The National Tourism Authority of Laos (NATL) operates offices in a few places, including Vientiane, but staff are generally untrained and speak little English. Two privately owned companies, Sodetour and Diethelm, can provide reliable information. Word-of-mouth information from other travellers is often the best source, as conditions in Laos change with astonishing rapidity.

Nelles 1:1,500,000 map of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia or its Southeast Asia "Road Atlas" of the same scale are adequate for orientation but can be misleading.