First Time In Laos? American Travelers NEED to Know!

[@TheWanderingKid]

Laos is extremely beautiful! The nature is raw and magnificent and the people are amazing! Glad you chose to visit a sleeper of a country! 🥰 Enjoy the sticky rice, crispy pork and the laab!

[@francoismarc3]

Yooo, thanks for the comment! Unfortunately, I got sick and couldn’t experience everything I had planned, but will definitely be going back soon! And yes, a sleeper of a country indeed!

[@FreelancerRipon-t8k]

Hello friend, How are you?

[@sominthasak9272]

Welcome to Laos 🇱🇦

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks so much for the warm welcome!!! Loved the country!!!

[@SammyChannel-nw8tj]

my first time to Laos 🇱🇦 was last year in September 2023. love 💕 the food 🍱 and people’s are so friendly. will go back again one day.

[@francoismarc3]

The people were so nice that I'm definitely going back to visit soon. Thank you for letting me know about your trip!:)

[@samantha4713]

Laos is one of the country I need to visit and see.

[@francoismarc3]

@samantha4713 hope you can vist one day!!

[@laoamericanlady]

Hi there, you get better rate of currency exchange in the market at jewelry store or currency exchange booths in the market. You get a bit less exchanging in the bank

[@francoismarc3]

This is good to know! I’ll save this information for the next time!

[@laoamericanlady]

@@francoismarc3 my husband relative that live in Vientiane told him

[@brianbaccam3234]

I’m you guys visited Laos. I was born in Laos n moved to USA in 1975. Enjoy n stay safe friends

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks for the nice message! What made you move to the US? How do you like living in the US?

[@brianbaccam3234]

@@francoismarc3 I was only 14 years old and had no choice cuz my parents had to moved asap because of the war.

[@sonevongkot6046]

Welcome to Laos, hope you enjoy Laos

[@francoismarc3]

Thank you so much for the welcome!!! It was a fun trip!!

[@johnmongkhounsavath3678]

👍👍👍

[@francoismarc3]

Thanks for this!

[@ojh888]

The "unknown" food item you mentioned that had a lot of ginger in it , is lotus root. It is sort of like a Lotus root salad.

[@francoismarc3]

Ahhhh, thanks for letting me know because I had no idea what I was eating hahahaha

[@francoismarc3]

Yooo, traveling in Laos was fun, but I had to really research how to get into this country! Did you learn anything about the visa process for Americans in this video?

[@vaughns5680]

Hi guys thank you for video from lao American USA Philadelphia

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks a lot for the welcome and positivity!!!

[@SandStormXII]

love the video

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks so much for watching!

[@SandStormXII]

np@@francoismarc3

[@conniefry3321]

I don't think those are Laotian food it's look more chines food. You guys need to go to the right area to explore the real laotian food

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks for this info! I'm going back to Laos later. I'll keep this in mind!!!

[@martyscarborough7267]

On the VOA do they ask where you will staying do they ask for prof

[@francoismarc3]

They do. You need to have the address ready for where you are staying.

[@financierechris9566]

this the country where's my mom came from, this is a great vlog ! Contrary to Thailand, Laos is still generally preserved from heavy tourism (but Luang Prabang is going crazy sometimes tourists do not respect monks)

[@francoismarc3]

Oh, it's a good thing your mom is from Laos:) And right!! I Ffound that Laos has a lot less tourist traffic that Thailand, even though the landscape is similar and the two countries are extremely close! And do you think tourists look down on Lao monks? I didn't know about this. Could you tell me more?

[@HOTPLATEGAMING]

Laos is so slept on

[@francoismarc3]

You aint lied...

[@HOTPLATEGAMING]

@francoismarc3 I can't wait to go back this summer along with visiting Northeastern thailand Crazy facts. There's more Lao people living in Thailand than Laos itself. Back then the Northeastern part of Thailand use to be part of Laos

[@francoismarc3]

@@HOTPLATEGAMING Woah, thanks for this information! I met a girl in Thailand who is from Laos. And she was damn good-looking too. I'll have to go back very soon!! I hope you gave fun on your trip!!

[@FreelancerRipon-t8k]

Feel good sir. Because you went somewhere else today

[@francoismarc3]

You are correct! But I'm sick while traveling:( Thanks for the positive comment:)

[@FreelancerRipon-t8k]

@@francoismarc3 may you travel well and i wish you well.

[@francoismarc3]

@@FreelancerRipon-t8k thanks so much!!:)

[@Fadil724]

Hi i from 🇮🇩 indonesian

[@francoismarc3]

Hey there!:)

[@pha-nea-jonchannel]

take Laos-china high speed train go to Vang Vieng city and Luangphabang vity bro

[@francoismarc3]

We tried to get train tickets but we didn't reserve them in time. So we will come back to Laos very soon!! Thanks for this information!!!

[@ShelbyA2LA]

Hi, can you recommend a hotel? A tour and review of the room ❤

[@francoismarc3]

Hey! Hotel Athens is close to the airport and walking distance into the city. To access the center of the city, you will have to download an application called Loca so you call a taxi. If the hotel calls a taxi for you, it's more expensive. Hotel Athens is has a nice breakfast in the morning, but make sure you ask for a room with a clean carpet. The carpet in our room wasn't cleaned properly before we entered, but otherwise, the room was cool. I didn't go on a tour as I think you can access Vientiane by yourself. If you ask the hotel, they can point you in the direction of a good tour if you must have it. In other cities, you may need a tour, or just ask locals where to go. Everyone is friendly:) I hope this helps!

