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

Versatile Lao artist, Aluna, who is good at music composing, singing, and playing many music instruments, debuted her first album in 2005, is now coming back with her latest album entitled "Aluna part II". In the album included not only Lao songs, but also english songs, that condensed with many tunes and energy. The album is planed to release in May, this year.

After releasing the first single of her song "Kuam Hou Seuk Bork" to many Lao TV channels and radios, she got a very good welcome from her fans and her song climbed up to the top 10 popular Lao music charts even before her full album released...more info>>

The style of the music in this album is similar to the first album that is pop and R&B. However, the sound mixing and the CD recording is far better than the previous ones. Sam, the singer in the same company, is the producer and supervisor for Aluna in this album.

Aluna revealed that there are many differences between the first and the second album. In the first album, most of the songs are composed based on other people's idea, plus a small part of her own experiences. But in the second album, all of the songs are inspired by her own idea and experiences she got from her life.
She spent more than 2 years to complete this album and she will manage the marketing of this album by herself.

The song "Kuam Hou Seuk Bork" in this album will have 2 versions. The first version is very relaxing while the second will have more power on it.

Finally, Aluna encourages all of us to support her new album by buying only the original CD in order to support her and other artists to produce more quality products for Lao society.

Translated by TT

Source: ecom

The Lao Brewery Company (LBC) yesterday introduced their latest product, a new variety of beer named Lanexang, to provide beer drinkers with a wider selection.

“We have been making preparations and conducting market analysis for the release of this product since 2005, so today we're very pleased to announce another new product is ready for release,” LBC Senior Deputy Managing Director, Mr Sounthone Phommachack, said at a press conference to announce the product yesterday...more info>>

“The logo of our new beer pictures the head of an elephant. We're not concerned consumers won't recognise it as a Beerlao product just because it doesn't show our traditional tiger head logo. In fact we have plans to introduce other new products with logos featuring various national symbols,” Mr Sounthone said.

“We have ideas about introducing other products with names such as Mekong beer and That Luang beer, because these are very popular names in Laos .”

“We called the new beer Lanexang because historically Laos is referred to as ‘the land of a million elephants'. Our new product marks the company's achievement in operating for 35 years and also celebrates International Labour Day, which occurs on Thursday,” Mr Sounthone said.

The company also held a ceremony recently to mark the first sales of beer produced at its second factory, located in Nongveng village, Pathoumphon district, Champassak province. The first factory is situated at Km 12 on Thadeua Road in Hadxaifong district, Vientiane .

The company's two breweries are currently able to produce 200 million litres of beer annually.

Beerlao accounts for 99 percent of domestic beer sales and is exported to 12 countries.

The company contributes large amounts to the national budget, last year earning 500 billion kip for the government.

By Vientiane Times

Valentine Music promoted one of their top singers at a Lao Telecom mini-concert and press conference at Taladxao Shopping Mall last Sunday.

After a year out of the spotlight, pop star Ting Phailavanh returned to the stage last Sunday to perform her popular songs at the mini-concert and give a press conference.

“I hope every one can remember me, I'm very sorry I haven't had time to make any public appearances,” she told the press...more info>>

Ting said she really missed Lao music whilst absent from the scene but had spent her time studying and improving the quality of her songs and music video performances. The pop star, known for her talent and melodic voice, extended her contract with Valentine Music early last year for another three years. She has just released her second album with the label.

“My second album will show that I'm an adult much more than the first one I did,” said Ting.

She said her voice was a little different from when she was younger – she's now 20 – but she took good care of her voice and trained every morning and evening.

Popular music took a different turn in Laos in the 1990s when rock band Zapphire appeared on the scene. They were followed by Smile Black Dog, who released their first album in 1998. But rock music was still unpopular among local teenagers at the time.

The 2000s have seen many local record companies become established in Vientiane after the government provided greater opportunities for new local artists to produce modern music. Ting Phailavanh is one of the artists to have benefited from the resulting boom amongst local and foreign fans.

Her first album was in the pop-dance style, but her new release is a mixture of pop, Latin and R&B. Ting has always loved music, and started writing her own songs when she was 12 or 13. In 2003, aged 17, she released her debut album ‘Ting Virus'.

“Sometimes I can write two songs in a day if I have enough time,” Ting said.

President of Valentine Music, Mr Phoutthachanh Paphadsalang, said “Ting is one of many singers whose albums we produce. She performs very well on stage, and can also write songs, dance and play musical instruments.”

