Laos is a
relatively safe country
for travellers, although certain areas remain off-limits because of banditry and unexploded ordnance. The recent economic woes have pushed crime rates up slightly in Vientiane, but petty crime remains on a small scale. As a visitor, however, you're an obvious target for thieves (who may include your fellow travellers), so keep your wits about you.
If you do have
anything stolen
, you'll need to get the police to write up a report for your insurance: bring along a Lao speaker if you can.
Police
generally keep their distance from foreigners, but in some larger Mekong River towns you may be stopped at night and "fined". With patience, you should be able to resolve most problems, and perhaps even bargain down the "fines", easier to do if you always have your passport with you.
Officials at border crossings
routinely levy small "fines"; there's little you can do in such cases. To alleviate unnecessary suspicion in remoter corners of Laos, it never hurts to check in with the police, especially in small towns in the north and near the Vietnamese border in the south.
Banditry
Banditry
is a very real threat in Laos, although you can greatly reduce the risks by planning your route wisely and heeding local warnings. During the past two decades, buses, motorcyclists and private vehicles on certain highways have been held up,...
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Unexploded ordnance
The Second Indochina War left Laos with a legacy of bombs,
landmines
and mortar shells that will haunt the country for decades to come, despite the efforts of de-mining organizations. Round, tennis-ball sized anti-personnel bomblets, known as...
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Drugs
Officially it's illegal to smoke ganja but some travellers carry on discreetly.
Opium
use among tourists has increased dramatically in recent years, despite a new law against possession, distribution and trafficking. Opium is not as addictive...
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Emergency numbers
In Vientiane dial the following numbers: fire 190, ambulance 195, police 191. There are no emergency numbers for the rest of the country
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