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Is Laos a safe country to travel alone?

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any specific things i might want to keep in mind so i dont get into real trouble?

Travel Tips

Laos it totally cool. Most peaceful place i've been in my life is Vientiane. The people are sooo friendly and nice.

keep in mind that laos is communist, run by pathet lao. no cops on the streets, rather soldiers in little kiosks at many intersections. there is a curfew, midnight, sorta. by that i mean the bartender is outside locking the door at midnight. do not wander about late at night, you'll probably be escorted to your hotel.

make no mistake there are dangers. northwest of country has insurgency. and government is somewhat suspicious of foreigners, indeed i had a couple of people obviously assigned to me. this is no place to be a jerk tourist.

on the other hand, laos is the only communist country to have a state sanctioned religeon, buddhism. and rap music is illegal, lol. i would move to laos if i could swing it.

oh btw, they kicked the french out but not the language. if you can manage some french that would be good as most do not speak english. many do speak Thai which is very similar. and bier lao is 60 cents a litre, and good. good luck and have fun.

still more. three currencies in laos. us dollar for high end purchase. Thai bhat for most things. and Lao kip for buying low cost things. (kip is 10,000 or more to the dollar). but you will not receive dollars back as change. use bhat.
Others

all could be the best answer, really... but i'll take this one..really helps.. can't wait till i'm there!!
thanks to all

unfortunately americans are not really liked in other countries so it is not safe for us to travel anywhere alone...make sure you have a guide that you can trust...good luck
Yes, Yes, Yes!

It is very safe country indeed. I would say most large U.S. cities are more dangerous. Though I would always use the usual precautions. Just be alert to your surroundings, vigilant about your passport, money, camera, etc. and pay attention to what the locals say about regions that are touchy. The last time I was there, every where was quite safe, minus a small section southwest of the Plain of Jars. The more you stay on the backpacker trail the safer it should be, but then you will have less of an experience than if you went off the beaten path. I prefer the later.

Don't worry about it! Have fun and enjoy! Laos is one of my favorite countries in Asia.

P.S. -

Carmella's answer is way to paranoid. Unfortunately, so many Americans are this way and thus we are one of the smallest percentages of travelers per capita around the world. Yes, American Foreign policy is not liked around the world, but majority of people do not blame the Citizens of the U.S. I spent 2 months traveling alone around Pakistan, POST 9/11, and never once did I feel a need to lie about my citizenship. Everyone was friendly, helpful and curious to learn about me and my country. Not once did I feel in danger. Can't wait to return.

Remember, just because it is a communist country, does not make it unsafe. I have traveled through all remaining communist countries and every one of them I felt safer there than at home. Thing is in some, you just have to watch what you say. By asking a local a politically sensitive question could get them in trouble. Tourists they basically leave alone, regardless of whether you are American or not.
Yes it is safe to go there but just be cautious and don't flaunt yr nationality much and never say anything against those people even if you don't like anything of theirs.....