Impoverished, sparsely populated, and still recovering from the Vietnam War, Laos exists on the edge of the abyss. This program considers the cultural and economic impact on Laotians and Hmong alike of initiatives designed to improve the country, such as the new highway being built by Swedish engineers. Although the regime’s "reeducation camps" show no signs of being closed and antigovernment rebels continue to make travel dangerous, foreign tourism is being courted for the currency it can bring, while the country’s rich spiritual life—expressed through the practices of Buddhism and animism—serenely continues. (47 minutes)

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Part of the Series : Asia in Transition: Culture, Politics, and Economics

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