Revised Country Information (Laos)

Laos is a country within Southeast Asia and is surrounded on all borders by another country. The geography of Laos varies from the North of the country to the South. In the northern region of the country mountains dominate the landscape. To the South dense forests populate the area. Citizens of this country grow The Mekong River separates the borders of Thailand and Laos. The country has many different ethnicities within its population. It varies from ethnic Lao to Hmong. The most practiced religion in Laos is Buddhism. However, within the Hmong community Shamanism it practiced. Shamanism is a religion that is based loosely on the aspects of the spirit world. During my interview, Tou compared the religion to the Native American one. (Yang, Tou. Personal interview. 22 October 2009). Where everything around you has a spirit. The Hmong population played a big role in the fight against communism during the Vietnam conflict. Because of that the some of the Hmong that did not flee the country were persecuted or killed after the United States pulled out of the area in the mid 1970’s (24 October 2009. http://www.laoveterans.com). Presently, some of the Hmong that originally fled are returning to the country. The government is a communist government to this day. It has joined an allegiance with other countries of Southeast Asia that is trying to improve conditions of the area. Laos is a developing country without a lot of the luxuries that we have become accustom to in the United States. In the city regions the intranet is now becoming more accessible by is highly monitored by the government. Literacy rate among adult has risen over the past few years. The familial unit is very important to the people of Laos and the Hmong community. The elders are often taken care of by their children until they pass away. (Yang, Tou. Personal Interview. 22 October 2009) The men in the family are often the ones to care for the elder parents, unless there are no sons. The women children are believed to have begun a new life with their married family and must work towards that family instead. What I would consider extended family, such as cousins and second cousin etc, they just consider them family and they all stick together.