Global Guardian, an international security agency specializing in travel risk, has listed Laos as a medium-risk country, along with the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Factors such as crime, sporadic unrest and lack of crisis management equipment have led to the aforementioned countries being placed in this category.
Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are ranked higher and are considered to pose a moderate risk to travelers because their situation is more stable than the previous countries.
A report by the American Institute states, “Moderately risky countries are considered resilient. These countries can quickly and effectively deal with most crises and threats to human security. But crime, terrorism and natural disasters can affect travel or activities in the country.
A total of 163 countries were ranked in the report, and only Singapore was classified as “low risk”, making it the safest place to travel in Southeast Asia.
Ukraine, Pakistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso are among the countries most at risk. The safest countries to travel to are New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark and Austria.