Vientiane residents will have another exciting shopping option when a new mall open its door in a few years time.

Construction of the seven-storey mall on a 2.4 hectar site will begin this year and will complete within 3 years.

The new complex will be located in Shikay village on Souphanouvong avenue in Sikhottabong district.

This mall is being developed by Singaporean and Taiwanese group at a cost of 50 million dollars.

The plans and blueprints of the new “Regal MegaMall City”; a 5 storey mega-mall which will include over 1000 shops. Regal MegaMall City will also host restaurants, a children’s playground, a video game arcade, a huge cinema complex and of course a hypermart (like Tesco, Big C, Carrefour or similar). Later, in a second phase, property development around the site has been planned which will include modern private residences for rent or sale.



According to Raymond Wong, General Manager of Regal Global Investment Development Group, construction of the Regal MegaMall City will start in July 2011 and should be completed by 2013. “It will be a shopping destination and every Laotian’s dream to have a mall to call their own” Mr Wong further explains.

The Regal Global Group intends to sell the 1000 retail spaces to local investors, providing special conditions for the first 500 investors. According to Mr. Wong the land has been leased from the Lao Government for a period of 50 years.



Source: VTEtimes

Asian visitor arrivals to Laos surge

The steady increase in the number of visitor arrivals to Laos has continued, with a 29 percent rise during the first seven months of this year.

Visitor arrivals from January to July reached 887,842, up 29 percent from the same period last year, according to statistics from the Lao National Tourism Administration.

The figures indicate that Asean and regional visitors alone reached 765,255, up 35 percent compared to the same period last year, while there were 82,183 visitors from Europe , a 4 percent increase...more info

This period saw an increasing number of visitors not only from Southeast Asian countries but also non-Asean regional countries, especially Brunei , the Philippines , Singapore , India , Japan , and China .

People from European countries such as Greece , Germany , the Netherlands and Finland are also arriving in increasing numbers.

The only tourist group that did not increase in this time was visitors from central and South America , with only 36,250 during the period, according to statistics.

Thai visitors to Laos lead the way, with 519,288 (a 35 percent increase), followed by Vietnam with 155,754 (49 percent more than last year), and the US with 27,324 (a 1 percent increase).

“The increase in the number of tourists is due to our government's open-door policy to tourism, and the general stability of the country,” said the director of the administration's Department of Planning and Cooperation, Mr Sounh Manivong, yesterday.

“It's also the result of Lao tourism promotion efforts throughout the region and the world, from both state and private sectors.”

Mr Sounh said that Laos has become a well-known destination for visitors to Asia , and it is now easier to travel to and within the country, with upgraded transportation systems and more flights coming into the country from foreign airlines.

There have also been improvements in general facilities and services as well as tourism infrastructure, along with more visa exemption agreements with countries in the region that have allowed visitors to gain easier access to Laos , he said.

Most tourists arrive in Laos via the new Lao-Thai Mekong Friendship Bridge in Savannakhet province, and the border checkpoints from Thailand in Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces and Vientiane , Mr Sounh said.

By M.Vongsam-ang
Vientianetimes

Taiwanese star to visit Laos

Popular Taiwanese actor Mr Wang Lee Hom will visit Savannakhet province this week as part of activities to raise funds for development projects in Laos.

A press release from World Vision Laos stated that the organisation had invited Mr Lee Hom and his entourage to visit the province from November 24 to 28 to inspect World Vision-sponsored development projects and meet local children and community people.

Mr Lee Hom, who is also a singer and song-writer, appears in the recently released motion picture Lust, Caution, a film by director Ang Lee, personally sponsors 10 Lao children in Savannakhet through World Vision...more info

The celebrity will trek through poor rural communities for five days to visit the children he sponsors and their families, and learn how he can respond to the needs of the communities they live in.

After the trip, he will return to Taiwan as World Vision's Sponsorship Ambassador, to raise awareness and encourage donors to provide funds for Laos and other parts of the world.

According to the press release, the hope is that through Lee Hom's personal experience and example, the people of Taiwan will be moved to action and become more active in their support for those living in poverty, especially for the children of Laos .

To date, Mr Lee Hom has recorded over 10 albums and has seven movie appearances to his credit. He has also won numerous music awards and his talent is highly recognised across the region in Taiwan , Hong Kong, mainland China , Singapore , Japan , and Southeast Asia .

World Vision Laos is an international NGO working in 31 districts across six provinces to create lasting change for children, families, and communities living in poverty. Through child sponsorship funding, World Vision works across many sectors including Mother and Child Health, Food Security, and Education.

By Vientiane Times



A Different Kind of Giving Thanks,

In the Wang household, Thanksgiving has been the one time each year when my family gets together for dinner cooked by the greatest chef on earth (in my eyes) Wang Mama.

No matter how busy I am, or where in the world I am, I always stop work and fly to New York for a taste of that mouth-watering turkey stuffing.

Just thinking about it now: fresh, juicy, chock full of the flavor that is synonymous with Thanksgiving...it's almost enough to make me book that flight back home. But this year, for the first time in my life, I'm choosing to cancel my reservation. This year, I'm trading turkey for crickets.

Or I should say, rice, bamboo, crickets and crabs, to be more exact, which will probably be what I eat on my trip to Laos as World Vision Taiwan's ambassador this Thanksgiving.

The origin of Thanksgiving is to "give thanks", for being blessed with a fruitful harvest, and having enough to eat.

The way I see it (and I know my family agrees), what better way to give thanks,
than to help children living in poverty, who perhaps didn't have such a fruitful harvest. I'm excited for this trip, to meet my 10 sponsored children for the first time face to face, and to share with them the universal language of music.
I can't wait to see them smile, and to hear them sing. And of course, I am looking forward to the work that lies ahead of me in presenting,
as ambassador, a clearer picture of what World Vision Taiwan has
accomplished and has yet to accomplish in the impoverished areas of Laos.

My new album, "Change Me" delivers a message of power to the people,
that we all have the ability to do the right thing, and to make a change for good.

To change the world. Whether it be in environmental conservation, charity work, or in my professional career, I am inspired by this message,
and hope that you are inspired this holiday season as well.
After all, inspiration is the first seed for a fruitful harvest!

Happy Thanksgiving!

王力宏
Wang Leehom
2007.11.21