Soon after, the revolution followed, the countries attained independence albeit after a massive bloodbath. He narrates his experiences with the right amount of cultural anecdotes. His spontaneous free flowing way of travels, hitching a ride, adjusting to any situation given, strike a chord with me as a traveler. His description of food is flawless (and remains true till date). He talks in details about the impressions that colonist time imprinted in his mind. One of the oldest books of the region, the Dragon apparent is an honest account of exploring Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos during the last days of French colonist power. I wish someday I would be able to compile a list of books on Laos by the Laos writers of repute.Ģ2 Subscribe A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam by Norman Lewis Mostly written from a western perspective, these books on Laos paint an almost realistic picture of the country for the first time visitors! I did take some of the descriptions with a pinch of salt though since I am an Asian and our lifestyle matches to an unprecedented extent that is hard to grasp for a western writer. These books are available for Kindle readers as well as a paperback version. I have mined the world of world wide web and collected a handful of fictions set in Laos. Life in Laos come in myriad glimpses, what you can compare with the Hollywood style of blink and you miss performances! More number of books based on Laos actually discuss western war strategy. I am specifically talking about books on fiction, emphasising on Laos people, their culture, food, everyday struggle, aspiration and politics. Only a handful of books have been written about Laos, compared to its neighbours, say Vietnam or Thailand.

The mountain monolith, dense forests, sugar cane plantations and idyllic rural life shower Laos with an abundance of natural resources, even after the country has been subjected to unjust warfare, brutal colonist forces for a larger part of the history. A landlocked country soaked in the warmth of incessant flow of the Mekong river. Some of the books are fictional accounts and set in Laos. These books are mostly based on politics in Laos, especially during the era of Indo-China retreat, the covert air-war by America and Vietnam War and written by American writers.

About this books: Essential reading list on Laos for the first time visitors.

One Foot in Laos by Dervla Murphy