Most land crossings involve changing transport at the border, even when you’ve paid for a ‘direct’ bus. Five of the crossings on the western border with Thailand involve quick boat trips across the Mekong. Generally Laos issues 30-day tourist visas at crossings that are open to foreigners.

It’s possible to bring your own vehicle into Laos from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, with the right paperwork, and Lao customs don’t object to visitors bringing bicycles into the country.

Getting Around
Lao Airlines is the only airline in Laos. It handles all domestic flights, with Vientiane as the main hub. Its schedules are increasingly reliable but flights still get cancelled semi-regularly. During the holiday season it’s best to book ahead. At other times, when flights are more likely to be cancelled, confirm a day or two before.

Stunning roads and light, relatively slow traffic make Laos arguably the best country for cycling in Southeast Asia. Simple single-speed bikes can be hired cheaply in most places that see a decent number of tourists. Mountain bikes can also be hired in a few places, including Luang Nam Tha, Vientiane and Vang Vieng.

There are more than 4600km (2860mi) of navigable rivers in Laos; they are its traditional highways and byways. Sealed roads and buses, however, mean that the days of mass river transport are waning. But it’s still worth doing at least one river excursion while in Laos. The most popular river trip – the slow boat between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang – is still a daily event and relatively cheap for the two-day journey.

Every river in the country has some boat traffic and chartering a boat is easy enough. For shorter trips, it’s usually best to hire a river taxi. There are many different types depending on the distance you need to cover.

Long-distance public transport in Laos is either by bus or sǎwngthǎew (converted pick-ups or trucks with benches down either side). Destinations that were all but inaccessible by bus a few years ago now see regular services. Private operators have established services on some busier routes – particularly along Rte 13 and on international routes – offering faster and more-luxurious air-con buses, known as VIP buses, which are also pretty good value. That’s not to say local buses have disappeared completely. Far from it. You can still do the main routes by local bus, and on most journeys off Rte 13 you won’t have any option.

Pre 20th Century History
The country has long been occupied by migrating Thais (including Shans, Siamese and Lao) and Hmong/Mien hill tribes. The first Lao principalities were consolidated in the 13th century following the invasion of southwest China by Kublai Khan’s Mongol hordes. In the mid-14th century, a Khmer-sponsored warlord, Fa Ngum, combined a number of scattered principalities around Luang Prabang to form his own kingdom, Lan Xang (‘a million elephants’). The kingdom initially prospered, but internal divisions and pressure from neighbours caused it to split in the 17th century into three warring kingdoms centred on Luang Prabang, Wieng Chan (Vientiane) and Champasak.

By the end of the 18th century, most of Laos came under Siamese (Thai) suzerainty but the territory was also being pressured by Vietnam. Unable or unwilling to serve two masters, the country went to war with Siam in the 1820s. This disastrous ploy led to all three kingdoms falling under Thai control. By the late 19th century, France had established French Indochina in the Vietnamese provinces of Tonkin and Annam. The Thais eventually ceded all of Laos to the French, who were content to use the territory merely as a buffer between its colonial holdings and Siam.

Modern History
During WWII, the Japanese occupied Indochina and a Lao resistance group, Lao Issara, was formed to prevent the return of the French. Independence was achieved in 1953 but conflict persisted between royalist, neutralist and communist factions. The USA began bombing North Vietnamese troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos in 1964, escalating conflict between the royalist Vientiane government and the communist Pathet Lao, who fought alongside the North Vietnamese. By the time a ceasefire was negotiated in 1973, Laos had the dubious distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of warfare.
A coalition government was formed, but when Saigon fell in 1975, most of the royalists left Laos. The Pathet Lao peacefully took control of the country and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic came into being in December 1975. Laos remained closely allied with the Vietnamese communists throughout the 1980s. Laos cemented ties with its neighbours when it was welcomed into ASEAN in July 1997.

By the late 1990s, the economy was in such poor shape – having experienced inflation of over 100% and a depreciation of the kip by more than 500% – that the resolutely socialist country did something they’d never done before. They devised a ‘Visit Laos’ campaign in order to attract the tourist dollar. Although it was not a huge success, the kip was dragged back from its death bed and inflation was reined in a little.

The economic crisis sparked some political unrest. A small student demonstration against the monopoly of political power by the LPRP was ruthlessly crushed and its leaders given long prison sentences. Lao dissidents in Thailand attacked a border customs post, provoking a swift Lao military response. A series of small bombings in Vientiane and southern Laos was also blamed on expatriate dissidents, while Hmong ‘brigands’ attacked transport in the north. The government responded by increasing security, and by 2004 the Hmong insurgency had all but collapsed.

Source from: www.lonelyplanet.com