Laos

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the 14th to the 18th century.

In the Lao language, the country's name is "Meuang Lao" which literally means "Lao Country." The French, who united the three separate Lao kingdoms in French Indochina in 1893, spelled it with a final silent "s," to signify the unity of multiple Lao kingdoms, hence "Laos". The Lao language itself has no final "s" sound, so Lao people pronounce it as in their native tongue though some, especially those living abroad, use the pronunciation ending in "s".

Vietnam

Vietnam (329,560 sq km, land: 325,360 sq km, water: 4,200 sq km) is larger than Italy and almost the size of Germany. The perimeter of the country running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km (Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km). The topography consists of hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the area, with smaller hills accounting for 40% and tropical forests 42%.

The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 m. The south is divided into coastal lowlands, extensive forests, and poor soil. Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land.