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Luang Prabang, Laos — A Good Spot for Digital Nomads?


Luang Prabang, Laos — A Good Spot for Digital Nomads?

To answer this question quickly—good even fine, but not great. Let me explain. Luang Prabang has sufficient resources for a wandering digital nomad in search of a place to rest a weary head, but there is no community of nomads and the IT infrastructure, while adequate, is not oriented to online work.

Score (5 stars)
accommodation: * * * * *
living: * * * *
internet: * * *
nomadic community: *
Tourist todo: * * * *
OVERALL score: * * * 3.5 stars.
NOMAD score: * * 2 stars.

Tell me more about this town!
Luang Prabang is a small town (like all Laos towns) in northern Laos. It has a colourful history and it is now a UN World Heritage Site, a tourist destination, a locale on the ‘Bamboo Circuit’ of southeast Asia, and a peaceful spot in which to hang. It is not too far from China (and there are flights and buses to). About 8 bus hours ($20) or 1 flight hour ($100) from the Laos capital, Vientiane. Geographically, the town resides on the confluence of two rivers. The inner town, the Heritage area, is maintained as streets of small shops, small restaurants, small cafes, and small hotels/guest houses. All of which is unreservedly attractive as a mix of colonial French architecture and a modern overlay. Outside the inner town the urban landscape becomes more developing nation, but with no troubles. Traffic is light and there are small hordes of wandering, friendly tourists of all ages continually meandering through the town.

Why Should I go there?
The main reason would be to get away from big city life. Once in the town a few hours will suffice to walk around the entire tourist area, while stoping for a coffee and lunch. It is an attractive, peaceful, and restful town. Also friendly (some might say more truly friendly than its big neighbour to the south, Thailand). Much to do—outside the town are a plenitude of tourist sites, from waterfalls, caves, temples, historical sights, and green rolling hills. Inside the town, massages, museums, tourist activities (wood carving, boat rides, ancient Laos dance, … you get the idea). You can easily enjoy yourself.

There are also the people. Laos people are truly friendly and are willing to talk to you and to practice their English.

The Digital Scene
Well, there really isn’t a digital nomad scene. There are scattered individuals sitting hunched over the laptop keyboarding away with intent, but none of the groups and meetings you will find in Chiang Mai or Ubud. Don’t expect to meet a fellow online money maker and discuss the latest SEO tactic. Having said that, there are several suitable venues in which to spend the working day. These are cafes—but, but, but... there are no co-working spaces in Luang Prabang! Cafes such as Joma (a SEA franchise), Saffron, and a few others all serve excellent coffee, tasty food, and provide an upstairs environment suitable for work to be done.

Internet?
Ok, but not great. Local wifi is provided gratis in most every place you will visit, from your accomm to cafes and restaurants, but it is not blindingly fast. Think ping 15, 20/10 up and down, or thereabouts. Also the local wifi does tend to ‘tremble’ occasionally with short bouts of low speed. The alternative and a necessary backup is 4G on your phone. There are several phone companies and a multitude of packages, but expect to pay around $10 for say 15GBs a month. Not bad. I have found the 4G (2019) to be more reliable than wifi internet.

In summary local internet access is suitable for getting work done, but not for establishing your online empire.


Accommodation
Excellent. There is a range from one to four stars. You can find the cheapest of dorms or an excellent single room for $20-$30 a day, with a range in between. A few hotels have pools, some yoga, some… Check online and ask around and you will find your dream home away from home.

Visas
The good news, Laos is the easiest country in southeast Asia (maybe the world) in which to obtain a visa. One month will be granted on arrival with little fuss, just two pieces of paper, a photo, and ~$30. This can be extended to a total of three months at any immigration office (most big cities) or via an agent. The cost is $2 a day plus a $3 service fee. In my experience the immigration staff are helpful and friendly. A no hassle process. If you want to stay longer in Laos then a work visa is an easy option. One year at a time for $600.

I hope that this elegant simplicity remains unchanged.

Details
Currency, a mix of local (Kip ~10,000 Kip = us$1), Thai baht, and US dollars is used in Laos. Walking is an easy way to get around town, but bike and motorbike rental is an easy option. Tuk tuks are also an option. It is an informal town, tshirts are the normal wear. There are several other nearby tourist towns and sites (Plain of Jars, etc.) worthy of a visit. Most people arrive in Luang from Vientiane. There is one airport and two (north and south) bus stations. Bus departures are frequent.

Conclusion
Luang Prabang is a great town to visit, however, not the place for serious online work. If you are in southeast Asia for a while, then plan to visit and check it out, but don’t plan to stay longer than a week or two.


Safe travels.
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Comments

Niall Doherty said…
Thanks for writing this up, Ian.

Even though it's still not great, it sounds like the internet there has improved. It was truly awful back in 2013 or so when I passed through. I remember being stressed out trying to get some simple tasks done.
Tuesday, July 02, 2019
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