In 2006, her contract with Valentine Music expired. A rumour surfaced that she had signed up with Indee Records in order to gain experience with another recording studio, and she performed a song at a mini-concert with the label. The rumour turned out to be false – the performance was just to congratulate a friend on a new album.

“The second album will definitely be of better quality. I wrote most of the songs, and the lyrics have a lot of meaning for today's teenagers,” Ting said.

Ting has gained a lot of fans since her first album was released, and since 2003 she has been invited to perform at festivals not only in Laos , but also Vietnam , Thailand and Japan

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

Phoulin Kousalivong (Lin), 24, born in Phonsavanh village, Paek district, Xieng Khouang province. He graduated from Dongkhamxang financial institute in 2006. Before fully entering the music industry, Lin used to be the member of "Raza brand" which belong to Lao-American college. In 2004, he participated in the music contest organized by the Quest college and was the winner in that time.

Later on, he separated himself from the band and established a small dancing group names: "Street brea kerz" or "B-boy dancing", in which Lin and his friend, Anousa, were the trainer for this band. One day during the practices, Lin had his right arm broken and had to stop his duty as a trainer.

Lin started to have an interest on the music and used to compose Lao song and proposed to Airsavanh, the executive of S.D music industry LTD. Finally he was accepted to be the new singer and had a chance to performe his first concert at Lao ITECC in 2004 under his first album entitled: "Rap Taohou"...more info

At present, Lin is now preparing to debut his full album called "The Zest". There are 3 members in the band: Lin, Luly and Tim. All the preparation is going well and the band is just waiting for Tim, who is now studying in Malaysia and will return home in April this year. The album is now 60% completed, in which, Lin composes all the songs and lyrics by himself.

The inspiration of Lin is from himself and one of his close friend, Bounhiep Bandith, who used to be the member of the Zest.

Lin's dream is to have his own business "CD shop" in the future. He revealed that he may not be able to rap when he gets older.

At present, the Zest joined many concerts organized by the S.D studio. Lin wants everyone to listen to his musics and he believes that everyone will love his songs as much as he does.

Source: ecom
Quick translation by Samakomlao fanclub

Dokked Publishing Company on Friday held a ceremony to launch a new magazine, Lankham , at the Dokked Bookshop in Vientiane.

It is the first magazine to be produced by the company and has 64 pages with features and articles suitable for all the family.

The ceremony featured the reading of several verses from the well-known poem, Sangsinxay , about the birth of the hero Sinxay, by girls from the Children's Education Centre...more info>>

The Director of the company, Ms Douangdeuane Bounyavong, said “People may wonder why we've decided to use this legendary name for our new magazine; we wanted to use a Lao name that had a strong association and we found that Lankham caught the interest of the founding members of the magazine”.

She said the word originated from the poem and was used in connection with the birth of Sinxay. It has two main meanings.

First, lankham refers to palm frond-shaped gold leaf sheets, very thin and around 40 centimetres in length.

In the past these leaves were used to record the teachings of Buddha and were kept buried under 30 small stupas around That Luang which the late King Xaysettha built in the Buddhist calendar year 2109.

The word lan also means a large place or yard that Lao people used in the past to dry rice after the harvest, and the word kham means a verse. So the word lankham in this context means a place or stage to show off good writing and good stories.

“We also see our magazine as supporting the government's ongoing development plans for human resources,” Ms Douangdeuane said.

“Even though we feel our intentions are in the right place we don't know yet if readers will take to the magazine; I think only time and the nature of the content will decide our success,” she said.

This magazine differs from most as it contains only six pages of advertising. The other 58 pages consist of news about social events, short and long stories, tales, cartoons and other articles about cooking, health and entertainment. There will also be some games to test your IQ, and tips about writing poetry.

Young people and older writers contribute to the magazine, with the youngest aged only 10 years old.

A committee of consultants includes well-known writers such as Mrs Dara Kanlaya, Dr Sisaleiw Savengsuksa and Mr Chanthason Inthavong.

By PHOONSAB THEVONGSA
Vientianetimes

China Southern to launch Guangzhou-Vientiane flight

China Southern Airlines will launch direct flight service between Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, and Vientiane of Laos from November 6.

This will be the only flight linking Guangzhou and Laos.

With the flight dubbed CZ3057, Airbus A319 aircraft will take off from Guangzhou at 8:50 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday, and reach Vientiane at 10:20 a.m. The returning flight CZ3058 will take off at 11:20 a.m. from Vientiane and arrive in Guangzhou at 14:40.

