Greeting

In business practice in Laos, one can see different forms of greeting. In meetings with representatives of foreign companies and organizations, it is customary to greet each other with a handshake. This ritual applies to all participants of communication regardless of gender.

The traditional Lao greeting is nop or vai, some experts call it nok we vai: palms are put together in a prayerful gesture at chest or head level, but not above nose level. Such a gesture is often accompanied by a slight bow toward the interlocutor.

In addition to the greeting non often carries some additional meaning depending on the location of the hands and the depth of the bow. The higher the hands are raised and the deeper the bow, the greater the respect a person shows to his interlocutor. With bows Lao people express their appreciation and gratitude.

Women who are visiting the country on business should remember that when greeting their Lao male partners, they are not ready to initiate a handshake, as it is not a cultural practice.

If you will not meet a single person but a small group of Lao partners, start your greeting with the one who has the highest position. In doing so, you will show respect and at the same time knowledge of local rituals.

The person's status, which manifests itself primarily in their position, position, or age, is a very important category in Lao business culture. For example, status determines the order of greeting people in a group or establishes who should be the first to enter the meeting room for a business meeting.

The status of a person is a very important category in Lao business culture.

Introduction

Laotian naming traditions resemble the accepted norms of a number of Western countries, that is, every inhabitant of this country has a first name and a last name. This practice did not develop immediately, historically Laotians had only first names. Surnames appeared relatively recently, since 1943, when they were introduced by law.

In Lao business culture it is customary to use positions and titles, academic degrees, professional qualifications, if any, when addressing a person. If the communication is in English, use polite forms such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, adding the last name to them rather than the first as in some neighboring countries. For example, a person whose name is Visay Phaphouvanin should be addressed Mr Phaphouvanin.

A woman can take her husband's last name or keep her last name after marriage. Children get their father's last name.

In Lao culture, nicknames are common and a person gets them in early childhood. However, if you hear other people refer to your colleague by his nickname, do not rush to do so yourself. Wait for the appropriate initiative on his part.

Exchange of Business Cards

In Laos, business cards are usually exchanged when introducing partners at the first meeting.

In addition to your first name, title, company name and contact information, the business card will include your educational degree, academic title and professional title if you have one.

It is a good idea to have business cards written in two languages such as English and Laotian in advance. This way you can show respect for your Laotian colleague and at the same time avoid misunderstandings that often occur when giving for example jobs or other positions.

Transfer business cards to your partner with your right hand or hold them with both hands. The text in Lao should be on the front side. When you receive your partner's business card, also hold it with both hands for a moment, look carefully at the text, then place it on the table or in your business card holder in front of you.

Small Talk: Overview

The business culture of Laos places great importance on developing and maintaining relationships. This is especially important in contacts with foreign partners. Therefore, pay special attention to small talk with the Laotian side.

Your Laotian partners will definitely appreciate if you say a few words in their native language. Even if you make mistakes or say something incorrectly, it will still be well understood by Laotians.

The Laotians use sign and body language very limitedly during conversations and are somewhat suspicious of those who overly emotionally gesture. Showing emotion during conversations is not welcome.

Lao people traditionally carry on conversations in a gentle, at first somewhat reserved, but always friendly manner.

If you are sitting at a low table or on the floor during an event, pay attention to the posture you adopt. Your partner should not see the soles of your shoes, this is considered a very rude gesture, even an insult, since feet are considered a dirty part of the body.

You should not see the soles of your shoes.

Preferred Topics

Family, meaning extended family, including relatives and even close friends.

Country, city you are from. Your background in general.

Work and career related topics.

Current events and news of the day.

Taboo Topics

The conversation may include the fact that Laos is a developing country with a large number of poor people. Avoid harsh and straightforward judgments on the subject, as this can hurt the feelings of your interlocutors.

Any negative (even if veiled) remarks about other people always lead to a loss of the "face" of the conversation, and thus to a disturbance of the harmony of the conversation.

Do not confuse Laotians with Thais, Vietnamese, or other Southeast Asian cultures. Each has a rich history and its own unconditional specificity.

Do not make disrespectful remarks about Buddhist temples, monuments, or monasteries. Buddhism is the most important religion of Laos, practiced by about 60% of the country's population.

The events of the Second Indochina War (also known as the Vietnam War) are a hot topic. It lasted quite a long time, about 20 years, ending in the mid-1970s, but many people still remember and relive these events well.

Politics, especially domestic and regional, and religion are taboo topics.

Personal Space

The distance for comfortable communication in Lao culture can vary slightly depending on the situation and the participants. During a conversation, the interlocutors (equally male and female) stand at arm's length from each other.

If the participants in a conversation are a superior and a subordinate, the distance between them will increase, it will be greater than arm's length. In contrast, friends or close acquaintances stand closer to each other.

Physical contact and any touching, except for a handshake, is minimal in Lao communication culture.

Communication Specifics

In Lao culture, an important concept is "face" and the associated "loss of face," "saving face. It refers to a person's reputation, outward impression, image. Loss of face occurs when a person is criticized, opposed or humiliated in the presence of others.

For Laotians, saving one's own face and preventing others from losing face is a very important element of communication. They may go to great lengths to avoid or avoid conflict if possible. In this case, they prefer to speak very carefully, not calling things by their proper names, trying to stick to the formal side and generally talking "around" the topic rather than about it.

In communication with Lao partners, it is important to pay attention to various verbal and nonverbal signals. One such signal is the word "Yes," which in other cultures is an indication of an affirmative response, for example, in response to a request or question. For your Laotian colleague, "Yes" is more likely to mean "I understand" or "I listen" than "I agree" or "I will. For reasons of loss of face, he will refrain from a direct negative answer.

Building a business relationship with Lao partners, it is important to always keep in mind their communication patterns (above all, the notion of face). In tricky situations it is better to return to the topic under discussion under different pretexts and ask the question you are interested in several times, but as if in a different perspective.

Not only individuals but also companies can have a face (which can also be lost due to negative information about this company). When speaking to colleagues from Laos, it is important to make sure that no one's (even a competitor's) reputation is harmed in the speech.

Praise, praise, respectful feedback all contribute to a positive image, and thus to maintaining face.