientifically until now. It is also necessary to devote a visit to the royal temple of Wat Ho-Prakeo. It formerly had an invaluable Jade Buddha, which is from now on in Bangkok. The temple is used now as national museum and still contains an impressive collection of statues, carved wood panels and crowned writings. Among the monuments worthy of interest, one can also quote the revolutionary museum of Laos and the daily night market which opens its doors at 6 p.m., and where one finds practically whole. Even, if you do not intend to buy anything, the visit is worth the turning.
Tourist sites and places of bathe: Laos is a landlocked country which does not have an access to the sea. It will thus not be possible for you to spend one day to the beach. But if you are impassioned of culture and nature, this country is worth the turning. Grace precisely to its geographical location, this country remains mainly saved by the floods of tourists, contrary to Thailand and of Vietnam. The tourist infrastructures are not also developed there and the country is yet only one destination reserved to the initiates. More than 80% of the population, which counts 6 Million inhabitants, agriculture saw and lies in small villages.
Luang Prabang, which is with the confluence of Mekong and Nam Kann, is the third city of the country. Until the year 1545, it was the capital of the kingdom of Laos. It is the city which contains the most Buddhist temples, which makes the arts center and tourist of it country. The town of Luang Prabang, just like Vientiane, has an international airport, located at 3km in the North-East of the city. It is especially used by the tourists. To be able to have a panoramic sight on the 32 temples and the pointed houses with pinion, nothing is worth a turning by the Phu mount If, which is 130 m high and with the foot of which the night market takes place. The whole city was classified with the world heritage of UNESCO in 1995. This fascine city indeed by its mixture of colonial and traditional architecture. Among the most known monuments, one counts the royal museum of the palate Ho Kham, where the principal national treasures are gathered, and the temple of Wat Xieng-Thong, dating from the 16th century, and decorated with gold and tinted glass. To approximately 25 km of Luang Prabang, on banks of Mekong, you will find the famous caves limestones of Pak-Or, which are crowned with the eyes of the Laotians. Inside these caves, 1000 different figures of Buddha are gathered, some of them are old of more than 200 years.
The South of the country, with the rather flat relief, is the attic with rice of Laos. They is there too that the second city of the country is, Pakxe. You can see there the Champa-Sak museum which contains relics of Wat-Phu. It is the ideal place to begin a visit from the ruins Wat-Phu de Champa-Sak, which are another site not to be lacked this small country of South-east. This temple made up of several buildings is classified with the world heritage of UNESCO since 2001. It is perhaps smaller than temple of Angkor Vat celebrates it, but it is older and they is the places crowned most important for the Kampuchean ones outside the borders of their country. The plate of Bolaven, in the South of the country, is another place of possible excursion. One can carry out there safaris in the medium of the elephants and courses of trekking. This area abounds in cascades and the grounds are very fertile there.
With not missing: The amateurs of trekking must visit the caves of the village of Vang Vieng. These caves are located at approximately 5 hours of Vientiane, halfway of Luang Prabang and pass to be the largest caves of Laos. Crystalline water invites there to the bathe and some of these lakes are so large that one can explore them in boat. The contiguous village is practically made up only of pensions, restaurants and organizers of course. It is a true paradise for the travellers. One of the preferred activities with Vang Vieng, it is the “Tubing”, which consists in being let slip on the Xong river lengthened into a tire tube of truck inflated, while stopping with the choice, to drink a beer in one of the many stands being on the course, to let itself project on a water jet or dance a little in a discotheque in the open air.
Religion: The population of Laos is very attached to Buddhism. More than 69% claim Therevada Buddhism but practice all the same like the 40% remainder the worship of the ancestor and the schamanism.
Big cities: Vientiane, Pakxe, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, Sam Neua and Sayaboury
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Flights expensive not preferred towards and of Popular Democratic republic Lao/
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