The selection of Nang Sankan (Miss Lao New Year) in Luang Prabang finally came to an end last night and the most beautiful girl who crowned Miss Luang Prabang this year went to Miss Salak Phetsioudomphan, representing Xieng Muang village, Luang Prabang province. Back in year 2545 in Lao calendar or 5 years ago, her sister was also crowned the title of Miss Luang Prabang.

More information and photos are available here :.

Vientiane authorities will not organise as many activities during the upcoming Lao New Year celebrations as in previous years.

Don Chan beach will be quieter compared to the year before, with fewer activities such as friendly sports matches, but will still be open for the public to make sand stupas and bathe in the river... more info and photos

District governor Mr Saithong Keoduangdy explained that the main reason for not having many activities this year was that the Vientiane Mayor had approved the district's projects too late to organise the activities on the beach in time.

“We wanted to encourage businesspeople to organise activities, but we couldn't, because the mayor took too long to approve them,” he said.



“All our plans have collapsed. For example, we planned to organise a Miss Sangkhan beauty competition and a procession of the Khamtan Buddha between Ongteu and Simeuang temples.”

Last year, Don Chan beach was crowded with people, who came to play on tubes and jet-skis, as well as dance with live bands, and motor-cross sports, and other activities for children.

This year, some waterfalls in Vientiane will be quiet as businesspeople have withdrawn from organising live bands to attract tourists due to low water levels in many of the rivers.

Governor of Naxaithong district Mr Khamphan Bounthengmixay said only one live band would play at Namxuang river.



“At Tadxone and Hinkhanna waterfalls, there won't be any live bands, due to the lack of water,” he said.

However, various parties will be held in villages so people can enjoy themselves together, and all activities related to temples will remain the same, as part of the entrenched culture of Laos .

All this means the skydiving festival from April 13-16 will be the highlight of the Lao New Year celebrations near Don Chan Palace Hotel, as there will be few other activities in the area.

The Chief of Vientiane's Department of Tourism, Mr Padith Khemmanith, said he would focus more on making sure proper services were upheld by business operators over the weekend.

“We have held a meeting to advise business owners not to increase their prices over the holiday,” he said.

“We will send our officials to monitor this and make sure tourists do not get taken advantage of by businesspeople.”

He explained that the cost of cars, tuk tuks, songthaews , hotels and food at restaurants and markets needed to remain the same, along with fees at various tourist sites.

For security issues, more forces will be sent to important areas to prevent house robberies and bag snatching. Authorities also urged the public not to play dangerously during the Lao New Year, such as using water mixed with ice to splash people, because this would cause road accidents.

People should also use only clean water to splash over each other and respect older people by asking before pouring water on them.

Village authorities in Vientiane have met with their communities to talk about the rules during the Lao New Year so that parents can explain to their children how they should behave during the celebrations.

More traffic police will be deployed to stop people from drink driving.

By vientiane times