Do’s and Don’ts

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 Laos 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:

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

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.

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