A communist state in name, Laos can look and feel like a free-wheeling capitalist entity to the average visitor.
Professor Martin Stuart-Fox traces Laos' history from the kingdom of Lan Xang to the modern-day Lao PDR, which occupies a strategic crossroads in Southeast Asia.
Laos is home to an incredible patchwork of peoples, with unique religious beliefs, arts and crafts.
Laos' environment is among the best protected in the region, but hydropower development and vast mineral deposits make for a delicate balancing act.