Asia · Southeast Asia, landlocked

Laos

Capital · Vientiane

Luang Prabang's alms procession at dawn and the 4,000 islands of the Mekong.

🇱🇦Vientiane
The essentials

Laos at a glance

Capital
Vientiane
Region
Southeast Asia, landlocked
Currency
Kip (LAK)
Languages
Lao
Dialling code
+856
Plan around it

Public holidays & key dates in Laos

Dates shift year to year where a holiday follows a lunar or religious calendar. Check locally before you book flights or count on offices being open.

Dec 2National Day
Apr 14–16Lao New Year (Pi Mai)Water festival
NovThat Luang Festival date varies date varies
Getting in

Visas for African passports

Entry rules for Laos differ sharply depending on which African passport you hold — visa-free for some nationalities, e-visa for others, embassy application for the rest.

The AfricAsia Passport Index checks every African passport against this destination, with the current route and a plain-language note on what officers ask for.

Check your passport →
On the ground

Ask before you land

Rent, agents, hospitals, halal and African groceries, church and mosque, where people actually meet on a Sunday — the answers live with the people already there.

The Laos channel in the Hub is free, open, and moderated by members who live in the country.

Open the Laos channel →