The Lao Tai represent one of nearly 240 distinct ethnic groups in Laos. The Lao Tai live primary in northern Laos; but they can also be found in adjacent areas like south-west China, north Thailand and north-west Vietnam. Largely self-sufficient, The Lao Tai cultivate rice corn, wheat and beans and also engage in swidden agriculture.

As with so many other Indigenous peoples, the Lao Tai are under considerable amount of pressure to abandon their traditional ways and modernize.