Laos is an easy country for women travelers, though you still need to be sensitive to a set of cultural mores that hasn't been watered down as much as in many parts of Thailand. Laos is very safe and violence against women travelers is extremely rare. And while  everyday incidents of sexual harassment are more common than they were a few years ago, they're still much less frequent than in virtually any other Asian country.

The relative lack of prostitution in Laos, as compared with Thailand, has benefits for women travelers. While a Thai woman who wants to preserve a 'proper' image often won't associate with foreign males for fear of being perceived as a prostitute, in Laos this is not the case. Hence a foreign woman seen drinking in a cafe or restaurant is not usually perceived as being 'loose' or available as she might be in Thailand. This in turn means that there are generally fewer problems with uninvited male solicitations.

That, however, is not an absolute. Lao women rarely travel alone, so a foreign fe­male without company might be judged by Lao - male and female - as being a bit strange. And while this is less prevalent in the larger towns and cities where society is generally more permissive, in rural areas Lao men might see a woman travelling alone as a woman who wants company. Generally, though, if your bus or sawngthaew has other women on board, you shouldn't have any problems.

The best way to avoid unwanted atten­tion is to avoid overly revealing clothes. It's highly unusual for most women (even in more modern places like Vientiane and Vang Vieng where they're used to seeing tourists), to wear singlet tops or very short skirts or shorts. So when travelers do, people tend to stare. Being stared at isn't much fun for the traveler, but if you try putting yourself in their shoes it's easier to understand...relatively speaking, if a woman walked down Oxford St in London or Broadway in New York wearing nothing but a bikini, people would look.

Lao people will almost never confront you about what you're wearing, but that doesn't mean they don't care. As one woman in Vang Vieng told us: T wouldn't say anything, but I'd prefer it if they put on a sarong when they get out of the river. It's not our way to dress like that [a bikini only] and it's embarrassing to see it.' It's good advice - if you're plan­ning on bathing in a village or river a sarong is essential.

Elsewhere, just keep your eyes open and dress in a way that's not too different from women around you. This doesn't mean you need to get wrapped up in a sin, but you'll

notice that shirts with at least a tiny strip of sleeve are universally popular, as are shorts or skirts that come to somewhere near the knee. Show this small measure of respect for Lao culture, and it will be repaid in kind.

Traditionally women didn't sit on the roves of riverboats, because this was believed to bring bad luck. These days most captains aren't so concerned, but if you are asked to get off the roof while men are not, this is why.