Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Restaurants
early to 10pm or 11pm
Most businesses close on Sunday, except restaurants. Shops are often open on weekends.
POST
Postal services from Vientiane are generally reliable, from the provinces less so. If you
have valuable items or presents to post home, there is a
Federal Express
( 021-223278;
8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat)
office inside the main post office (
Click here
) com-
pound in Vientiane.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Schools and government offices are closed on these official holidays, and the organs of
state move pretty slowly, if at all, during festivals. Most Chinese- and Vietnamese-run
businesses close for three days during Vietnamese Tet and Chinese New Year in late Janu-
ary/February. International Women's Day is a holiday for women only.
International New Year
1 January
Army Day
20 January
International Women's Day
8 March
Lao New Year
(Bun Pii Mai) 14-16 April
International Labour Day
1 May
International Children's Day
1 June
Bun Nam
(Boat Racing Festival) Usually October
Bun Pha That Luang
(Full Moon) Early November
Lao National Day
2 December
SAFE TRAVEL
Urban Laos is generally safe. You should still exercise vigilance at night, but thanks to the
country's comparatively gentle psyche the likelihood of your being robbed, mugged, har-
assed or assaulted is much lower than in most Western countries. Since the 1975 revolu-
tion, there have been occasional shootings by Hmong guerrillas on Rte 13 between Vang
Vieng and Luang Prabang, though it seems calm at the moment and has been since 2003.
In the eastern provinces, particularly Xieng Khuang, Salavan and Savannakhet, UXO
(unexploded ordnance) is a hazard. Never walk off well-used paths.
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