Lao is a very traditional society in which the marriageable age of a girl is 14 and the husband’s family pays a dowry to the wife’s family, the value of which is increased by the girl’s chastity. Matrimony acts as a strong familial and economic tie. For Western men travelling in poor rural areas, it’s possible that fathers may offer their daughters’ hands to them rather freely, and relationships with a country girl may promptly lead to talks of marriage. In more affluent urban areas, like Vientiane, meeting Lao women doesn’t always have so many strings attached, although there are potential complications.