Laos Local Customs

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BACI

by Avieira67

The Baci is a ceremony to celebrate a special event, whether a marriage, a homecoming, a welcome, a birth, or one of the annual festivals. A mother is given a baci after she has recovered from a birth, the sick are given bacis to facilitate a cure, officials are honored by bacis, and novice monks are wished luck with a baci before entering the temple. The baci ceremony can take place any day of the week and all year long, preferably before noon or before sunset.This is a survived ritual in Laos, and I was invited to participate in this cerimony in Nong Khiaw.

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Lao oranges

by picek

The mountainous area between Vang Vieng and Kasi is famous for growing oranges: you can try them from one of many fruit stalls by the state road No. 13. They're cheap and sweet. Over ripe get dry inside fast and aren't that tasty (but it doesn't mean that one will throw it away here) and they have many seeds inside. Lao people like oranges and bring them along when visiting friends and families or go pickniking. They're great to eat on long rides.

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pots, water and plants

by picek

Here's how people with limited space yet with lot of immagination and care show thier little 'pot garden'. In a large jar filled with water they will grow all kinds of aquatic plants, most popular would be of course lotus as it means purity and water lilies of many kinds. They would also have some fish inside - some of them very small yet good to keep mosquito population in control while others will be seen easier. These pots are popular in towns and cities where not every one has access to green area and where concrete is prevalent type of the floor - and you will see those pots by the sidewalk usually, by the entry to the house or where they have sitting area. Also those luckier who have green gardens like to have one or two pots of water - along with other plants in or outside the pots. However, those kind of pots can be also seen in other SEA countries, just watch them while you're...

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sticky rice

by picek

Among most important crops in Laos is rice, of course. Good locations can harvest rice 2 times a year upon condition that irrigation is provided. But this is beyond reach to many ordinary farmers - the terrain is difficult in most of country, agriculture is mostly done by hands and only a few can afford advanced machinery. Also water is not abundant everywhere so it's not possible to build effective irrigation system which will cover the cost of construction. Between rice varieties most widely used on daily basis in Laos is sticky rice or glutinous rice. In Lao it's called 'khao niaw'. One has to use hands to form small balls with fingers before it's eaten - as such it's dip into variety of sauces and other foods. The picture here shows steaming the sticky rice in a bamboo basket upon boiling water in kitchen in a very simple way. No chimneys here so the walls become black. I find 'khao...

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dried fish

by picek

Dried freswater fish are popular and easy to carry food in Laos. They're usually sold in local markets or by the road side like those on the photo. Probably most famous dried fish come from fishing village in Tha Heua some 25 km South from Vang Vieng. These are from Nam Ngum reservoir, the largest lake in Laos; other can be bought in Bolikhamxay provnice by Rd. 13 (to Southern Laos) and elsewhere.Fish is split half by her back, inner organs are removed and body flattened. It is then dried on the open air and in some time ready to sell. Has a bit stronger taste and gets better when it's fried or cooked. That conservation method is useful in hot climates where refrigerators aren't that widely available.

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Kaysone everywhere

by picek

Any bigger Lao town or city and especially any provincional capital keeps 'bronze' statue of Kaysone Phomvihane under the pagoda-like shade, like that one on the picture. Usually these statues are located at the administrative municipal building or important governmental offices in town - and no matter the town or place, they are of the same model. Not surprisingly, his biggest statue stands in front of his museum at KM 6 in Vientiane which is by itself large building. Kaysone was Pathet Lao leader, son of Vietnamese father and Lao mother and he is still worshipped by ruling Lao communists nowsadays - the number of these statues even increased from my previous visits. He was first and long time prime minister in Lao communist government (Lao PDR) and later Lao president, died in 1992. Official history portrays him as a great revolutionary and intelligent leader, although they also like...

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still some french touches.

by cachaseiro

Laos used to be a part on french indochine and eventhough the french colonial rulers are long gone you still see the influences there.both in the food and in various cultural aspects.You will also find that many laotians, especially the older generation still speaks french.

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Sinh - traditional skirt

by magor65

Although in cities a lot of women, especially young ones, wear western style clothing, traditional skirts - so called sinh, can still be seen everywhere. A school uniform for a girl consists of a white blouse and blue sinh. Any religious occasion or formal gathering requires wearing sinh. So what is "sinh"? It is a traditional full-length wraparound skirt with a wide elaborately woven bottom part. It often comes with a matching shoulder-sash. The colours and patterns differ, I'm not sure whether they depend on regions or not. A sinh can be quite expensive (the cheapest I saw cost almost 30 US dollars). No wonder, though. Making it involves a lot of work: spinning the silk or cotton, dying the textile, weaving the patterns and designs. And it's all made by hand.

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Monks collecting alms

by magor65

Collecting alms by monks is a long-lived tradition in various places where buddhists live, but in Luang Prabang it has a special appeal. It is estimated that there are over 1000 monks living here in monasteries. In accordance with the tradition every young man in Laos should become a monk, usually for a couple of months. They lead a simple life depending for food on local people. Every morning at dawn they leave monasteries holding alms bowls which are then filled by locals and visitors with food, mainly sticky rice. Women giving away food kneel on bamboo mats because they can't stand higher than monks.It is an unusual experience to witness this ritual. The rows of saffron-robed men, often merely boys, with serious faces, walk barefoot along the alms-givers, seemingly not paying any attention to the outside world and especially to curious tourists taking photos. They collect food and...

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Kids selling food on the slow boat

by LakeFever

The sell of anything, oreos and pringles - not like Im buying them......but rather beers and cold drinks, chips maybe or home made donuts. Oddly enough there were very few people selling sanwiches.....which in most places (incl Laos) they sell them everywhere.......In any case they were polite and gracious......prices were regular across the board.

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Local traditions and culture in Laos

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Local Customs: Cities in Laos
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  2. Vientiane Local Customs
  3. Vang Vieng Local Customs
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  7. Muang Hongsa Local Customs
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Questions and Answers

trusmibatik profile photo

Q:  do any VT have any experience with the VIP overnight sleeper bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang??? is it reasonably... 

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A: I took the VIP bus from Luang Prabang to Vientienne in 2010. There is a toilet on the bus. I was on the upper deck and the airconditioner was very weak. So it was a VHB... 

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