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Laos Establishes 6th Consulate General in China

Opening of Lao Consulate General in Changsha, China (Photo credit: Vientiane Times)
Opening of Lao Consulate General in Changsha, China (Photo credit: Vientiane Times)

Laos has recently established a consulate general in central China’s Changsha, the first foreign consulate in Hunan Province, the provincial foreign and overseas Chinese affairs office said. This makes Laos’ sixth consulate general in China.

The consular district includes the provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Henan and Guizhou. The consulate is to promote cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation in investment, trade and education between Laos and central China.

Since a regular flight between Vientiane and Changsha was launched in August 2015, Laos has become a popular investment and travel destination for Hunan. Currently more than 160 Hunan companies have invested in Laos.

There other Lao consulate generals in China are located in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanning, and Guangzhou. Additionally, there is a Lao consulate office in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

Source: ECNS & Vientiane Times

Vietnamese Companies Invest Over 5 Billion USD in Laos

Unitel network, a joint venture between Viettel Global Joint Stock Company of Viettel and Lao Asia Telecom of Laos, will carry out 4G in four cities and provinces in Laos. Photo credit: VNA/VNS Pham Kien
Unitel network, a joint venture between Viettel Global Joint Stock Company of Viettel and Lao Asia Telecom of Laos, will carry out 4G in four cities and provinces in Laos. Photo credit: VNA/VNS Pham Kien

Vietnamese businesses have found much success in Laos primarily due to excellent commercial opportunities, market scale and operation quality in the landlocked nation. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Laos has licensed 423 Vietnamese projects worth more than USD $5 billion, namely in hydropower, mining, transport, industrial tree plantations and services.

Lao Tourism Sector in Trouble

Chinese Tourists
Chinese Tourists

The latest statistics from the Lao government showed that the number of tourists has fallen, from January to September this year (2107). However, they also showed that more Chinese travelers are visiting Laos.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Laos in the first nine months of 2017 dropped by 9.1% to just over 2.88 million people compared to the same period in 2016. The Chinese are the only nationality whose numbers have increased, according to data from the Information, Culture and Tourism Ministry (MOICT).

More than 429,000 Chinese visited Laos, an increase of 5% compared to the first nine months of 2016.

Lao authorities attribute the low tourist numbers to the global economic slowdown and uncertain situations in many parts of the world, namely the ongoing war against ISIS in the Middle East, the immigration crisis and disputes in other regions.

Deputy Director of the Tourism Research and Administration Division (MOICT), Bounthavy Sisava, said that the relative high cost of living in Laos could also be blamed for the decline in tourist arrivals.

The number of visitors from the Asia-Pacific region fell by 7% to just over 2.7 million compared to the first nine months of last year.

Holiday seekers from the ASEAN countries also dropped by 7%, to just over 2.1 million people.

Visitors from two other major regions — Europe and the USA — fell by 34% and 35% to 113,982 and 43,224 people respectively.

Laos has also witnessed a considerable drop in the number of high-end tourists from countries like South Korea, Japan, and Germany by 17%, 38% and 37%, respectively.

Thai nationals continued to dominate the Lao tourist market share. Although the number of Thais vacationing in Laos fell by 7% to just over 1.3 million people, Thais accounted for almost 48% of overall foreign tourist arrivals.

Foreign tourist arrivals for the whole of 2017 are expected to fall by 11.2 percent compared to 2016, following last year’s drop of 10 percent.

In an effort to bring in more tourists in the years to come, the Lao government has launched Visit Laos Year 2018 which officially began on the 28th of October, earlier this year.

Source: Xinhua

Decree Outlines Official Holidays for 2018

Government Decree Outlining Official Holidays (signed by Prime Minister Sisoulith)

Several days ago, in an effort to resolve any doubt regarding when workers do not legally have to come to work, the Lao government issued a decree detailing the official calendar holidays for upcoming year 2018.

Scholarships to Study in Hungary Now Available

Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme
Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme

Have you ever wanted to study outside of Laos? Students interested in studying in the United States have the option of applying for the Fulbright Scholarship. Fancy pursuing studies in the UK? Look no further than the Chevening Scholarship. Scholars who wish to travel to Australia, have AusAid. Have you ever wanted to venture to the crossroads of Europe? Say no more, the Stipendium Hungaricum is now here!

