What industry there is centers on the capital, Vientiane. New hotels and an international airport terminal under construction foretell a less sleepy future for an Asian capital still shaded by trees planted in the French colonial era. The town hearkens to an Asia that has largely vanished elsewhere. The 25,000 residents rise and sleep with the sun. Buffalo chew grass along the empty streets before being butchered with axes at the central market.
Local women produce some of the world's finest weaving.
Laos is the world's third-largest producer, and the tribes have traditionally had few other ways to earn cash. An American-financed road off Highway 6 is being built to 15 villages where only a footpath previously existed. Before the road, it took three days to reach the villages on foot, and the only crop that could lure buyers on such a hike was opium. Now, more easily cultivated produce like fruit and rice have become the economic mainstays because the villagers can get them to market. U.S. officials say opium is no longer grown in the area.