Published: March 5, 2025
This report is intended to supplement the U.S. Department of State Laos Travel Advisory and Laos Country Information Page.
Embassy & Consulate Contact Information
U.S. Embassy Vientiane
Ban Somvang Thai Thadeua Road, Km 9 Hatsayfong district, Vientiane
Tel: +(856) 21-48-7000
After-hours Emergencies: +856-21-487-000.
OSAC Country Chapters
The Regional Security Office (RSO) is in the process of revitalizing the OSAC Laos Country Chapter. Individuals interested in participating in the Country Chapter or contacting the RSO should reach out to OSAC’s Asia team.
Contact OSAC’s Asia team with any questions.
Laos Travel Advisory
The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses that travelers should exercise increased caution in Laos due to civil unrest. Reconsider travel to Xaisomboun Province due to civil unrest. Exercise increased caution in remote areas along the border with Burma due to crime; and in areas of Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Saravane, Khammouane, Sekong, Champassak, Houaphan, Attapeu, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane provinces, as well as along Route 7 (from Route 13 to the Vietnam border), Route 9 (Savannakhet to the Vietnam border), and Route 20 (Pakse to Saravane) due to unexploded bombs.
There is a continued threat of violence in Xaisomboun Province. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Xiasomboun Province as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel there.
Bandits, drug traffickers, and other people pursuing illegal activities operate in these areas (on the border with Burma), as do armed groups opposed to the Burmese government.
There are large numbers of unexploded bombs in these areas (areas of Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Saravane, Khammouane, Sekong, Champassak, Houaphan, Attapeu, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane provinces) left over from the Indochina War.
Crime
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Vientiane as being a HIGH-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Crime “C” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Laos, indicating that there may be widespread violent crime and/or organized crime present in the country, and/or that local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
The crime emergency line in Laos is 1191.
Vientiane is a relatively safe city compared to most cities of comparable size in the United States. However, there is significant risk from crime in the capital. Criminals do not target U.S. citizens based on nationality but do frequently target foreigners for crimes of opportunity. Although these criminals tend to focus on areas tourists frequent, they can strike anywhere in the city at any hour of the day or night.
The most common types of crime include purse snatchings, typically involving thieves operating on motorcycles/mopeds; pickpocketing; theft of unattended property; and residential crime. Criminals generally target homes with poor security – such as accessible windows, unlocked doors, and the absence of a guard – and do not limit their activities to nighttime hours. Petty theft increases during major Lao holidays.
Although violent crimes remain relatively uncommon, there are credible anecdotal reports of an increase in violent crime involving the use of weapons, including firearms.
In tourist areas, shop owners may rent motorbikes to tourists, have someone “steal” the motorbike, and charge the tourist for the cost of the “stolen” motorbike. Be cautious of rental arrangements and never provide your passport as collateral.
Several countries including Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and others have warned citizens to exercise caution when considering travel or online job offers for IT work in Laos’s Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) and suspicious job offers for IT work requiring travel to Thailand. Human traffickers continue to use misleading recruitment advertisements to trick foreign workers into taking positions at “cyberscam” call center operations located inside the GTSEZ and in special economic zones (SEZs) in Burma and Cambodia as well.
Below is a table of year-over-year changes of incidences of crime in Vientiane, provided by the United Nations Department of Safety & Security (UNDSS) and the Lao Ministry of Public Security (MoPS).
|
Crime Statistics Vientiane 2023 & 2024
|
|
|
2023
|
2024
|
Annual Change
|
|
Robbery
|
51
|
43
|
15.7%
|
|
Larceny (Property Theft)
|
493
|
83
|
83.2%
|
|
Car Theft/Break-In
|
22
|
33
|
50%
|
|
Motorbike Theft
|
1055
|
913
|
13.5%
|
|
Purse Snatching
|
50
|
311
|
522%
|
|
Home Invasion
|
586
|
469
|
20%
|
|
Drug Trafficking
|
1226
|
935
|
23.7%
|
|
Murder
|
108
|
34
|
68.5%
|
|
Fire
|
66
|
51
|
22.72%
|
|
Assault & Battery
|
10
|
9
|
10%
|
|
Traffic Accidents
|
1245
|
1166
|
6.3%
|
|
Traffic Deaths
|
155
|
135
|
12.9%
|
|
Total
|
5067
|
4182
|
17.46%
|
U.S. government employees may not travel Xaisomboun Province due to security concerns. In 2015-2016, violent clashes between Lao security officials and organized criminal groups resulted in injuries and deaths from small-arms fire and crude improvised explosive devices (IEDs). At least one foreign company operating in Xaisomboun uses armed military escorts and travels only during daylight hours.
