Verified dates for every major Lao festival from October 2026 to July 2027 — Boun Ok Phansa, the Vientiane boat races, That Luang and Boun Pi Mai — with the closures, booking deadlines and temple etiquette every expat in Laos needs to plan around.

Vientiane counts around fifteen active rooftops in 2026. Views, budgets from 80,000 to 700,000 LAK, the best time to arrive — and the famous venues that have quietly closed.

No vaccine is required to enter Laos, but a long stay changes everything. Vaccines, malaria, dengue, water, pharmacies: the complete health framework for expats, checked against official sources.

Every year between June and October, the Mekong rises against Vientiane's riverbank. What the 2026 rainy season really means for residents: river levels month by month, how the Mekong River Commission monitors floods, the capital's new flood defences and how to prepare your home.

Moving to Laos is decided three to six months before departure, not at the airport. This checklist sets out every step in order, with costs, lead times and official portals verified in August 2026.

Laos has four active international airports in 2026, with Wattay under a major Japanese-funded upgrade and Bokeo newly opened in the Golden Triangle. Here is the complete guide for expats and investors, including the truth about Vientiane's much-discussed new airport in Xaythany.

A foreigner can register and often wholly own a company in Laos, but the visa follows the business — never the other way round. This 2026 guide maps the company routes, the NI-B2 and LA-B2 categories, capital rules, the tax framework in force since 1 July 2026, and real salary and rent levels in Vientiane.

A proposed link between Thailand’s Mukdahan railway infrastructure and Savannakhet Dry Port could turn southern Laos into a multimodal logistics platform on the East–West Economic Corridor.

Sanitary rules in Laos are being strengthened, and cleanliness has become a mark of trust for restaurants, offices, schools and institutions in Vientiane. What the law requires, how the HACCP method applies, and what a professional cleaning contract should really cover.

Doing business in Laos can offer real opportunities, but the seemingly low level of costs is not enough to guarantee success. Salaries, recruitment, taxation, property and management methods: a practical, field-based guide to setting up a business in Vientiane.