Laos for Digital Nomads

• Calm. Small cities, little traffic and a gentle pace make it easy to focus.
• Beauty. The Mekong, karst mountains, waterfalls and the UNESCO-listed town of Luang Prabang.
• Low costs. A comfortable month costs about $900 to $1,400, and less outside the capital.
• The railway. Fast trains link Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang in a couple of hours.
• Next to Thailand. Vientiane is across the Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai, with Udon Thani’s airport and hospitals an hour beyond.

Laos suits nomads who want a quiet month or two, slow travellers on a Southeast Asia loop, writers and anyone who works best without distractions. It suits you less if you want a community, coworking spaces, nightlife, top-class healthcare, or to stay many months without leaving. Internet is fine in the main towns but less reliable than in Thailand or Malaysia.

• Vientiane: the small, relaxed capital on the Mekong, with French bakeries, cafes, the most services and the best internet.
• Luang Prabang: a UNESCO-listed town of temples, monks and colonial houses at the meeting of two rivers. The most beautiful base, and popular with long-stayers.
• Vang Vieng: karst mountains, rivers and caves, now quieter and more outdoorsy than its party past.
• Pakse: the southern hub for the Bolaven Plateau’s coffee and waterfalls and the 4,000 Islands.

Our where to base yourself in Laos page compares six bases.

Laos has no nomad visa. The options for most Western visitors:

• Visa on arrival: 30 days, about $30 to $45 depending on nationality, at international airports and the main land borders, including the Friendship Bridge. Bring a passport photo and US dollars.
• E-visa: 30 days, about $50, applied for online on the official Lao e-Visa site a few days before travel. It is only valid at certain entry points, so check yours is on the list.
• Extensions: at the immigration office in Vientiane or provincial offices, usually through a travel agent, charged per day (about $2 a day plus fees). Many people extend once or twice; beyond that, they leave and come back.
• Visa-free entry: for citizens of some Asian and a few European countries, usually 15 to 30 days.

Long stays beyond a few months need a business or work visa sponsored by a Lao company, with a work permit. Working for Lao clients needs a permit; remote work for foreign clients on a tourist visa is a grey area.

A comfortable month for one person costs about $1,000 to $1,400 in Vientiane or Luang Prabang and $800 to $1,100 in Vang Vieng or Pakse. A lean budget is about $600 to $800. A furnished one-bedroom apartment or guesthouse room on a monthly rate costs $250 to $500, a bowl of khao piak or noodle soup about 30,000 to 40,000 kip, and a Beerlao about 20,000 to 30,000 kip in a local bar. These are ballpark figures.

The Lao kip lost a lot of value in 2022 and 2023, and prices in kip change often. Many landlords and hotels quote in US dollars or Thai baht. ATMs charge foreign cards about 20,000 to 40,000 kip per withdrawal, with low limits, so withdraw the maximum each time. Cards are accepted in some hotels and Western restaurants only; carry cash.

Laos is on UTC+7 all year, with no daylight saving, the same as Thailand and Vietnam. Your afternoon overlaps with the European morning. US hours are hard: 9am in New York is 8pm or 9pm in Laos.

Fibre is available in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng from Lao Telecom, Unitel, ETL and Best, and most guesthouses and cafes have Wi-Fi that is fine for calls, if not always fast. 4G covers the towns and main roads; buy a SIM from Unitel or Lao Telecom with your passport. Power cuts happen in storms, and speeds drop in remote areas. Keep a mobile backup for important calls.

The Laos-China Railway runs from Vientiane to Vang Vieng in about an hour and to Luang Prabang in about two, on to the Chinese border. Tickets sell out, so book in advance through the official LCR Ticket app or at stations with your passport. Buses and minivans cover the rest of the country. In towns, the Loca app works like Grab for cars, and tuk-tuks are everywhere. Renting a scooter is common; ride carefully and wear a helmet.

Healthcare in Laos is limited. Vientiane has a few international clinics for minor problems, but for anything serious, people cross to Udon Thani or Nong Khai in Thailand, or fly to Bangkok. Get nomad health insurance with evacuation cover, and use repellent against dengue and malaria in rural areas.

Laos is safe for foreigners, with very little violent crime. The main risks are road accidents, river activities in the wet season, and unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War era in rural areas, especially in the east: stay on marked paths.

• Relationships: Lao law requires foreigners to register relationships with Lao citizens, and sex between an unmarried foreigner and a Lao national can be fined.
• Drugs carry severe penalties, despite their reputation in some backpacker spots.
• Politics: Laos is a one-party state; avoid criticising the government.
• Monks and temples: dress modestly, keep your feet away from Buddha images, and women should not touch monks. Watch the Luang Prabang alms-giving quietly, from a distance, and don’t use flash.
• Curfew: many towns have a nominal late-night closing time for bars, and police sometimes enforce it.