Officially name: The Lao People's Democratic Republic
Capital: Vientiane
Largest city: Vientiane
Official language: Lao
Government: Socialist republic, Communist single-party state
Pi Mai Lao or Lao New year is the liveliest holiday of the year and one that everyone looks forward to, as it is a time when many people visit their families all over the country.
Despite the Communist takeover in the mid-1970s, Laos remains a Buddhist country in everything but name. Patriotic holidays are still celebrated in this landlocked country, but only on Buddhist holidays do the Lao people let their hair down and celebrate.