Buying a mobile phone and using it in Laos.

We will be spending around a month in Laos and we were wondering if we buy mobile phones in KL....could we use them in Laos as well? Would we just need to buy new sim cards? Is it expensive to make mobile phone calls in Laos? How does the system work?

Would it be possible to bring our phones from Australia?

As we are a large family we may need the phones if we split up during the day...I normally avoid using mobiles where possible, but they may come in handy in Laos.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Buying a mobile phone and using it in Laos.

Joy, chill out. If you are this worried about coming to Laos - malaria, water flukes, getting lost etc etc, the really I think you should reconsider coming.

Fwiw you can bring your own unlocked phone from Oz and buy a sim card here.

Buying a mobile phone and using it in Laos.

Hi Rufuscat and thanks for the sim advice.

Re the chill out thing.....this is a different experience for my partner and I. We used to travel in developing countries for years, doing volunteer work re rainforest issues. We used to travel very rough.

The reason for the billions of questions is that we have to adjust to travelling with our three kids - it changes things a bit.

I would rather be well informed and prevent things than find out too late. Also, we used to travel for years at a time, now our time is limited to one month....which involves alot of preparation.

I%26#39;m certain that our kids will gain a lot from being in the Laos culture and hopefully we can give back in some way too (volunteering at the Mulberry Farm at Vang Vieng, donating used baby clothes to the orphanage at LP etc).

So if I come across as a bit stressed...well, I%26#39;m sorry. I%26#39;m just wanting to be super prepared so I can fully enjoy the experience.

We have noted down all the excellent advice you and others have given via this site and can%26#39;t wait to use it all!

Thank you again for all your help and suffering through the multiple questions.