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Savannakhet Reaches Population of 1 Million

savannakhet

Savannakhet Province is now officially the province with the largest population in Laos, according to a report released by the provincial statistics bureau on Thursday.

The province now makes up 15 percent of the total population of Laos, with Vientiane Capital home to the second-largest population of approximately 850,000.

Champasack Province has 600,000 people, while Luang Prabang has over 400,000.

While Savannakhet now holds the title of most populous province, actual population density is lower than in Vientiane Capital. While Vientiane has large urban areas, the residents of Savannakhet live mainly in rural areas. The provincial capital of Savannakhet Province, Kaysone Phomvihane, which has recently been officially upgraded to a city, has a population of only around 120,000.

Savannakhet Province is the largest province in Laos, at 21,774 square kilometers, and has a growing industry sector. The province still requires better infrastructure and facilities to meet the needs of its relatively large population, however.

Source: Vientiane Times
Photo: www.visit-laos.com

13th Annual Lao Food Festival Set to be Largest Yet

13th Annual Lao Food Festival
13th Annual Lao Food Festival

President of the Lao Business Women’s Association Madame Chanthachone Vongsay has encouraged Vientiane residents and visitors to attend the 13th Annual Lao Food Festival, which is scheduled to be held at Chao Anouvong Park in Vientiane Capital from this 24 Jan to 27 Jan, 2018. This year’s theme is entitled “Best Lao Food to Welcome Visit Laos Year 2018.”

“The festival aims to promote opportunities for women entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and learn how to improve their food products and supply market demand, thus boosting their income generation,” Chanthachone said.

The 13th Annual Lao Food Festival is expected to draw about 180 booths, more than previous years, from domestic and foreign exhibitors, including Lao culinary vendors across the country, as well as their counterparts from the ASEAN countries.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the 10th Annual Lao Food Festival
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the 10th Annual Lao Food Festival

In addition, embassies from ASEAN countries such as Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand will also participate in the festival to promote and display their national foods.

The festival will also feature a cooking contest where top Lao chefs will display their skills preparing specific dishes.

Contestants for the cooking contest stand ready
Contestants for the cooking contest stand ready

The winners of the contest will be awarded 5 million kip as the top cash prize, 3 million kip and 2 million kip for the first and second runners-up. Eligible candidates can apply for the contest at 021465034.

The major sponsors of the festival this year are: Lao Brewery Company, the Dao Heuang Group, the Department of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion and KP Company. It is organized by the Lao Business Women’s Association.

The 10th Lao Food Festival takes place from January 29-31

VO The 10th Lao Food Festival takes place from January 29-31 at Chao Anouvong Park in Vientiane.INTRO: People with a taste for good food will be able to satisfy their stomachs at this year's Lao Food Festival, which is scheduled to take place from January 29-31 at Chao Anouvong Park in Vientiane.STORY: The event is organised by the Lao Businesswomen's Association in collaboration with the Lao Women's Union. This year's festival features 120 booths. One hundred of these exhibit and sell a variety of food and products from around the country while the other 20 booths display goods selected by event sponsorsAccording to the Lao Businesswomen's Association President Chanthachone Vongsay, this is a significant increase over the 70 booths set up at last year's festival. The event is to promote women's businesses in terms of cooking and restaurants in Vientiane and the provinces.It is also a chance for women who run businesses in food preparation and production to discuss their experiences and how they can improve their products to meet market demand.The food industry in Laos has grown extensively over the past few years and more and more people both within the country and outside are discovering the special qualities of Lao food.The Lao Businesswomen's Association believes Lao food will become popular in neighbouring countries with good marketing and strong support from the government.One of the event's highlights will be a khao poon saep (rice noodle) cooking competition, with contestants to come from 11 technical schools in 10 provinces.The winner receive a cash prize of 3 million kip and a certificate while the second and third runners-up receive two million and one million kip respectively.

Posted by Lao National Television-English News Program on ວັນພະຫັດ ທີ 29 ມັງກອນ 2015

 

The food festival will begin at 9:00 and end at 17.00 (Jan 24-27, 2018).

Official Poster for the 13th Annual Lao Food Festival
Official Poster for the 13th Annual Lao Food Festival
Source: KPL

29 Road Accident Deaths During New Year Celebration

Motorcycle accident (photo credit: Vientiane Rescue)
Motorcycle accident (photo credit: Vientiane Rescue)

Twenty-nine (29) people were killed in road accidents nationwide between 29 Dec 2017 and 2 Jan 2018.

Vang Vieng Expressway to be Extended to China

vang vieng expressway to china

The Vientiane to Vang Vieng expressway is now to be extended to China, according to a recent announcement by Yunnan Construction Engineering Group.

The first phase of the expressway will link Vientiane Capital with Vang Vieng, stretching some 113.5km, and the $1.2 billion USD agreement for the expressway was signed when Chinese President Xi Jinping made an official visit to Laos.

Now, the expressway is to be extended to reach the border between Laos and China at Boten, in Luang Namtha Province. This will provide an excellent opportunity for trade and passenger transport between the two nations.

The road will run parallel with the existing Road 13 north, and vehicles will be able to travel at up to 80 km per hour. It is expected that facilities such as gas stations, hotels, shops and restaurants will be constructed at various points along the course of the four-lane highway.

