The formal greeting both for men and women is to wai- place the hands in prayer-like fashion and raise them
while bowing the head and saying Sabaidi. Address the most senior person first by offering a wai to him then nod to others while slowly turning around in the wai position. Shaking hands is an accepted practice among men in official circumstances but not with women. Avoid hugging or kissing, both in greeting and farewells.
Offer your business card, ideally in Lao script and in the reading position with both hands or with one hand
supporting the other. Accept the Lao person's card with both hands and examine it before either placing it on
the table or putting it in your pocket.
Physical contact of any sort in public between the sexes is not practised. Western males should understand that any physical contact can be extremely embarrassing for the Lao of the opposite sex. Physical contact in public is not accepted traditionally, even between husband and wife, although this is changing slowly among
younger urban people. Educated Lao women who have lived abroad in Europe or North America may feel at
home with a hand shake or even a kiss by way of greeting but these are few and far between.