U.S. government employees may not travel along Route 13 between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang due to unsafe road conditions.
Kidnapping Threat
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Kidnapping “K” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Laos.
Terrorism
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Vientiane as being a LOW-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Terrorism “T” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Laos.
The threat of transnational terrorism is lower than in surrounding countries. There is no information to indicate specific, credible threats against U.S. travelers or interests. It remains possible that transnational terrorist operatives not identified by the United States – or those traveling with fraudulent documents – could transit Laos, as its multiple land borders remain extremely porous.
Political Violence and Civil Unrest
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Vientiane as being a LOW-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Civil Unrest “U” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Laos, indicating that demonstrations, protests, and/or strikes are practically nonexistent, given the country’s political environment. While civil unrest is uncommon and typically does not disrupt logistics and services, it is still advisable to avoid any demonstration activity, as even peaceful gatherings have the potential to turn violent.
Elections/Political Stability
Laos has a single-party Communist government. The political situation is stable.
Protests & Demonstrations
The law does not provide for the right of freedom of peaceful assembly, and prohibits participation in demonstrations, protest marches, or other acts that “cause turmoil or social instability” without explicit government permission. Participation in such activities is punishable by a maximum five years’ imprisonment, though authorities do not enforce this provision frequently.
Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment
There does not appear to be any significant anti-U.S./anti-Western sentiment apart from some lingering resentment from the older generation over the Indochina War.
Law Enforcement
The Ministry of Public Security maintains internal security and is responsible for law enforcement; the Ministry oversees local, traffic, immigration, and security police, village police auxiliaries, and other armed police units. The armed forces, under the Defense Ministry, also have some domestic security responsibilities, including counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and border security.
Police Response
Although most officers are polite, few speak English, and most will not respond without a formal authorization from their supervisory officers. Tourist police generally speak very limited English and primarily use Lao. Traffic Police work in small booths at major intersections. Police in Laos do not patrol the streets as in Western nations; they are strictly reactive in nature.
The U.S. Embassy continues to receive confirmed reports from U.S. citizens about encounters with corrupt police, particularly at traffic checkpoints. Although they are supposed to write traffic offense tickets and direct offenders to the nearest police station for payment of the fine, officers regularly ask for money (in some cases, large sums) at the scene.
Detained U.S. citizens may request that the authorities alert the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane of their arrest; they may also request to have communications from them forwarded to the Embassy. It is not uncommon for U.S. citizens to be detained for several weeks before the U.S. Embassy is notified.
It is common for police to target foreigners to pay bribes for alleged traffic offenses. The Embassy is not usually able to provide assistance in these cases. Foreigners arrested for unruly conduct or damaging private property will often be held in police custody without formal charges being brought against them until they pay an indemnity to the injured party. This process usually takes a minimum of two to three weeks.
Travelers with Special Considerations
For specific traveler concerns in Laos, review the local laws and circumstances on the Department of State’s Country Information Page.
Rule of Law, Arbitrary Detention, Official Harassment, Corruption, & Transparency
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Risk of Wrongful Detention “D” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Laos.
The law provided criminal penalties for corruption by officials; the government generally did not implement the law effectively. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year.
Official corruption was widespread at all levels of government. Observers reported poor fiscal and economic conditions exacerbated the problem. Corruption was particularly problematic in government development and investment projects, especially those involving construction, natural resource extraction, and in the development of certain SEZs. Most offenders enjoyed impunity.
The government anticorruption hotline reportedly was used often, and members of the public frequently raised awareness of government officials’ inappropriate or suspicious activities on social media; such postings were not censored or removed.
Cybersecurity
There are no cybersecurity concerns unique to Laos, although organizations should understand the inherent interest of the Chinese presence in Laos includes the desire and ability to read and detect electronic and cellular communications that are not encrypted.
Import/Export Restrictions
A country-specific listing of items/goods prohibited from being exported to the country or that are otherwise restricted is available from the U.S. International Trade Agency website.
Additional resources and reports can be found in the OSAC Traveler Toolkit.
