Lao People's Democratic Republic
South-Eastern Asia
Serene · Riverine · Timeless
Laos (officially Lao People's Democratic Republic) is a country located in South-Eastern Asia. Its capital city is Vientiane, with other major cities including Savannakhet and Luang Prabang. With a population of approximately 7.4M, the main language spoken is Lao. The country covers an area of 236,800 km². The official currency is the Lao kip (₭). Traffic drives on the right side.
Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in history — the US dropped more than 2 million tonnes of ordnance during the Vietnam War era, and an estimated 30% remains unexploded to this day.
Vientiane serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Laos, positioned in South-Eastern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Savannakhet, Luang Prabang, Pakse — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Vientiane is one of Southeast Asia's least-visited capitals and one of its most peaceful — a small city of 700,000 on the Mekong River where French colonial architecture, Buddhist temples, and the Arc de Triomphe-inspired Patuxai victory monument coexist in a city that moves at a pace its neighbours have long abandoned in favour of development speed.
With a population of approximately 7.4M, Laos is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Lao, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Laos is reached via the dialling code +856. Lao people navigate an identity bounded by the Mekong — the river is both the country's western border with Thailand and its primary transport artery — in a country of 8 million whose 49 ethnic groups include lowland Lao (Lao Loum), highland Lao (Lao Theung), and mountain Lao (Lao Sung) with distinct languages and agricultural practices in a country that officially claims the ideology of a People's Democratic Republic.
Laos spans 236,800 km², in the South-Eastern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 18.0°N, 105.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the Lao kip (₭), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Laos's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+07:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Petanque holds a special place in the heart of Laos's national identity. Football is the modern dominant sport, but traditional sepak takraw — a sport combining the acrobatics of gymnastics with the touch of football, players using feet, knees, chest, and head to keep a rattan ball in the air — and boat racing on the Mekong during the October Boat Racing Festival represent athletic traditions with deep cultural embeddedness.
The highest point in Laos is Phou Bia, rising to 2,817 metres above sea level. Luang Prabang sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers beneath the peak of Phou Si — a 150-metre hill topped by a golden stupa whose gilded summit reflects sunrise light visible across the entire river valley, while the surrounding limestone karst landscape of the northern highlands contains the Pak Ou Caves, river cave temples filled with 4,000 Buddha figures accumulated over five centuries.