Many geotechnical and geo-environmental problems takeplace incoporating with water flow through unsaturated soils. Water flow through the unsaturated zone in a residual hillside or earth dam is the problem where permeability of the unsaturated soil is involved. The effects of the properties of unsaturated soil are usually ignored in the engineering practice and numerical analysis. The coefficient of permeability for an unsaturated soil may be a function of void ratio or volumetric water content (matric suction) which is represented by the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC). A triaxial permeameter system was developed to measure the coefficient of permeability of unsaturated lateritic soil at Linkou terrace. Because the measurement of the SWCC and the coefficient of permeability of unsaturated soil is time-consuming and costly empirical models were used to estimate both the SWCC and the coefficient of permeability. The estimated values were found to compare well with the experimental data obtained in laboratory. Hopefully that the empirical models would help engineers in carrying out their analysis and design in practice.