The Government of Hungary is pleased to announce that the new Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme is now open for academic year 2018-2019. A total of 50 scholarships at the bachelor, master, one-tier master, doctoral and non-degree (preparatory and specialisation courses) levels are available. The application deadline is 16 February 2018. Applicants must apply online. Please visit the official website to find out more about the scholarship.

After submitting the application online, students must prepare a supplementary set of all supporting documents to the Ministry of Education and Sports in order to complete the application process.

The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements signed between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary or between higher education institutions. Currently more than 50 Sending Partners are engaged in the programme throughout 4 different continents.

For more full details about the available courses and further information, please contact:

Ministry of Education and Sports
Ms Thipavong, Ms Lany 021 255 034

Consulate of Hungary in Laos
Ms Somsavath Khemsuliyajack 020 5552 6452

Luang Prabang Film Festival Wraps Up, Redha Wins Audience Choice Award

Grand Opening of Luang Prabang Film Festival 2017
Grand Opening of Luang Prabang Film Festival 2017

The Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) concluded its eighth annual event this week in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, Laos, with the Audience Choice Award going to the Malaysian film, Redha.

The Audience Choice Award was decided by a 5-star online rating system, for which viewers could submit their rating of a film following its screening. This year’s winner, Redha, follows the story of Alina and Razlan, who discover that their only son is autistic and must confront the harsh realities of raising a child disabled by a condition they hardly know about. The film was directed by Tunku Mona Riza, who attended the festival for her screening and participated in a Q&A with the audience as well as a public discussion on Muslim Voices in Southeast Asia.

The festival, which has the mission of celebrating Southeast Asian cinema, ran from Friday, 8 December to Wednesday, 13 December. In addition to screening 32 feature films and four programs of short films, LPFF put on four public discussions and several performances.

Vice Minister Buangern Xaphouvong strikes the festival gong to officially open the 2017 festival
Culture Vice Minister Buangern Xaphouvong strikes a gong to officially open the 2017 festival

Official selections are made by experts and critics from across Southeast Asia referred to as “Motion Picture Ambassadors,” and represent a carefully chosen collection of what they believe to be the finest contemporary films from their respective countries. By identifying great curators with inside understanding of their community’s film scene, LPFF is able to produce a unique program that ensures in the inclusion of the strongest voices from across Southeast Asia. 

Not only is LPFF a celebration of the finest Southeast Asian cinema, it has become well known as a unique forum for regional film professionals to network internationally and to exchange diverse ideas and experiences. In LPFF’s commitment to accessibility, all screenings and activities of the festival were free and open to the public.  

2017 Film Festival kicks off at the night venue
2017 Film Festival kicks off at the night venue

LPFF’s four programs of short films included: a selection from the 2017 Vientianale Short Film Competition that showcased budding talent in Laos; Thai shorts to complement the festival’s SPOTLIGHT country (see below); the top films from a Youth and Agroecology Short Film Competition held by LPFF and the Agroecology Learning alliance in Southeast Asia; and recent award winners on Viddsee, an online video platform featuring short films from across Asia.

There were also several major public discussions this year for visitors of the festival, including the aforementioned discussion on Muslim voices in Southeast Asia, featuring Harlif Mohamad and Nurain Peeraya, the Bruneian directors of Rina 2; Sheron Dayoc, the Filipino director of Women of the Weeping River; Tunku Mona Riza, the Malaysian director of Redha; and Kong Rithdee, LPFF’s Motion Picture Ambassador for Thailand and writer of The Island Funeral.

Rithdee also hosted this year’s SPOTLIGHT on Thailand, with a full day of programming devoted to screenings and discussion of the issues facing Thai filmmakers today. Delegates from the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane were in attendance and several Thai filmmakers participated, including Anocha Suwichakornpong (By the Time it Gets Dark), Sompot Chidgasornpongse (Railway Sleepers), Boonsong Nakphoo (Wandering), Laddawan Rattanadilokchai (The Couple), Sakchai Deenan (the upcoming Memories of New Years), and Sanchai Chotirosseranee (Thai Film Archive, representing Santi-Vina).

