Changelog

A colored-pencil drawing of the karst peaks rising behind the Nam Song at dawn, with a single balloon above the ridge.

The emergency numbers, the local hospital and what it can and can't handle, and the Vientiane hospitals serious cases are transferred to — with tappable numbers.

Today's fine-particle level over the valley, in plain words. It matters most in the dry-season burning weeks (roughly February–April), when smoke settles between the karst peaks.

Updated the police, fire and ambulance lines to the current four-digit numbers (Police 1191, Fire 1190, Ambulance 1195), verified against UK government travel advice.

When to come and what to expect — the weather, the burning-season haze, the state of the Nam Song, and how busy and pricey each month gets, with a plain verdict for each month.

Tick the station transfer, the tuk-tuk to the lagoons, a tube and the entry fees and see a fair total in kip — with the inflated ask to refuse and a one-line defence for each item.

Three tools to start: a live rain outlook tied to the Nam Song and the wet season, a fair-prices and getting-around guide, and an honest safety rundown — drinks, the river, the balloons, and who to call if something goes wrong.