Just Landed in Laos? Your First 7 Days

Mobile data is cheap and covers towns and main roads well, though speeds drop and coverage thins in rural and mountainous areas where much of Laos actually lies. Prepaid SIMs are the standard, and registration against your passport is now legally required. Home fibre broadband is available in Vientiane and larger towns but installation can be slow and depends on the provider serving your street.

Typical cost: A prepaid SIM costs roughly 20,000-50,000 kip, with monthly data bundles around 50,000-150,000 kip depending on the allowance; Unitel is generally considered to have the strongest nationwide coverage, while home fibre packages start around 150,000-300,000 kip per month.

Laos runs almost entirely on cash in kip, with US dollars and Thai baht accepted for larger or tourist-facing payments and often preferred for rent. The kip has depreciated heavily against the dollar and baht in recent years, so avoid holding large kip balances, keep some savings in a stable currency, and check the rate before any big exchange.

Opening an account: BCEL (Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao) is the most foreigner-friendly bank, and its BCEL One app is the de facto standard for QR payments. Opening an account typically requires a passport plus a valid long-stay visa or work permit and a local address; a company or sponsor letter smooths the process. Lao Development Bank (LDB) and Joint Development Bank are common alternatives.

Cash: Cash dominates markets, tuk-tuks, small shops and most of the country, though QR payment via BCEL One and LDB Trust is growing quickly in Vientiane. Cards are accepted only at some hotels, larger restaurants, and supermarkets, frequently with a 3 percent surcharge, so never assume a venue takes plastic.

Tipping: Tipping is not a local custom and is never expected. Rounding up a taxi fare, leaving small change at a tourist restaurant, or tipping a trekking guide is appreciated but entirely optional.

Address registration is genuinely required in Laos, but it works through the village (ban) authority rather than a national online portal. Any foreigner staying overnight must be reported to the local authorities, and the person hosting you, whether a hotel, a landlord or a private host, is legally responsible for obtaining the village chief's consent and filing the stay-notification. You can be held responsible if your host has not secured that permission, so confirm it explicitly. Longer-stay residents on work or business visas are also registered through their employer or sponsor as part of the work-permit process.

Deadline: Notification is expected promptly, within around 24 hours of arriving at a new address; there is no self-service portal, so it happens in person via your host.

Where: Handled by your hotel or landlord at the local village (ban) office or with the immigration police; work-visa registration is processed through your employer or sponsor.

Vientiane is flat and walkable in the very centre but spread out overall, and most residents rely on motorbikes, tuk-tuks, songthaews (shared pickup trucks) or private cars. There is no metro or formal city bus network worth planning around, and metered taxis barely exist, so ride-hailing apps and negotiated tuk-tuks fill the gap. The high-speed railway now links Vientiane to Luang Prabang and the Chinese border at Boten, which has transformed intercity travel.

From the airport: Wattay International Airport sits about 4km northwest of central Vientiane. Use the official airport taxi desk for a fixed fare of roughly 60,000-70,000 kip, or book a LOCA car through the app; the ride takes 10-15 minutes. Avoid unmarked drivers touting outside the terminal, who quote inflated prices.

Foreigners mostly rent serviced apartments, modern condos or standalone houses in central Vientiane, and the market runs on Facebook groups, local agents and word of mouth far more than formal listing sites. Quality varies enormously, so always inspect water pressure, aircon units, the reliability of the power supply and the state of the wiring before signing anything. Many landlords quote and prefer rent in US dollars.

Typical rent: A modern one-bedroom apartment in central Vientiane runs roughly USD 300-600 per month; larger family houses range from USD 700 to well over USD 1,500 depending on location, furnishing and whether it is aimed at the expat market.

Deposit norm: Landlords typically ask for one to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month upfront, and longer leases sometimes expect several months paid in advance. Get every term written down, because verbal agreements and deposit disputes are a common source of friction.

Public healthcare in Laos is basic and under-resourced, and serious or complex cases are routinely evacuated to Thailand, usually to Udon Thani (about 90 minutes from Vientiane across the Friendship Bridge) or to Bangkok. For anything beyond minor treatment, foreigners rely on private clinics in Vientiane or cross-border care, and you should plan your health strategy around that reality from the start.

How to access it: For minor issues, use private clinics in Vientiane such as the Alliance International Medical Centre or the French Medical Centre (Centre Medical de l'Ambassade de France). Pharmacies are widespread and sell many medicines over the counter, but stock is inconsistent, so bring a supply of anything you depend on. For anything serious, arrange transfer to a Thai hospital such as AEK Udon International Hospital; keep your passport and insurance card ready.

Insurance: Comprehensive international health insurance with medical-evacuation cover is essential rather than optional in Laos. Confirm in writing that your policy covers ground and air evacuation to Thailand, because local facilities cannot handle major trauma, complex surgery or intensive care, and an uninsured evacuation can cost thousands of dollars.

• Greet with the 'nop' (palms pressed together, a slight bow), especially with elders, monks and officials, and let the more senior person initiate it.
• Remove your shoes before entering homes, temples and many guesthouses, shops and offices.
• Dress modestly at temples and government buildings, covering shoulders and knees; women are often expected to wear the traditional 'sinh' skirt for official visits.
• Keep your composure and smile through delays, because raising your voice or showing visible anger causes loss of face and almost never speeds anything up.
• Use your right hand, or both hands, to give and receive items and money, which is the polite form.
• Accept invitations to share food or a 'baci' (string-tying) ceremony graciously; these gestures of welcome matter and refusing outright can offend.
• Ask before photographing people, monks or ceremonies, and be especially respectful around temples and religious rituals.

• Never touch anyone's head, and never point your feet at people or at Buddha images; both are seriously disrespectful.
• Avoid public criticism of the government or the ruling party, which is a genuinely sensitive subject in a one-party state.
• Women should never touch a monk or hand items directly to one; pass objects via a man or place them down for the monk to pick up.
• Do not step over people or food laid out on the floor, and keep public displays of affection minimal.
• Be extremely careful about drugs; penalties are severe, and 'happy' menus or offers in tourist towns can be police traps.