Laos

When Communist forces took control of Laos after the Vietnam War, the regime declared Christianity its number one enemy. Nearly two-thirds of the country's believers fled at that time.

The Communist regime is still in power today. In recent years, Laos' economy made steps toward improvement, but it is still largely impoverished. Subsistence agriculture comprises 80 percent of the country's employment, along with a growing tourism industry.

Laos, known as the "The Land of the Million Elephants," is one of three countries that comprised the former French Indochina. It is a landlocked nation, with mountainous terrain covered in dense tropical forests. The population is just under six million, and Buddhism, heavily mixed with animistic practices, is prevalent in the society.

The main language spoken is Lao, along with French and other dialects. People groups are distinguished by altitude—descending from the higher ground to the lower—including the Hmong, Khmer and Thai as well as the Sino-Tibetan.