Do’s and Don'ts in Laos

 

Respecting the following customs and principles will help make a stay in Laos a positive experience for both you and your hosts. Using your eyes and common sense will help guide you – while in Laos. Try and do as the Lao do, and you will be rewarded with hospitality and friendliness.

 

Religious
- Please dress neatly and show respect when entering religious grounds: cover yourself from shoulders to knees, and take off hats   and shoes when entering buildings
- Women should not touch monks or their robes
- Please do not touch, point your feet at, or turn your back on Buddha images
- Keep your head lower than Buddha statues and monks
- Do not take pictures or disturb monks during prayer times

 

Cultural:
- Wearing revealing clothing and showing your flesh
(for women and   men) is offensive to Lao
- don’t wear bikinis, skimpy clothing, or take   off your shirt in public
- In Laos, your head is ‘high’ and your feet ‘low’
- don’t gesture with your feet, and don’t put your feet on furniture.
Also, do not touch someone else’s head
- Kissing and hugging in public is impolite – please be discrete
- Please ask before taking photos of people
- Support development by buying local food and handicrafts

 

Environmental:
- Do not take anything from the forest except fresh air
- Do not litter on land or in water; take all your rubbish with you
- Do not buy wildlife or wildlife products - nor let your guide buy it
- Do not make unnecessary noise
- When trekking or riding bicycles, do not leave the route or trample and destroy vegetation & crops

 

Tabacco smoking is legal in Laos - you can actually try!

Drugs:
- Drugs tourism does damage and creates a false image of the  country and its people. Do not use drugs in village areas. Give a better example.

 

Because Drug use
- encourages economic dependency on internationally illegal commodities
- encourages impressionable Lao adolescents to do the same
- impedes the development of one of the world's poorest countries
- has resulted in the death, injury and imprisonment of tourists
- means quick profits for a few but social problems for whole  communities

 

with the friendly permission
of the Lao National Tourist Administration
and www.ecotourismlaos.com