[@alyssagrace2195]

What hotel did you stay at?

[@francoismarc3]

Athens Hotel I believe:) Was pretty okay!

[@alviislam4412]

Hey Brother, thanks for the info, just a quick question, so if youre holding a USA passport, do you need to download any kind of other form before travelling or heading towards immigration, or is it just you book a flight and then travel and pay it directly to them on arrival ?

[@francoismarc3]

Hello!! Correct! You don't need to download anything, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, you can get an electronic visa. I called the Laos Embassy in Korea many times to check the process and researched extensively before arriving in Laos. As an American, you only need your passport. I was told to bring two passport photos as well, but they weren't needed. You will fill out arrival information, just like other countries, pay a 40USD visa on arrival fee, take a new photo for your stay at the customs desk (free of charge), and receive your visa in your passport. The whole process took maybe 7 minutes. You'll be fine with just your AMERICAN passport;) Hope I helped!!

[@alviislam4412]

@@francoismarc3 thanks so much brother. Helps a lot. It's just my friends hold Asian passport and they need a visa and are applying for one with me. But I hold a US passport, so was thinking if they will give me the form on arrival or is there something I can do before hand to make the process smoother so that it doesn't take much time and I just fill things out before traveling, but if it's just the case where I can get it upon arriving, then that's fine. Any tips on if I can pay them with thb? Or need dollars? By the way excellent contents brother

[@francoismarc3]

@alviislam4412 My pleasure, brotha! You should definitely bring USD. You will get a much better exchange rate on USD. Also, exchange only about 50USD at the airport. You can get good exchanges for money in town at jewelry shops. Sims cards, which cost about 2usd, will cost 1usd 50 cents in town. Lastly, you will probably have to pay a deposit at the hotel where you are staying, maybe around 50usd. Take that into consideration as well! Sorry about the music for this video...no idea what happened. Happy travels!!!

[@alviislam4412]

@@francoismarc3 thanks for all the excellent content, so just buy a ticket and have two passport photographs and that's all good to travel to Thailand?

[@francoismarc3]

@@alviislam4412 For Laos, yes. For Thailand, just your passport is needed:)

[@francoismarc3]

Also, sorry about music! I edited everything on my iPad last night and it was OKAY, but now it's out of sync...VERY SORRY!!!

[@Yo-ss5bz]

Good video bruh. How many cities did you visit? What spots do you recommend? I’m traveling to Bali/Vietnam and Laos is May.

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks for watching! Unfortunately, I only visited Vientiane:( I wanted to visit Luang Prabang via train, but one must book those tickets at least 3 days in advance. In Vientiane, I recommend Riverside Night Market. It's big and so many things to do there. I did a video on another night market, but can't remember the name. Where in Vietnam are you traveling to? I visited Hanoi and it was amazing.

[@Yo-ss5bz]

@francoismarc3 Thanks for the info. I'm flying into o Chi Minh city to visit my friend. Then I'm headed to the Mekong Delta. Then I'm not sure till trying ro figure it out. I probably wing it.

[@francoismarc3]

@@Yo-ss5bz You're welcome! Winging it brings the best adventures:) Good luck and have fun!!

[@Yo-ss5bz]

@francoismarc3 yup. Appreciate bruh.

[@wooreetea]

I aM not American. Should I watch this?

[@francoismarc3]

Definitely should for the food and view haahaha. Thanks, my friend!!!:)

[@sakkywang123]

Welcome to Laos ❤ I would like to recommend you to try real lao food not Chinese food in china town it better way to taste it

[@francoismarc3]

Hey thanks a lot! We were looking for Laos food, but didn't know the area well:( We are planning another trip to Laos soon, so do you have any recommendations?

[@sakkywang123]

@@francoismarc3 let's go to morning Market in Vientiane you will find many kind of foods , instantly, fresh market, it's depending on your trips where do you go, there are so many ... You can ask me anytime after

[@sakkywang123]

@@francoismarc3 have a nice time

[@kllaskas810]

bro try to buy a gopro or something. your footage is wayyyy too soft

[@francoismarc3]

Hahahah, I have a Gopro, but I prefer filming with my Pocket 1. Thanks for the suggestion, though!!!

[@BrianCatalano]

So many good tips... but I haggling for stuff. Yet, the weather looked amazing!

[@francoismarc3]

Thanks, B! I had to search forever to make sure all the visa stuff was accurate. Worse thing to show up at a new country and can't get in...lol Weather was amazing! Even in Korea, haggling is expected! And also, from one creator to another, I'm very sorry about the sound and editing quality of this video. I kind of rushed it, but the music was good before uploading before bed. I've also been sick since leaving Korea. So many excuses...but sorry!!

[@BrianCatalano]

@@francoismarc3 ha ha... No apologies necessary, I honestly didn't even notice as I was just watching on my phone as per usual. Regardless, from one creator to another, you're killing it! Need to set up a chat soon, too!