In a blog post titled “6 Reasons Why Your Next Trip To Asia Should Be This Spectacular Underrated Country”, author Sam Sears talks about the country of Laos and its position as a not quite so popular tourism spot for travelers. He refers to the country as “spectacularly underrated” and presents himself as clueless as to why the country is so often overlooked. 

 

*record screech* You’re probably wondering how we got here, right?

 

Let’s start with a little history. In the 1950’s, Laos had a considerably small population, especially as compared to neighboring countries like Vietnam. After WW2, they experienced a lot of turmoil as they were immensely divided amongst themselves after gaining independence from the French, who had previously colonized them for more than 30+ years. On one side, the communists had long pushed for independence from French colonial rule. Whereas, the Lao elite had somewhat cooperated with the French and reaped some personal benefits for themselves. After France pulled out, it was a war for control of Laos between the communists and the neutralists. Eventually, the Lao communists gained control of the country, with some help from Vietnam. Laos was heavily influenced and impacted by Vietnam, with some of its historical events mirroring that of the Vietnamese. This didn’t turn out to always be a good thing, however. During the Cold War, in order to try to wrestle power away from Pathet Lao (a group aligned with North Vietnam),  they bombed the heck out of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, twice as many injured, and some became refugees. To this day, the people of Laos are still cleaning up unexploded bombs from their country land. 

 

Sears calling Laos “spectacularly underrated” is interesting to me for two reasons. Historically, Laos has been through a lot. I’m sure having the type of history they have has negatively impacted their country financially, economically, politically, etc. As a result, it may have taken a while for them to be able to develop a stronger tourism industry. However, I think the word “underrated” is key. To the people of Laos, the country is their home. One they are connected to and perhaps take pride in. The definition of underrated means “not valued highly enough”. That to me is subjective. When I think of the word, I think of McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies or soft rock music, not a whole nation. The Lao people value their country. That is what makes it valuable, not Western tourists who go there, try the food, take some pics, and decide it is a place they want to visit again. Perception is key. It is possible that something that HAS hindered Laos is how the media portrays it. Maybe we should stop placing value judgments onto other cultures through the lens of European or Western culture, but instead, take the time to actually highlight and listen to the people that are already there.