The Lao Way

Tweet

The first time I visited DDD’s office in Vientiane, Laos, I combined it with an extended weekend-trip to Luang Prabang; a picturesque town on a river island in the highlands of Northern Laos. I had a limited amount of time on hand (it being a work trip, after all) and therefore I favored the 40 minute flight over the 12 hour bus journey.

The first time I visited DDD’s office in Vientiane, Laos, I combined it with an extended weekend-trip to Luang Prabang; a picturesque town on a river island in the highlands of Northern Laos. I had a limited amount of time on hand (it being a work trip, after all) and therefore I favored the 40 minute flight over the 12 hour bus journey.

Exiting the modest airport in Luang Prabang I looked around for transportation into town. In Southeast Asia I have rarely found myself forced to actually look for someone who would offer transportation services. I spotted a tuk-tuk just pulling up to drop other passengers off outside the building. I walked up to it, thinking I had found my ride, but as I began to engage the driver in the usual miming, intended to mean “can you give me a ride?”, he and his passengers disappeared into the airport building without a look or a word. They were gone for a long time.

Twenty minutes later, during which no other tuk-tuks had arrived, the driver returned to the parking lot and leisurely strolled back to his business that he’d parked in the sunshine. I re-assumed my miming: “You? Drive me? I pay you?” He shrugged, seemed to decide I probably wouldn’t be too much trouble, and pointed to the seating on the truck bed. I jumped in and after fifteen minutes of dirt road I had arrived in town and he had made 20,000 kip.

This is what I have come to call The Lao Way. There seems to be no need to rush in Laos. No need to overextend one self, no need to stress. There’s an immense trust that things will be ok, and even if things go wrong, it’s probably going to be ok anyway.

I see it all the time now: There’s surprisingly little honking on the somewhat chaotic streets of Vientiane, because no one is really in a hurry. In the small Vietnamese restaurant where I often have dinner, it usually takes some adamant ruffling with chairs before any staff emerges. Even dogs will take their afternoon naps in the middle of an intersection.

I asked the General Manager of DDD’s office here in Vientiane, Eric Wong, who is also somewhat new to Laos, if he sees signs of The Lao Way in the office?

“Yes. I must admit that I, and many Malaysian or Singaporean, are jealous of the way things are done here, because the staff in Laos are very friendly and are smiling most of the time in the office. Based on my previous personal experiences that is difficult to do in Malaysia or Singapore. Most of our colleagues in Malaysia will stay late in the office in order to outshine each other and they are putting a lot of peer pressure on each other to perform, but that doesn’t apply in Laos. Here, everyone is happy and relaxed in getting their assigned tasks completed. In Laos, sometimes I have been (unnecessarily) over-worried about certain things in our office, because I didn’t see my colleagues sense of urgency on their faces. I’m saying “(unnecessarily) over-worried” here because they always do get the job done in a very good manner. During dinners or gatherings I always tell my overseas colleagues about how unique The Lao Way is, and how I learn so much from them.”

Even if The Lao Way is sometimes transported into the DDD office, it is still an office that delivers world-class IT services to international clients. It’s just done without any stress. The Lao Way.