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EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic Representation in US:
Ambassador: Seng Soukhathivong
Embassy: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416, 6417
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

US Diplomatic Representation:
Ambassador: Karen B. Stewart
Embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, Vientiane,
Mailing address: B. P. 114, Vientiane; American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546
Telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585
FAX: [856] (21) 212584


Embassy and Consulate Web Sites for Laos
Embassy of Laos in Washington DC, U.S.A.
Embassy of the United States of America in Laos


FOREIGN RELATIONS

The government that assumed power in December 1975 aligned itself with Vietnam and the Soviet bloc and adopted a hostile posture toward the West. In ensuing decades, Laos maintained close ties with the former Soviet Union and its eastern bloc allies, and depended heavily on the Soviet Union for most of its foreign assistance. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Laos has sought to improve relations with its regional neighbors. Laos was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July 1997 and applied to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1998. The government hopes to accede to the WTO by 2013. Currently, Laos' foreign policy concentrates on its immediate neighbors. Laos generally maintains a low profile in the larger international arena, although it has been playing an increasing role in activities of the Non-Aligned Movement and hosted the First States Party of the Cluster Munitions Convention in 2010.

Laos maintains a "special relationship" with Vietnam and formalized a 1977 treaty of friendship and cooperation that created tensions with China. Although the two were allies during the Vietnam War, the China-Vietnam conflict in 1979 led to a sharp deterioration in Sino-Lao relations. These relations began to improve in the late 1980s, and in 1989 China and Laos normalized relations. Today China is becoming a major player in Laos; Chinese investment in Laos is increasing at a rapid rate, bringing with it a growing number of Chinese workers. China overtook Thailand as the largest single foreign investor in Laos in 2010. In 2003, Laos and Thailand signed agreements to cooperate on cross-border, labor, and counternarcotics issues. Laos and Thailand signed a joint communique in March 2007, the first in 20 years, covering infrastructure development, avian influenza, border control, and Hmong migration issues.

Laos is a member of the following international organizations: Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN Regional Forum, Asian Development Bank, Colombo Plan, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), G-77, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Labor Organization (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Interpol, International Olympic Commission (IOC), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Mekong River Commission (MRC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), UN, United Nations Convention on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Customs Organization, World Federation of Trade Unions, World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Tourism Organization, and World Trade Organization (observer).

U.S.-LAO RELATIONS
The United States opened a legation in Laos in 1950. Although diplomatic relations were never severed, U.S.-Lao relations deteriorated during in the post-Indochina War period after 1975. The relationship remained cool until 1982 when efforts at improvement began. Full diplomatic relations were restored in 1992 with a return to ambassadorial-level representation. Accounting for Americans missing in Laos from the Vietnam War has been a special focus of the bilateral relationship. Since the late 1980s, joint U.S. and Lao teams have conducted a series of excavations and investigations of sites related to cases of Americans missing in Laos. In 2008, the U.S. reestablished a Defense Attache Office at the Embassy.

Counternarcotics activities are also an important part of the bilateral relationship. The United States and Laos cooperate closely on opium crop control projects that helped to bring about a 95% decline in poppy cultivation, from 26,000 hectares in 1998 to 1,100 hectares in 2007. Laos, however, remains on the U.S. list of major opium producers amid signs of some recent increase in poppy cultivation. U.S.-sponsored demand reduction programs have increased Laos' capacity to treat both opium and amphetamine addiction. The U.S. also provides law enforcement assistance to help contend with the rapid growth in methamphetamine trafficking and associated crime that has occurred in Laos since 2003.

The U.S. Government provided about $11 million in foreign assistance (U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development) to Laos in FY 2010, in areas including unexploded ordnance clearance and removal, counternarcotics, infectious disease prevention, food security, education, trade policy, and governance.

In December 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law a bill extending normal trade relations to Laos; in February 2005, a Bilateral Trade Agreement between the United States and Laos entered into force. There has been a consequent rise in Lao exports to the U.S., although the volume of trade remains small in absolute terms. Bilateral trade reached $71.1 million in 2010. The Lao Government is working to implement the provisions of the Bilateral Trade Agreement while simultaneously seeking to join the World Trade Organization. In July 2010, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the first-ever visit of a Lao foreign minister to Washington; the U.S. and Laos signed an “Open Skies” civil aviation agreement the same day.


Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Karen B. Stewart
Deputy Chief of Mission--Peter Haymond

The U.S. Embassy in Laos is on Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane; tel: 21-26-7000; fax: 21-26-7190: country code: (856); city code (21).


TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Laos check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving TBA
Currency (LAK) Kip
Electrical 230 Volts
Telephones Country Code 856, City Code, Vientiane 21+6D, Pakse 31+6D, Thakhek 51+6D



Climate and Clothing
Light-weight washable cotton or cotton-blent clothes are suitable. A sweater or coat is needed for the winter and in upland areas.

Telecommunications:
International telephone, fax, telegraph and telex services are available at post offices, hotels and business centers. Mobile phones are widely used.

Several radio stations broadcast in Lao. The Lao National Radio carries news in English, French and Thai. There are daily TV broadcasts, with two local channels, Thai television and satellite reception.

Transportation
Public transportation is by bus, taxi and samlo (rickshaw). There are both metered and unmetered taxi. No railroad is available in Laos. Lao Aviation, Thai Airways International, Cambodia and Vietnam Airlines connect Wattay Airport of Vientiane to Bangkok, Yangon, Hanoi, Hochiminh City, Phnompenh and Kunming of China. Domestic flights shuttle daily between Lao cities. Mittaphab Bridge across the Mekong to Thailand opened in early 1994.

Currency
Local currency is called Kip. One USD is worth approximately 2,450 kip (1998). Money can be exchanged at banks, authorized shops, or hotels. Exchange rates fluctuate everyday, though fluctuation is tiny.

Electricity
220 volts at 50 HZ


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco.................500 Cigarettes Or 100 Cigars Or 500g Of Tobacco

Liquor....................1 Bottle Of Spirits 2 Bottles Of Wine

Perfume.................Reasonable For Personal Use



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