The project, headed by Yunnan Construction Engineering Group, is under a Build-Operate-Transfer model. It is expected to be complete by 2020.

New Law to Ensure Fair Compensation for Relocated Populations

Laos Compensation Resettlement

A new law will pave the way for fairer and faster compensation payouts for landowners that lose their property to development projects, according to a policy developer.

The draft law on stabilization of livelihoods will determine conditions to ensure people who lose property can enjoy better living conditions after relocation. According to the draft law, those relocated due to development projects will be fully compensated and will also be provided with new and permanent employment.

The law will be submitted to the National Assembly’s ordinary session for approval in April this year.

The current compensation scheme is determined under Prime Ministerial Decree No. 84, which stipulates that compensation must ensure better living conditions for relocated populations. However, the new law will be more comprehensive, and will further detail the procedures for providing new employment to resettled persons.

More responsibility will be placed on the project developer under the new law, who will be required to provide infrastructure and ensure acceptable living conditions, as well as providing training and assistance during the transition period.

The new law requires compensation be paid within 24 months, and any failure to comply, or delays caused by the project developer, will result in higher levels of compensation in line with market prices, ensuring property owners are treated fairly.

 

Source: Vientiane Times
Photo: Giovanni C. Lorusso

Traffic Police to Breathalyze Motorists During New Year Festivities

Vientiane Traffic Police New Year

Vientiane Capital traffic police convened last week to plan for strict regulation of traffic during the new year holiday period. The traffic police will begin breathalyzing motorists, as well as undertaking vehicle speed tests. Police will be stationed at over twelve different points around the capital, with the traffic blitz running from 25 December to 1 January 2018.

Lieutenant Colonel Youtaphong Souvannasing, Head of Vientiane Capital Traffic Police Division, said that to ensure that new year celebrations remain safe and secure, police are being reminded to strictly undertake their duties. Traffic police will remain at their posts to ease traffic congestion in the city center, and strict enforcement of the law will include speed restrictions, breathalyzing, and driver inspection points.

31 accidents occurred during new year festivities at the end of 2016, while a total of 1,500 road accidents, including 251 fatalities, occurred over the course of 2017.

It is hoped that the number of accidents can be reduced during the upcoming holiday, and that 2018 will see fewer road accidents than in previous years.

Source: Lao Post

Scandinavians Will Now Be Able to Visit Laos Without a VISA

Map of Scandinavian Countries Exempt From VISAs to Laos
Map of Scandinavian Countries Exempt From VISAs to Laos

In an effort to promote tourism during the Visit Laos Year 2018, the Lao government will provide VISA exemptions for citizens of four Scandinavian countries: Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The visa waiver will take effect from 1 January and will cease at the end of December.

Travelers from the four countries wishing to visit Laos will be allowed a 15-day temporary stay, says MOFA (Foreign Affairs Ministry). The rationale for the initiative was based on the observation that an increasing number of Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian visitors had come to Laos in 2016, compared to the year before, while there had been an overall 10% decrease in the total number of tourists.

In total, it was estimated that over 17,000 people from the Scandinavian countries travelled to Laos in 2016, an increase from the 16,468 visitors who came to Laos in 2015.

In addition to the one-year visa exemption for citizens of Scandinavian countries, Laos has entered into bilateral visa exemption agreements (long-term) for ordinary passport holders from 11 countries, namely the other nine ASEAN countries, Mongolia and most recently, Russia.

Laos has also extended unilateral visa exemptions (long-term) to nationals from Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

On a side note, has anyone ever wondered which countries Lao nationals can visit without visas?

Mahosot Hospital Upgrade to Commence in Late 2018

President Xi and President Vorachit at Mahosot Hospital Upgrade Ground Breaking Ceremony, Nov 2017 (Photo credit: KPL)
President Xi and President Vorachit at Mahosot Hospital Upgrade Ground Breaking Ceremony, Nov 2017 (Photo credit: KPL)

The reconstruction of Mahosot Hospital is scheduled to begin by the end of 2018.

The hospital will be reconstructed as a four-building compound spread over 31,000 m2 comprising one 8-story building, two 4-story buildings and one 5-story building. The hospital will have a total of 600 beds.

“The hospital will be built to international standards to ensure it can provide standard medical service to more patients thus helping limit people seeking medical services overseas,” said Vice President of Mahosot Hospital, Dr Phisith Phousavath.

Xi lays ground for China-sponsored hospital in Laos

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Laotian counterpart Bounnhang Vorachit on Tuesday attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a China-sponsored hospital in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos.Mahosot hospital was built in 1910, and run by French doctors. Now it will be renovated.Of all the hospitals China has helped build overseas, this is the biggest, with a bedding capacity of 600, according to the Chinese media. #XiJinping

Posted by Xi’s Moments on ວັນຈັນ ທີ 13 ພະຈິກ 2017

The hospital will continue to pursue its free-of-charge policy for the economically underprivileged citizens to ensure that all people have access to standard medical treatment, and will continue upgrading curative skills in endoscopic surgery, heart, hypertension and cancer prevention/treatment.

The hospital will be equipped with modern medical technology, and improved staff services will be a focus of the new and upgraded Mahosot.

The reconstruction of the hospital will be financed with a financial grant US$ 105 million pledged by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he had visited Laos in mid November, earlier this year.

Here are an artist’s perspectives of the new Mahosot:

Source: KPL