The Mekong River forms Laos's main thoroughfare and feeds the fertile lowlands of the Mekong valley. Two decades of civil war followed independence from France in 1953, and Laos was bombed heavily during the Vietnam War. The communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has held power since 1975. Market-oriented reforms began to be introduced in 1986. A transfer of power to a younger generation within the LPRP took place during the 1990s.

Source: Lonely Planet

Laos' isolation from foreign influence offers travellers an unparalleled glimpse of traditional South-East Asian life. From the fertile lowlands of the Mekong River valley to the rugged Annamite highlands, Laos is the highlight of South-East Asia.

This is the least developed and most enigmatic of the three former French Indochinese states. A ruinous sequence of colonial domination, internecine conflict and dogmatic socialism finally brought the country to its knees in the 1970s, and almost 10% of the population left.

Now, after two decades of isolation from the outside world, this landlocked, sparsely populated country is enjoying peace, stabilising its political and economic structures, and admitting foreign visitors - albeit in limited numbers due to a general lack of infrastructure.

Warning

Although travel in Laos is generally hassle-free, travellers should be aware of the risk of rural banditry, unexploded ordnance and sporadic violence in and around Vientiane. Travellers have been inadvertently targeted in several attacks on buses travelling to and from the capital.

Ask around in Vientiane or Luang Prabang to check security before travelling the western portion of Rte 7 in Xieng Khuang Province, between Muang Phu Khun and Phonsavan, or Rte 13 between Vangviang north to Muang Phu Khun through to south of Luang Prabang.

Small bombings and attempted bombings in Vientiane continue sporadically. The Saisombun Special Zone, considered a 'troubled' area, is definitely not safe. Permits, required for all visits to the zone, are not being issued.

OFFICIAL NAME: Lao People's Democratic Republic

DATE OF FORMATION: 1953

POPULATION: 5.7 million

DENSITY: 64 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Lao, Mon-Khmer, Yao, Vietnamese, Chinese, French

RELIGIONS: Buddhist 85%, Other (including animist) 15%

ETHNIC MIX: Lao Loum 66%, Lao Theung 30%, Other 2%, Lao Soung 2%

GOVERNMENT: No multiparty elections

CURRENCY: New kip