How to recognise Laos in a street photo

Dropzone #9 · 4 November 2026

Vientiane Prefecture

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How to tell

1. Lao script on signs: Rounder, simpler letters than Thai, with fewer loops and no Thai-style serifs; this is Lao.
2. Phone numbers 020 and 021: 020 is Lao mobile and 021 is the Vientiane area code.
3. Right-hand traffic: Driving on the right rules out Thailand, which drives on the left.

The first thing to check is which side the traffic uses: motorbikes and the car keep right, which immediately kills Thailand despite the signs looking Thai at a glance. Then read the shopfronts closely; the letters are rounder and less ornate, which is Lao. The phone number starting 021 is a gift, since that prefix belongs to the capital region, while 020 numbers are Lao mobiles. A wide divided boulevard with double-armed streetlights, tangled overhead cables on concrete poles and three-storey shophouses fits a mid-sized Southeast Asian capital. Carry this to other rounds: Laos has few big cities, so any urban, multi-lane scene in Laos is very likely Vientiane.

Easily confused with

• Thailand: Thailand drives on the left; Lao letters look rounder and plainer.
• Cambodia: Khmer script is spikier and denser, with stacked letters.

Remember: Thai-looking script plus right-hand driving usually means Laos.