Laos

clues 10Regions 17Updated 2023-07-01

Quiz ▾Basics ▾

LanguageLao
Driving sideDrives on the right
Domain.la
Quizzes for this area:Laos State Quiz, Laos City Quiz

Whole area5

Clues that work anywhere in this area

License Plate★★★

License plates are often yellow, including on ordinary cars.

Examples12
Signs★★★

The back of signs is sometimes light blue. The stop sign also has a distinctive octagonal design.

Watch outSigns the same colour also turn up in Ecuador, though personally I rarely use this alone as the basis for a country call — more "this makes me suspect Laos" than a hard rule.
See alsoEcuador
Vehicle★★★

Outside Vientiane, you'll almost always see cars in view.

Bollard★★★

Angular black-and-white bollards appear here, similar to Thailand's.

See alsoThailand
Language & Script★★★

Lao is the official language. The stop sign is also distinctive.

Japanese日本料理レストラン
Sinhalaජපන් අවන්හල
Assameseজাপানীজ ৰেষ্টুৰেণ্ট
Kannadaಜಪಾನೀಸ್ ರೆಸ್ಟೋರೆಂಟ್
Gujaratiજાપાનીઝ રેસ્ટોરન્ટ
Tamilஜப்பானிய உணவகம்
Teluguజపనీస్ రెస్టారెంట్
Bengaliজাপানি রেস্তোরা
Hindiजापानी रेस्टोरेंट
Khmerភោជនីយដ្ឋានជប៉ុន
Laoຮ້ານອາຫານຍີ່ປຸ່ນ
Thaiร้านอาหารญี่ปุ่น
NoteThe list shows "Japanese restaurant" written in each language.
Examples12

Narrowing down the region2

Once you know the area: which part of it

Agriculture

PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapu
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapu
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapuBolaven Plateau

Where Agriculture clues apply2

Click an item to jump to its clueTap to show the range; tap again or → to jump to the clue

  1. paddy
  2. coffee
Plants & farming★★★

Flat rice paddies spread across the plains along the Mekong River, concentrated in the south and around Vientiane. The mountainous north has only small patches in the valleys.

SourcesACIAR Proceedings 101, "Increased Lowland Rice Production in the Mekong Region" (wet-season lowland rice area by province, 1999)Rice production in Laos (main growing areas are along the Mekong)
Where
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapu
Lush green paddy fields (photo shows Tamil Nadu, India)
Lush green paddy fields (photo shows Tamil Nadu, India)
Planemad / CC0
Plants & farming★★

Coffee-tree fields are almost entirely confined to the Bolaven Plateau in the south (around Paksong), which produces 95% of the country's coffee.

SourcesCoffee production in LaosBolaven Plateau
Where
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapuBolaven Plateau
Low-pruned coffee trees (photo shows Aceh, Indonesia)
Low-pruned coffee trees (photo shows Aceh, Indonesia)
USAID Indonesia / Public domain

Narrowing down the city3

Once you know the region: which city or town

Landscape★★★

In Vang Vieng, you can see limestone mountains.

Examples12
Where
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapuVang ViengVang Vieng
Signs★★★

Street signs differ by town. Vang Vieng's street signs look the same as Luang Prabang's, but have a number in the bottom-right corner (probably always).

Open in Street View3
Where
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapuVang ViengLuang PrabangVang ViengLuang Prabang
A street sign in Vientiane
A street sign in Vientiane
Tiger Trail Laos / All Rights Reserved
Signs★★★

Pakse seems to have fewer signs than other areas, but occasionally you'll spot a sign with a gold-coloured top. Since it's a tourist destination, signs and hotel names also often spell out "Pakse" in English.

Where
PhôngsaliOudômxaiLouang NamthaBokeoXaignabouriBolikhamxaiKhammouanSavannakhétSaravanVientiane [prefecture]VientianeChampasakLouangphrabangHouaphanXiangkhoangXékongAttapuPaksePakse

Regions

Hover a region on the map to see its name
Phôngsali Oudômxai Louang Namtha Bokeo Xaignabouri Bolikhamxai Khammouan Savannakhét Saravan Vientiane [prefecture] Vientiane Champasak Louangphrabang Houaphan Xiangkhoang Xékong Attapu

Hover a region on the map to see its name

Quiz

Basics

General facts about this place
  • Southeast Asia's only landlocked country, traversed by the Mekong River[ref]
  • World Heritage Luang Prabang is a former capital famed for its many Buddhist temples[ref]

Nearby areas

A page of play notes and identification clues for GeoGuessr.