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About
Laos Tours
This land-locked mountainous country
is gaining a reputation as an
ecotourist destination. Its many
rivers criss-crossing the country
and unspoilt national parks are
ideal for activities such as
trekking, kayaking and caving. The
capital, Vientiane, and the other
major towns have been spared major
modern developments with traditional
and colonial architecture still
dominant.
Tourism newcomers
Laos is one of the few Communist
countries left in the world. Until
1988, tourists were not allowed
access to Laos, but now it is
perfectly feasible to travel all
over the country, preferably with a
recognised tour company, although
plenty of backpackers do it
independently. The number of
tourists is expected to continue
increasing over the next few years
as more and more people discover the
 delights
of this laid-back country of
mountains and rivers.
Unspoilt and undeveloped
For now, Laos remains relatively
isolated and undeveloped. Its
capital, Vientiane, is more like a
big village than a crowded Asian hub
and life throughout the country is
slow paced. Most people come to Laos
and make a brief tour of Vientiane
and UNESCO World Heritage-listed
Luang Prabang with perhaps a brief
detour to the mysterious Plain of
Jars. But those who make the effort
to explore further afield will be
well rewarded with luscious
landscapes, friendly people and
unique glimpses of a country hardly
changed for over a century.
History of Laos
 Laos
traces its history to the kingdom of
Lan Xang, founded in the 15th
century by Fa Ngum, himself
descended from a long line of Lao
kings, tracking back to Khoun Boulom.
Lan-Xang prospered until the 18th
century, when the kingdom was
divided into three principalities,
which eventually came under Siamese
suzerainty. In the 19th century,
Luang Prabang was incorporated into
the 'Protectorate' of French
Indochina, and shortly thereafter,
the Kingdom of Champasak and the
territory of Vientiane were also
added to the protectorate. Under the
French, Vientiane once again became
the capital of a unified Lao state.
Following a brief Japanese
occupation during World War II, the
country declared its independence in
1945, but the French under Charles
de Gaulle re-asserted their control
and only in 1950 was Laos granted
semi-autonomy as an "associated
state" within the French Union.
Moreover, the French remained in de
facto control until 1954, when Laos
gained full independence as a
constitutional monarchy. Under a
special exemption to the Geneva
Convention, a French military
training mission continued to
support the Royal Laos Army. In
1955, the U.S. Department of Defense
created a special Programs
Evaluation Office to replace French
support of the Royal Lao Army
against the communist Pathet Lao as
part of the U.S. containment policy.
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