Opening hours and festivals

In 1998, the official working hours of all government offices were adjusted. The two-hour lunch break was shortened to one, and government workers were given Saturday off. Old habits die hard though, which means that while official hours for government offices are 8am-12pm and 1-5pm Monday to Friday, very little gets done between 11am and 2pm. Post offices are generally open 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm on Saturday and 8am-noon on Sunday. Banking hours are usually 8.30am-3.30pm, Monday to Friday nationwide; exchange kiosks keep longer hours but are rare. The hours of private businesses vary, but almost all are closed on Sunday. During the heat of the day many shop owners will partly close their doors and snooze, but it is perfectly acceptable to wake them up. All government businesses close on public holidays, though some shops and restaurants should stay open. The only time when many private businesses do close - for three to seven days - is during Chinese New Year (new moon in late Jan to mid-Feb), when the ethnic-Vietnamese and Chinese populations of Vientiane, Thakhek, Savannakhet and Pakxe celebrate with parties and temple visits.

Other useful information for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):