Laos: where is it, what's great, and why all the bombs?

Laos is a sliver of rivers and mountains and emerald rice fields, curving between Thailand to the west and Vietnam to the east. To the north are China and Myanmar; to the south, Cambodia. It is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, categorized by the United Nations as a "Least Developed Country." Laos is developing transportation links to neighboring countries, including a new high-speed rail link with China, in an effort to boost its economy through trade.

Bomb contamination is one of the reasons Laos remains impoverished. In addition to embracing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, Laos has a unique additional SDG, "Lives safe from unexploded ordnance (UXO)."

 While neighboring Thailand and Vietnam are bustling, hustling and busy, Laos is relaxed and famously peaceful.  It's a wonderful place to visit and an easy place to fall in love with. Some of the highlights are...

• Buddhist temples
• Helping Lao people practice English-and getting to hear about their lives-at Big Brother Mouse
• The French colonial architecture in Luang Prabang
• Delicious, spicy, fragrant Lao food and cold crisp Beerlao-try it with ice (really)
• Karst mountains
• The laid back capital city of Vientiane
• Most of all: the warmth and grace of the people

During the Vietnam War, the US carried on a secondary, "secret" war in neighboring, neutral Laos. This parallel war had two objectives: to suppress the Lao Communist insurgency in the north, and to block the Ho Chi Minh Trail (which North Vietnam used to supply its forces in South Vietnam) as it passed through central and southern Laos. 

Because of treaty promises not to use ground troops in Laos, the US carried on these efforts almost entirely by means of bombing--over half a million bombing runs from 1964-1973, destroying much of the country and leaving millions of undetonated bombs littering the landscape.  

The advocacy group Legacies of War offers an in-depth look at this history, with suggestions for books and films to learn more.

Laos is littered by bombs, most of which are cluster munitions.  These are generally baseball sized weapons which were dropped in large casings from a plane.  The casing opened in the air, raining down small bombs which were designed to explode on or near the ground and kill anyone in the area.  The US dropped about 270 million such bombs on Laos. About 30% of these "bombies" failed to detonate as intended, meaning that there are still about 80 million of them waiting to kill anyone who disturbs them. There is also an unknown number of unexploded large bombs and other forms of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Until recently, the U.S. and other governments funded bomb clearance efforts in Laos, as well as offices in the Lao government that prioritize and track land for clearance. But the work was too slow for villagers who may still have waited years or decades for a team to reach them. Restoration Laos was founded to speed up the work, by paying only the direct operating costs of one bomb team that otherwise would not exist. 

As of early 2025, all US Government funded bomb clearance has stopped. Restoration Laos' operations continue. The U.S. Ambassador has written about the importance of Restoration Laos' work.