Time Difference:
UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate:
Laos has a monsoon climate with three overlapping seasons. The rainy season is about 5 months, June-September. In October, rains start to taper off, and the cool season begins in November, lasting through February. In March "mango rains" occur. March, April, and May are hot and humid. In April, the hottest month, temperatures in Vientiane range from 72°F to 93°F, and in January, the coolest month, 52°F to 83°F. Temperature extremes of 103°F (April) and 39°F (January) have been recorded.
Travel Currency:
kip (LAK)
Language Spoken:
<p>Some ethnic minority languages have never been codified in written form. A small percentage of older people and those who attended high school prior to 1975 speak French, which has been the language of international commerce in the past. Some English is spoken.</p><p> The official language is Lao, the native language of the lowland Lao which is used in all official communications and taught in schools. Other main languages include Thai, Hmong, and midland Lao.</P
Languages:
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Ethnic Groups:
Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
National Holiday:
Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Geographic Coordinates:
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Location:
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Airports:
8