Laos

Is Laos safe to visit?

Mostly, yes, for travellers who plan around a few specific dangers. Street violence against visitors is uncommon, the US rates Laos Level 2, and the 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary ranks it 58th of 163, ahead of all its neighbours except Vietnam. The real dangers are less obvious: methanol in spirits, bombs left from the Vietnam War, unlit roads and the lack of good hospitals. We score Laos 62, the same as Cambodia and just below Thailand at 63.

Methanol and spiked drinks

In November 2024, six foreign tourists died after drinking alcohol believed to contain methanol in Vang Vieng: two Australian teenagers, two Danish women, a British woman and an American man. Several had stayed at the same backpacker hostel, where guests were offered free shots, and eight hostel staff were detained for questioning (NBC News). The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says methanol cases have come from drinks bought in licensed bars, shops and hotels in tourist areas, and the authorities have banned Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky.

You cannot taste or smell methanol. Drink beer or sealed bottles of known brands, avoid cheap spirits, buckets and free shots, and get to a hospital at once if anyone has blurred vision, severe headache or breathing problems after drinking. The FCDO also reports food and drink spiked with drugs, sometimes followed by sexual assault, for men and women alike.

Unexploded bombs

Between 1964 and 1973 the US dropped an estimated 270 million cluster submunitions on Laos, and about 80 million failed to explode, according to the Lao news agency KPL. They still kill and injure people every year. To late November 2025, the National Regulatory Authority recorded 11 accidents with 21 casualties, five of them fatal; on 20 November, five boys digging for crabs in Khammuan Province were badly hurt by a single bomblet. Children make up more than 40% of victims.

The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary names the provinces where ordnance is a particular risk, among them Xieng Khouang (home to the Plain of Jars), Savannakhet, Salavan, Khammouane, Sekong, Champasak, Houaphanh, Attapeu and Luang Prabang. Stay on main routes and marked paths, never touch metal objects, and take extra care after floods or landslides, which can expose buried ordnance.

Roads, rivers and motorbikes

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 16.4 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. Police counted 917 in 2025, about 12 per 100,000, and blamed speeding, drunk driving and failure to give way. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says many vehicles drive at night without lights, buffalo stray onto roads, and after a crash foreigners are usually made to pay compensation whatever the cause. The new expressway from Vientiane to Vang Vieng is fast, but some local drivers are not used to it.

Many visitors rent scooters. Bring or buy a proper helmet, check your insurance covers motorbikes, and never leave your passport as a deposit: the FCDO says some rental firms arrange for their own bikes to be stolen, then keep the passport until you pay. Slow boats on the Mekong and river tubing also carry risk, so check for life jackets and avoid the water after heavy rain.

Crime, scams and the border areas

Bag snatching by thieves on motorbikes is the most common crime against visitors, according to the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary; carry bags on the side away from the road. Reporting a crime is hard. Police stations may be closed at night and officers may ask you to pay for fuel, so ask your guesthouse for help.

The north-west corner is different. The FCDO warns of armed groups running employment scams and drug trafficking around the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo, near the borders with Myanmar and Thailand, and of recent clashes and military checkpoints there. Do not accept job offers in the zone, and see our Cambodia page for how these scam compounds work. The UK and US also warn against travel to Xaisomboun Province, where anti-government groups have attacked infrastructure.

Some laws catch visitors out: e-cigarettes are illegal, drug penalties include death for trafficking, and relationships with Lao nationals outside marriage are banned.

Health care

Malaria and dengue are endemic, rabies is common in dogs and anthrax has been found in cattle around Pakse, the Bolaven Plateau and the 4,000 Islands. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says care outside Vientiane cannot handle emergencies, and evacuation is difficult and very expensive. You may have to pay upfront for an ambulance. Buy insurance that covers evacuation, and carry a basic first aid kit on trips outside the capital. Call 1195 for an ambulance or 1623 for Vientiane Rescue.

How we scored it

Conflict (72) and violent crime (70) are the strongest factors. Health (45) is the weakest, because of malaria, methanol and poor care, followed by road safety (51). Laos reports no homicide figure to UNODC, so confidence is medium.