South-Eastern Asia
Video Chat with People from Laos
Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, so daily life leans toward the Mekong rather than the sea. Someone you meet might be in Vientiane, where the riverside night market fills up at sunset; in Luang Prabang, with its old town and the turquoise pools of Kuang Si Falls; in Vang Vieng among limestone cliffs; or in Pakse, near the coffee farms and waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau. Lao has its own script and is a close cousin of Thai, and Hmong, Khmu and many other languages are spoken too. English is more common among younger adults and people who work in tourism, while some older people learned French.
Laos is on UTC+7, sharing a clock with Bangkok and Hanoi. Evening in Vientiane is breakfast time on the US East Coast and early afternoon in the UK. Food is the friendliest topic: sticky rice eaten by hand, laap, spicy papaya salad, khao piak sen noodle soup and strong Lao coffee. Pi Mai Lao, the April new year with its water fights, boat races on the Mekong, the bamboo khaen and sepak takraw are other good conversation starters.
Laos at a glance
| Flag | 🇱🇦 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| Capital | Vientiane |
| Region | Asia · South-Eastern Asia |
| Official language | Lao |
| Currency | Lao kip (₭, LAK) |
| Calling code | +856 |
| Time zone | Indochina Time (Asia/Vientiane) |
How to say hello
A few words of Lao make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີ | sah-bai-DEE | Hello |
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີບໍ່? | sah-bai-dee BAW | How are you? |
| Lao | ຂອບໃຈ | khawp JAI | Thank you |
| Lao | ໂຊກດີ | sohk DEE | Good luck / goodbye |
Tips for chatting with people from Laos
- Answer "Sabaidee baw?" with a simple "Sabaidee"; saying you're well is the usual, polite reply.
- Learn "bo pen nyang" (baw pen NYAHNG), meaning "no problem" or "never mind." It's handy when the video lags or you mishear something.
- If you speak some Thai, mention it. The two languages are close, and comparing words is fun, but call the language Lao.
- Ask which sticky-rice dishes they grew up with or where to find the best noodle soup in their town.
- Lao evenings line up with US mornings; from Europe, try your early afternoon.
Only meet people from Laos
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Laos, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Laos and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Laos, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Laos are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Laos borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: