Vientiane set to reveal New Year programme

Vientiane plans to announce the city's official Lao New Year activities this week, while Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces have already revealed their programmes.

Vientiane Administration Office Head Dr Khamfong Bouddavong said last Friday the office is drafting an agenda of activities that will take place during the Lao New Year festival next month, and will announce the final programme this week.

“Our plan for this new year is to have a Miss Sangkhan procession featuring seven ladies chosen from Sikhottabong district. Next year it will be the turn of another district to host the procession,” he said.

This year's procession will start at the King Fangum statue and parade to Vat Simeuang.

Dr Khamfong also revealed there will be processions of residents from the nine districts of Vientiane, the installation of a large phakhuan at That Luang stupa, water pouring ceremonies in nine temples, and the worship of Buddha images. The three-day festival will end with the building of sandcastles on Don Chan, and sports competitions.

Luang Prabang Tourism Department Deputy Director Khamtan Somphanvilay said “This year our province will celebrate the new year in the tradition of previous years, to be centred around the festival days of April 14 to 16.”

He said the province had already made a schedule of activities, starting on April 10 and ending on April 19.

April 10 will see the opening of a trade fair in the morning at the Thatluang esplanade. On the evening of April 11 there will be performances by Lao and international singers.

April 12 and 13 will see the Miss Sangkhan competition and traditional performances from 19:30 to 23:30. On April 14, a lolath (traditional market or street fair) along roads in the town will run from 6am to 12 noon. In the afternoon, people will gather by the river to build sandcastles, hold a baci ceremony and take part in sports competitions at Xiengman village in Chomphet district.

On April 15, there will be a visit by a group from a Lue cultural village, who will perform a show symbolic of the village as well as a baci ceremony. This will be attended by leaders and visitors throughout the morning. In the afternoon, there will be a vor parade which will highlight Buddhist and Lao traditions and will run from Vat Thatnoy to Vat Xiengthong.

On April 16, leaders and local and overseas visitors will attend an almsgiving ceremony at the Royal Palace Museum in the early morning. In the afternoon, the vor procession will parade back to Vat Thatnoy from Vat Xiengthong. In the evening, there will be a procession of nagas, lanterns and traditional performances.

On April 17, leaders, laypeople and the general public will gather to accompany the revered Prabang Buddha image as it is carried from the Royal Palace Museum to Vat Mai Souvannaphoum, where it will be on display for worship. Other traditional activities will also take place on this day.

On April 18, the public will be able to pour perfumed water over the Prabang Buddha and enjoy various traditional performances.

On the last day of the programme, local authorities, laypeople and visitors will line the street as the Prabang Buddha image leaves the temple and is returned to the museum in the morning.

According to a press release from Champassak province, new year activities will include a Miss Champassak competition, to be held at the shopping mall on the evening of April 13.

From April 14 to 17, there will be a Miss Sangkhan procession, the washing of Buddha statues, a food festival, sandcastle building and other activities.

Khong district will hold a street fair featuring local food items and products that are symbolic of 10 districts, as well as products from neighbouring countries, to run from April 9 to 16.

Champassak's programme will also include cultural performances and sports competitions.




By Panyasith Thammavongsa
Vientianetimes

VIENTIANE, March 2 (Bernama) -- Vientiane expects some 800,000 tourist arrivals this year, compared with some 700,000 last year, Laos KPL news agency reported the Vientiane Tourism Service as saying.

"2009 saw slightly over 711,000 foreign tourists entering Vientiane, lagging behind the 2008's record by 88,049," Head of Vientiane Tourism Service, Khampadith Khemmanith told a press conference.

"The decline in the tourist number is due to the global economic recession, the political unrest in Thailand and the spread of A(H1N1)," he said.

However, investment in tourism over the last one year has been increased, especially in establishing tour operators and hotels.

Khemmanith said that the Tourism Service of Vientiane Capital has several projects to improve the tourism environment in Vientiane .

He also said that that the main tourism markets of Vientiane are the US, Canada, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, China and Vietnam.

(KPL) Vientiane has committed to participating in the global campaign Earth Hour by ceasing electricity usage for one hour on 27 March, according to the Deputy Director of the Environment Department.

Annually 74 districts in 62 countries around the world participate in the Earth Hour campaign on March 27 since 2007, said Mr. Khampadith Khammounheuang. Earth Hour is an awareness raising, which is aimed to promote the public participation into mitigating the global climate change and the emission of carbon dioxide, and protecting environment.

Laos ?s participation in Earth Hour is to make the international community realise its willingness to solving the global climate change, which is getting worse, said Mr. Khampadith.

Progress announced on two more Thai-Lao bridges

BANGKOK, April 17 (TNA) - Thailand and Laos affirm that no obstacles will be encountered in building the third and fourth Thai-Lao 'friendhip' bridges respectively. Both will be completed in 2011 as planned.

Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram met Lao Deputy Prime Minister Thonglun Sisulid regarding the progress of the bridges construction at his office in Bangkok.

The third bridge will connect Thailand's northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom with Thakhek in Laos' Khammuan province. The fourth bridge will connect Chiang Mai's Chiangkhong with Huayxai district in the Lao province of Borkaew... more info :.

Following the talk, a spokesperson of the Lao Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thailand will contribute half the construction cost of the Chiang Mai-Borkaew bridge, and Laos has sought a Chinese government loan for the balance.

China's President Hu Jintao earlier confirmed his government's readiness to provide financial support, according to the Lao spokesperson.

Thailand requested nine more months to complete the bridge design, after which construction will begin, and will take about four years.

Laos considers the northern bridge as very important because it connects Chiang Rai and Kunming, a highly important road link for Asean countries in the future.

As for the southern Thai-Lao bridge, land must still be expropriated on the Thai side, but can be done soon, the Lao spokesperson said.

Pending settlement, construction is expected to start at the end of this year or early next year, and is likely to be completed before the fourth bridge.

Tharit Jarungwat, spokesman of Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that the Lao Foreign Minister had invited his Thai counterpart to visit Laos and participate in a meeting of the Thai-Lao joint committee.

The Lao government will host the next construction progress report meeting.(TNA)

Source: MCOT