Laos has been a travel hot spots for many Koreans trying to escape the busy city life and crowdedness of Seoul.

There is even many advertisements in Korea calling Laos as a healing place, almost therapeutic.

“For healing our injured minds, Laos is one of the best places in the world,” says Dr. In-Chang Hwang. Word has long gotten back to his home country. Tour operators in Korea are advertising Laos as a tourism destination for “healing” with ads like “Laos Healing Tour”. There is no end to the Korean influx in sight.

The “healing” trend has also changed the mindset of young Korean travelers. Last May, 29-year-old Korean Hee Su Jung stayed in Vangvieng for a full 12 days. She saw it as “therapy”. College students in Seoul, Choo Jiyong and Bae Joong Hyeon travelled together in Vangvieng and Luang Prabang for 10 days last August. “I think that if I get tired of living a city life, I may come back here and stay, just drawing all day long and going swimming. That’s something I couldn’t get tired of,” said Hyeon. They went tubing and kayaking in Vangvieng, and swimming in Kuangxi waterfall in Luang Prabang. “We also went to local markets and stores just looking around, observing how people live. It was very interesting. I would say my favorite experience in Laos was meeting the people,” said Jiyong. Admitting that their whole trip to Laos was cheap, both Korean students said they chose the country for its nature and culture.

Source: Continue Reading @ mindanews.com