China Southern is one of the top three airlines in China. The other two are Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

Xinhua

Lao coffee is well known: for its superb taste and excellent quality. But still: the number of connoisseurs seems to be very limited. What is for Laos a big business is for the big coffee markets not more than a mere drop in the cup.

Mr. Viengkham Sinsangouane smiles. He just moved into the brand new office of the Lao Coffee Association (LCA), overlooking the riverbank of the Sedon in Pakse. Also the business outlook provokes the smile of LCA’s office director. “The harvest this season was good, we estimate about 25,000 tons.” This is good news for the Lao coffee sector after two years of very small production. The smile becomes even wider when he speaks about prices. Coffee prices are high; in February 2007 the composite price was around 104 US-Cents per pound. Compared to just 60 cents in 2004 a sweet improvement.

The Lao Coffee Association improves also in other matters. Traditionally an organization of coffee exporters LCA has now besides the 20 trading companies also 6 members in the field of coffee processing. So also the composition of export changes. 2006 saw for the first time exports of 3-in-1 instant coffee worth nearly 30,000 US-Dollars. Not very much compared to the 8.4 million dollars generated from green coffee beans... read more

The main customer of Lao coffee remains Poland accounting for roughly one third of all Lao exports. The second largest buyer is Vietnam, itself one of the worlds leading coffee exporters.

The two top positions among the buyers of Lao coffee are undisputed for the last three years, but the rakings behind changed dramatically. Switzerland, in 2004 and 2005 third largest customer, dropped from the 2006 list as did France and Spain.

Internationally coffee is traded in 60 kilogram bags. World production in 2006/2007 reached about 224 million bags; the estimated 25,000 tons of Lao coffee are equivalent to 470,000 bags or 0.19 percent of the world’s coffee. This amount is comparable that of Burundi or Madagascar. The biggest difference is that Laos is not yet member of the International Coffee Organization, a specialized UN agency overlooking the production, trading and promotion of coffee worldwide, including prices. ICO, which encourages a sustainable coffee economy, has currently 77 members, 45 of them coffee exporting and 32 importing countries. Only six coffee exporting countries, Guyana, Liberia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Yemen and Lao PDR, are not party to the Coffee Agreement 2001 and the ICO. The London based organization was founded in 1963 and brings producers and customers together with the target to stabilize the coffee market. Coffee farming is the basis of livelihood for about 25 million families worldwide. Retail sales of coffee add up to about 70 billion USD yearly. ICO exporting members account for more than 97% of the world coffee production; its importing members represent 80% of the final market.

The prominent appearance of two coffee exporting members of ICO among the biggest buyers of Lao coffee leads to the conclusion that both Vietnam and Thailand are re-exporting the Lao coffee to other markets. Thailand’s production in the 2006/2007 crop is estimated at 1 million bags, its export of 376.000 bags (Feb. 06 to Jan. 07) was slightly lower than the total actual Lao crop. The efforts of leading Lao coffee companies to brand Lao coffee is the only way to make the quality of this Lao product internationally known and to give coffee lovers the opportunity to get a pure Lao brew in their cups.

Source: Targetlao magazine

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

2007 is set to be a huge year for Millicom Laos. We’re evolving the popular Tango brand and introducing a range of exciting new services. In order to do this, we are aligning with the worldwide Millicom Group. This allows us to provide an even greater range of international services and products literally the best the world has to offer. A change of this magnitude requires a groundbreaking brand campaign, which is why ‘Tigo’ is becoming the new face of Tango. Tigo is a leading brand in over 13 countries an international byword for the best in mobile services.

People will soon become familiar with the Tigo brand and its distinctive slogan “Open up your world”
However, it’s important to note that this is more than just a new name or new look - Millicom Laos has invested over 10 million dollars in technological advancements and coverage improvements for TIGO. This significant move is evidence of Tigo’s commitment to continue the tradition of wide spread availability, with easily obtainable services at reasonable prices the company’s three core principles.

In his statement, Mr. Fabien Levassor the General Manager of Millicom Lao says he is confident that “Tigo will revolutionise the entire communication industry in Laos” and goes on to “welcome everybody to enjoy the Tigo difference.”

“While Millicom Laos is extremely proud of Tango’s history in Laos, we believe that Tigo will further reward our existing clients and attract new ones. We’ll maintain the call quality, accessibility and exemplary customer service that got us where we are. But we’ll also be offering a whole lot more to help take Laos into the future”.

