Laos: An Overview

 

Laos: a land of green jungles, impressive mountains, brown water, and unexploded ordinance. If you’ve never heard of this small country to the west of Vietnam, you’re not alone. I never knew it was a country until my father went on a work trip to Laos for two weeks. He was very excited about it, as he had spent time in other nearby countries, like Indonesia and Singapore. Around that time, I also learned about my grandfather’s military service in Laos during the Vietnam War. Between my father’s love for the rural jungle and my grandfather’s service, I now have a curiosity about far-off lands that may not catch the attention of a typical American tourist. As we explore the Laotian culture together, may we all learn more about the people who inhabit this somewhat obscure country. Welcome to the jungle!!!

Let’s get to know the country of Laos and get a quick preview of its most prevalent ethnic group, the Lao. In future posts, we will delve into each of these topics on a deeper level, as well as explore some other ones.

Ethnic Groups

While the Lao make up the majority of the population (53.2%), the Laotian government recognizes 49 different groups. However, it has been estimated that there are over 200 ethnicities in this small nation (CIAFactbook).

History

Laos was once a powerful empire, controlling parts of modern-day Thailand and Cambodia as well as its current territory. In the late 1700s it became part of French Indochina, where it remained until 1975, when it became an independent country under a communist regime. This history is evident in Laos’s primary languages, which are Lao, French, and English (CIAFactbook).

Religion

Laos is fairly homogenous in its religion, as 64.7% identify as Buddhist and 31.4% claim no religion. A small portion identify as either Christian or another religion (CIAFactbook).

Food

Foods such as Laap and Lam are very common in Laos. Laap, or meat salad, consists of freshly butchered meat and herbs. Lam is a thick, spicy vegetable stew. Chilis and sticky rice are also staple parts of the Laotian diet.

Environmental Issues

Finally, we’ll look at some environmental issues that the Lao are currently facing, namely lack of clean drinking water and unexploded ordinances. Only 17.68% of Laotians have access to clean drinking water. If you’d like to know more about UNICEF’s efforts to provide the Lao with clean water, check out this website.

Unexploded ordinance (UXO) is one of the biggest problems Laos faces. During the Vietnam War, over 6 billion pounds of explosives were dropped on Laos. Due to the soft nature of the jungle soil, many bombs didn’t explode. Every year, hundreds of people are injured by UXO as they go about their daily lives.

Children beside UXO

Before I continue blogging, I want to talk about cultural relativism. Simply put, cultural relativism is judging a culture by its own standards. As a moral standard, cultural relativism is deeply unsatisfying. It would allow things like infanticide, human sacrifice, and other practices that we often view with horror to be permissible. However, it is a good standard to objectively study a culture. When confronted with an unfamiliar practice, it is wise to refrain from making assumptions. Instead, it is best to appreciate the absurdities that come with each new culture, and perhaps look for the deeper meaning behind it.