Years ago, I worked
at a Japanese camp in northern Minnesota (part of the Concordia Language Villages). One summer, there was a girl who worked with me—I forget her
name—who told me that she was Hmong. I had no idea what that meant. She explained
that her family originally came from Laos and came to Minnesota to live. While
attending high school there, she took Japanese classes. (Because of refugee
movements during the middle of the 20th century, Minnesota and
Wisconsin have the largest concentration of Hmong communities in the US,
outside of California.) And of course, she taught me all the bad words in Hmong
that I’ve completely forgotten by now.
The country’s name
refers to the Lao kingdoms. There were three kingdoms that were unified by the
French. The French added the final “s” to the name based on French spelling
rules. Many English speakers pronounce the “s” which is not pronounced in
French. So, technically the country is pronounced as “Lao.”
Laos is a
landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It’s surrounded by China and Myanmar to
the north; Vietnam to the east; Cambodia to the south; and Thailand to the
west. The Mekong River, an important river system in this region, makes up much
of the border between Laos and Thailand. Much of the land is forested and
mountainous with some plains here and there. The weather is tropical throughout
the year and experiences a definite monsoon season. Laos is home to hundreds of
species of tropical plants, birds, animals, insects, and marine life—including the
rare Irrawaddy river dolphin. They’re known for their characteristic small
heads that look like they’re smiling.
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| French Indochina |
Humans have lived
in this area for tens of thousands of years: a human skull was found in
northern Laos that dated back 46,000 years. Archaeologists have found iron
tools and other objects indicating there was a complex society. There were
actually many kingdoms established in this area. The early prince Fa Ngum
established Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. He was also the
founder of the Lan Xang kingdom. Laos suffered many conflicts with Thailand,
Cambodia, and Vietnam up until the 1800s. During the late 1800s, the French
took control of this area and made it a French Protectorate. During WWII
several groups occupied Laos (known as French Indochina at that time). After
the war, the country briefly enjoyed a period of independence. Briefly. Like for
about a month. Then Japanese forces moved in and occupied it. But by the next
year, the French took back Laos as a Protectorate. The Laos rebelled several
times during the French occupancy. During the Vietnam War, Laos was the
recipient of many bomb attacks by US forces. In fact, it is often considered “the
most heavily bombed country on earth.” I saw a news program several years ago
where journalists were walking through Laos and could still find unexploded
ordinances lying around in fields. The highest point in the country, called
Phou Bia (looks like the word “phobia,” which may be pretty telling of the
area), can’t even be visited by tourists because of the vast number of
unexploded bombs there. The Pathet Lao was a communist group that is the Lao
version of the Khmer Rouge or the Viet Cong. In 1975, they took over the
government and turned the country into one of the few remaining communist
countries in the world. Numerous genocide and human rights violations,
especially to the Hmong, have been documented after the take-over. And because
of this, hundreds of thousands of Hmong refugees have fled the country to the China,
Vietnam, US, Thailand, France, and a number of other countries.
The capital city of
Vientiane is located in the northern part of Laos along the Thai border. The
name comes from the Pali language, and if you’ve studied any Buddhism like I
have, you’ll know that Pali is a very important in ancient Buddhist texts. The
name Vientiane literally means “city of sandalwood.” I happen to really like
the smell of sandalwood (I have a vanilla-sandalwood candle in my living room).
However, others argue it means “city of the moon.” (I’m sure the moon doesn’t
smell as great.) Regardless, this is the largest city in the country and is the
center for government, finance, and commerce. Even though the city has about
783,000 people (a little smaller than the size of Indianapolis, IN). The
spelling of the city is also based off of the French spelling: it was
originally called Viangchan.
The Laotian economy
heavily depends on trade with its neighbors, and although the country is still
a communist country, the US has lifted some of its trade embargoes against it.
About half of their economy is based on subsistence farming. Roughly 80% of the
people work in this field with the majority of the crops being rice. Investment
is also an important part of their economy as well. Luckily, this country is
also rich in mineral resources, and mining has become an industry that many
foreign countries invest in. Laos has two main exports: hydroelectric energy
and their own beer brand called Beerlao (which is supposed to be pretty tasty).
They also have a large number of exports in coffee as well. Tourism continues
to grow in the country, especially from France, even though much of the country
is lacking in basic infrastructure. The interesting thing about Laos is that many
businesses not only accept their own currency, but many also accept payment in
Thai bahts and US dollars as well.
About 2/3 of
Laotians are Buddhist, and more specifically Theravada Buddhist. Although
Buddhism has been established here for many centuries, there are also many
Laotians who practice pantheism/polytheism or animism. However, there are a
small number of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and other religions found here and
there.
The official
language of the country is Lao and is closely related to Thai. Because of their
history, French is still used for certain government and business functions. In
fact, French is still taught in schools in Laos. Many students also go on to
study English because of its status as an international language.
Laos has a sense of
mystery about it, and there are many things about this country that seems
extraordinary. England has Stonehenge, but Laos has the Plain of Jars. For an
unknown reason and created by unknown peoples, hundreds of stone urns—some large
enough to hold a person—are spread in groups of five across a region of
northern Laos. And here’s a travel tip: apparently fees are only collected at
attractions if you enter through the main entrance. If you enter through side
entrances, it’s free. (Well, uh, some people kind of know that’s true for just
about any place, if you have access to the building codes, which are considered
public records…). And unlike the US and most other countries, the highest
officials in Laos only get paid $10/month. Even my Netflix bill is higher than
that. But I have a feeling that the food is going to be extraordinary and have
me smiling like an Irrawaddy dolphin.
Up next: art and
literature
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