Unfortunately most of the museums in Laos are located in old, poorly-maintained and unclimatised buildings, their valuable collections suffering ongoing damage from insects, mould, humidity and light. At the time of writing Savannakhet Provincial Museum is in danger of closure due to lack of money to save its crumbling colonial building.

Conservation techniques used in Laos are very basic and international assistance is urgently required to undertake needs assessments and put in place staff training and conservation programmes.