Lao did not officially participate in the Vietnam war, which the Asians call the American war. Even so, between 1964-1973 the USA undertook 580,000 bombing raids, dropping 2 million tons of ordinance on Lao. Put another way, one planeload every eight minutes, 24-hours each day for nine years.
More than 30% of the cluster bombs remain live and continue to cause fatalities, serious injuries and loss of limbs, especially in the rural areas.
Many helpful international agencies are diffusing the mines, but the recent USA decision to stop all US AID means they are not.
Today we visited the Vientiane COPE centre (Co-operative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise), a Lao Ministry of Health division whose motto is “To Keep the People Moving”.
Sombre story. Thankfully, spectacular Mekong River sunsets continue and we will be up before sun rise tomorrow for our journey to Luang Prabang.Read more
August 28, 2025 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
Very sad, [Denise]
Enjoying the photos, [Denise]
TravelerVery somber. I remember visiting somewhere in Vietnam that was similar. Very draining but important that we all remember.