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Country Guide > South-East Asia > Laos | |
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Travel - International Note Penalties for illegal drug importation and use are severe and can include the death penalty. Over the past year there have been explosions in the capital Vientiane and attacks on buses, resulting in injury and death. There are also reports of banditry in rural areas and unexploded ordnance is an ongoing danger. It is illegal not to carry an ID document or a passport, and fines for not having one for presentation on demand can be high. The Lao Government prohibits sexual relationships, including sexual contact between foreign citizens and Lao nationals, except when the two parties have been married in accordance with Lao family law. Penalties for failing to register a relationship range from fines to imprisonment. Most visits to Laos are trouble-free. Air The national airline of Laos is Lao Aviation (QV) which serves the international routes from Vientiane to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Bangkok and Chiang Mai (Thailand), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Kunming (China). Thai Airways International (website: www.thaiair.com) flies from Bangkok; Vietnam Airlines (website: www.vietnamairlines.com) flies from Hanoi. International airports Vientiane (VTE) (Wattay) is 3km (2 miles) from the city (travel time – 20 minutes). Taxis cost US$5, on average. Facilities include bank/bureaux de change, bars, post office, restaurants and car hire. Departure tax US$10; children under two years of age and transit passengers are exempt. Rail There are no railways in Laos, but the Thai system stretches from Bangkok via Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai on the Laos/Thailand border. A ferry and a bridge link the Lao side of the Mekong, 19km (12 miles) east of Vientiane. Road It is possible to enter Laos from Thailand at Nong Khai over the Friendship Bridge. Other border crossings include Chiang Kong (Thailand)–Houei Xay (Laos) in the north; Mukdahan (Thailand)–Savannakhet (Laos); Chong Mek (between Pakse and Ubon Ratchathani); Nakorn Phanom (Thailand)–Tha Kek (Laos) and Jouay Kone (Thailand)–Xaingnabouri (Laos). It is possible to enter Laos by road from Vietnam either at Lao Bao or at the new border post of Lak Xao near Vinh. Laos can also be entered from China, from Mengla in Yunnan province to Luang Nam Tha. Overland travel to Cambodia and Myanmar is not feasible owing to security risks. Internally, the road link between Vientiane and Luang Prabang to the north has been upgraded. |