Road quality is erratic and all roads are single carriageways. Not all are paved.
Road quality in Laos is poor. Getting advice on conditions is also poor. Much has been done in the last five years but it seems the quality of the information is poor as well. Whilst all agreed the road to Luang Prabang (the beautiful old capital) is okay we received conflicting information of the route further north to the Chinese border. (ranging from it will take you many days to you need a 4wd to the road is good as it is used by smugglers to smuggle Japanese cars from Thailand into China?We didn?t have the inclination nor the permits so our plans stopped at Luang Prabang.
What people do tell you though is that roads further south in the country are in much better condition, with some saying the worst roads are those in downtown Vientiane!
Money is being spent but its taking time. The maximum speed limit is 40kmh and if you have seen the roads you will know why the limit is so low. roads take very heavy traffic and can quickly deteoriate. Roads narrow as they climb the mountains (in the north) and passing can be extremely challenging. Do not travel at night. [NB there is a curfew in place now so travel at night is infact illegal].
Driving
Driving in Laos is like driving in any Asian country town - size does matter, rules should be treated as guidelines and haste will not grant you any favors. Take it easy and you should be fine. Remember Lao traffic travels on the right side of the road which creates a slight disadvantage for right hand drive vehicles. Your neck muscles will get some exercise and you begin to use that left mirror ? ask your passenger(s) to help as well.
Remember also the basic philosphophy that the Lao adopt when driving ? what is behind you is behind you ? The Lao only focus on traffic issues in front of them believing that whatever is behind must do the same. This leads to amusing rushes for roundabouts or strange merging techniques from side streets to try and get in first. Coming to a complete stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason is not uncommon. Despite all this the use of horns is almost unheard of.
Sharing the road
It used to be that the biggest danger to travel in Laos was the risk of bandits. Nowadays it is your fellow road user. The biggest user of the roads are trucks and buses who do not observe the national speed limit and clearly have a fatalist view on life.
More a village meeting place than a road
Roads in Laos are not always viewed in the same light as a roads elsewhere. Take care as you pass through villages, local villages and their chickens, buffalos, dogs, pigs and whatever else all use the road as a meeting place - approach villages slowly and expect to come to a complete stop.
Heading North
Route 13 North: Vientiane to Luang Prabang
Known in the past for its bandit attacks near Kasi, it is now better known for its traffic accidents. The road is now paved completely to Luang Prabang and is very scenic as it climbs into the mountains after Vang Veng. The road climbs 1200 metres over 50km.The road north from Vientiane is of 'standard' condition until it reaches Luang Prabang, after this there is a 80km stretch that will test the skills of most drivers and is only advisable to 2wd vehicles in dry conditions and in a convoy. After this the road improves dramatically as you approach closer to the Chinese border. These road were built by the Chinese during the Vietnam war to help supply the Pathet Lao. Once you cross the Chinese border it is less than 10 km before the Chinese freeway system starts.
A visit to the Australian embassy to register our presence revealed that they still regard this road as unsafe. They had received reliable reports of an attack on the road two years back but this was denied by the Lao authorities and no further evidence had come to light. Discretion being the better part of valour we chose to limit our journey north to Vang Vieng which is halfway and is just short of the mountain section. This was dissapointing for us as we had been told that the route was quite scenic and it would mean we would not visit Luang Prabang.
The route to Vang Vieng is paved but dishes up some A grade potholes after the wet season. The road teams were catching up on this when we went through ? for this reason alone travel needs to happen during daylight and at reduced speeeds. Some of these holes could do some major damage which is not what you want so far from home. Other hazards are passing traffic and village life. The road passes right through the centrs of a number of villages which presents a great snap shot of village life but also meant the road was full of pigs, cattle, dogs, ducks and kids playing. The best attitude is to take it slow and enjoy the view.
Vang Vieng has become for backpackers and other tourists going by bus the defacto overnight stop on the route to LP. Also known as the Lao version of Guilin, Vang Vieng has a dramatic backdrop worth a look. After miles of remote villages pulling into Vang Vieng reminded us of some of the guest house quarters in Phuket. It is definitely a growing tourist destination.
Heading East
Don't - roads are unpaved and this area is still fraught with violence - attempt only with 4wd and in convoy.
Heading South
The route south (Route 13 south) is fine right down to Savannakhet - make sure you fill the tank at every opportuntiy. A jerry can is suggested.
Future Plans
There are plans for Laos to link the Friendship Bridge, (which joins Thailand with Laos across the Mekong River at Nong Kai) to Kunming the nearest Chinese province with a proper road - the route is there (see above) but some 80kms of this is ungraded and in poor condition (washouts potholes etc).
Since March 2000, Laos has seen a pattern of bombings aimed at tourist spots. Until the number of incidences drops you may want to reconsider this part of your trip or if you are still keen to go do so as part of a group. If in any doubt consult the travel advisory web pages of either the US or Australian foreign services. These sites are frequently updated and are extremely conservative erring on the side of caution.