So be sure to look out in the coming months, as Tigo announces even more ways for consumers to open up their world. With exciting new developments and services, the future’s bright for Tigo and Laos.

LUANG PRABANG, Laos : World heritage status has turned the former Lao capital from a ghost town into a tourism hub, but too much of a good thing could soon prove the kiss of death, say experts and residents.

In recent years a trickle of backpackers has turned into a flood of tourists coming to the sleepy town of glistening Buddhist temples and palm shaded French colonial mansions sitting pretty on a Mekong river peninsula.

Camera-toting visitors now follow saffron-robed monks on their morning alms rounds and foreigners are transforming quiet neighbourhoods into rows of cafes and hotels, say those who worry about the town's fragile beauty.

"People are surprised at the pace of change," said Francis Engelmann, a former UNESCO advisor and current resident of Luang Prabang. "There are more cars, there is more noise. Behind my house three new guesthouses are going up." ... more info

The 700-year-old town, seen as the jewel of ancient Lao heritage, threatens to turn into "a mono-industry where everything depends on tourism," he warned.

By the standards of many Asian tourist sites, Luang Prabang retains much of the tranquil charm that led the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to list it as a world heritage site in 1995.

Nestled below lush hills between the Mekong and Khan rivers, it was once the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom, the Land of One Million Elephants, and remained the spiritual and religious centre of Laos in the centuries since.

The town's fortunes took a dive during the Vietnam War, when US forces fought communist troops in Laos, and in the post-war years from 1975 when the new socialist regime shuttered most of the country's Buddhist temples.

From the late 1980s a few hundred intrepid travellers per year returned to Luang Prabang as Laos re-opened to the outside world, but the years of neglect had taken a heavy toll on Luang Prabang's former royal beauty.

"When I first came here in 1988-89, it was a ghost town," said Engelmann.

"There were only old people and it was a sad place, like a town after an epidemic. Everything was closed and roofs were caving in. The young people were all in Vientiane. Now they have all come back."

World heritage status has placed Luang Prabang firmly on Indochina's tourism map alongside UNESCO-listed sites such as the Angkor Wat temples of Cambodia and the karst islands of Halong Bay in Vietnam.

The UN body imposed strict preservation guidelines, which banned demolitions within the heritage zone and mandated the use of local materials for repairs, overseen by the local Heritage House foundation.

In 2000 UNESCO launched the Monk Project, in which elder craftsmen passed on skills such as wood-carving, mural painting and lacquerwork to young Buddhist monks to maintain the authenticity of temples here and across Laos.

By 2003, the tourism boom was bringing 600,000 visitors a year, says UNESCO, as guesthouses, riverside restaurants and handicraft shops mushroomed, increasing the strain on the town's electricity, water, sewage and garbage services.

The UN cultural agency warned in a 2004 report that development pressure had placed "critical stress on both the environment and the historic cultural resources of Luang Prabang and threatens to overwhelm them".

It warned of a future where "billboards dominate the landscape, where the sound of tour buses drowns out the soft temple prayers, and where the town's residents are reduced to the roles of bit-players in a cultural theme park".

"Today business is good," said Gilles Vautrin, a seven-year resident and owner of several restaurants here. "But the quality of life is not so nice anymore. It's faster and faster and there is more noise."

Vautrin said tourists wearing shorts now crowd out many of the 34 temples that are the core of the town's spiritual heritage and which have always been financed by the Lao residents, some of whom are now leaving town.

"It's become a falang city," he said, using the Lao word for foreigner.

"Many falangs rent houses for 30 years, but who's going to give food to the monks now? The alms-giving round is more like a show, like theatre. The Lao people don't say anything, but I think they don't like it."

He added: "Now the problem is the mass tourism. We're worried about the impact of large Chinese tour groups coming down the Mekong River.

"I think one day the monks will disappear to another retreat, and then we'll lose a lot. The spirit of the town will disappear."

Engelmann agreed that tourism has been a double-edged sword here.

"If you ask businessmen, they'll say it's fuelling business," he said.

"If you ask environmentalists, they'll say it's destructive. If you ask locals, they may say it's bringing jobs, but also driving up prices."

UNESCO listing, he said, "has been good for the 'hardware' - the architecture - but not the 'software' - the people, the monks, the rituals." - AFP/ch

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com