Laos

At a Glance

Laos is a small, landlocked Southeast Asian country with a pace of life that feels deliberately slow, where Buddhist temples, wooden villages on the Mekong River, and jungle-covered mountains create an atmosphere of quiet that is becoming increasingly rare in the region. The culture is gentle and understated, shaped by Theravada Buddhism and a Lao sensibility that prizes harmony and humour. Those seeking frantic activity will find it too quiet, but those who need to decompress will find it perfect.

• Most heavily bombed country per capita in history — 270 million US cluster bombs, 1964–73.
• One of the few remaining single-party communist states in the world.
• Over 30% of bombs dropped never exploded and still kill civilians today.