Also occurring during the festival was the second iteration of the LPFF Talent Lab for Southeast Asian filmmakers, led by the Tribeca Film Institute® (TFI), with 10 participating film projects from 6 ASEAN nations. The Lab, which focused on grant writing and project pitching and was extended to two days this year, included a pitching workshop led by Bryce Norbitz and Molly O’Keefe from TFI. Following the workshop was a pitch forum with feedback from a jury comprised of filmmaking professionals from around the world, including Jeremy Sim of Singapore-based media investment firm Aurora Media Holdings; Kenneth Lipper, the Oscar-winning American producer; Victor William of ROKKI, AirAsia’s in-flight entertainment provider; and Ho Hock Doong and Siti Helaliana Chumiran, both from the Malaysian distribution company, Astro.

After deliberation, the jury selected the Lao-Filipino collaboration Raising a Beast to attend the TFI Network market, which will take place in New York City at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival®. There, TFI will arrange meetings for the filmmakers with editors, distributors, and financiers. TFI will then mentor the Raising a Beast team through the completion of the project. Written and directed by Xaisongkham Induangchanty (Laos) and produced by Abigail Lazaro (Philippines), Raising a Beast tells the story of two Hmong siblings, Ying and Neng, who are blessed with beautiful voices and dream of moving to the city to become singers one day. When their father refuses to sell the family’s prized bull to help pay for Neng’s education in the city, Ying becomes a bull trainer to cover her brother’s expenses. 

Another big winner at the Talent Lab was the Filipino project Cat Island, pitched by Siege Ledesma (director, writer) and Ang Alemberg (producer). Jeremy Sim and Aurora Media Holdings selected the project to receive its Aurora Producing Award of $10,000. Cat Island follows Catherine, who after dedicating almost two decades of her life to the care of her asthmatic, albeit feisty and cat-loving mother, finds herself alone and purposeless when her mother dies. On the eve of her 40th birthday, the ghost of Catherine’s mother returns to ask for Catherine’s help in completing her “unfinished business”: have her remains cremated and scattered over Cat Island, Japan. With a renewed sense of purpose, Catherine travels to Japan to complete her mission on the rural island.

A new addition to the festival’s program this year was a documentary production workshop organized by the US Mission to ASEAN and the American Film Showcase. Renowned Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz (ImeldaDon’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey) and Patrick Shen (Flight from Death: The Quest for ImmortalityThe Philosopher Kings) led a five-day workshop with 14 participants from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. At the end of the workshop, four short documentaries made in small groups by the participants throughout the week were presented following a screening of Diaz’s most recent film, Motherland.

Renowned Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz (Imelda, Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey) led a five-day workshop with 14 participants from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative
Renowned Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz (Imelda, Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey) led a five-day workshop with 14 participants from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative

LPFF offered five live evening performances on its main stage before headline screenings at its Night Venue, the Handicraft Market at the main intersection in town, including concerts from popular Lao singers Touly and Ola Black Eyes. These performances are an opportunity to nurture young talent, and offer a platform for these performers to showcase their talents to an international audience.

 

22 of this edition’s 32 feature films had directors, producers, writers, or actors in attendance, all of whom participated in Q&A sessions after the screenings of their films. Between screenings, filmmakers and other industry professionals mingled in the Beerlao Director’s Lounge on the top floor of Indigo House, where they could enjoy complimentary Beerlao Gold and take in the view of the Night Venue.

On display was an exhibition of photographs from Myanmar from the lauded Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project, accompanied by an exhibition walk-through by the initiative’s founder, Philip Jablon. As a reprise to his trip there over five years ago, Jablon spent February and March of last year researching and photographing movie theaters in Myanmar, a nation experiencing an overall rebirth of cinema-going.  

Once again, the festival was proudly supported by its biggest sponsor, the Lao Brewery Company with three of their brands coming in at the Platinum Level: Beerlao, Pepsi, and Tigerhead.

Other generous supporters of the 2017 festival were the US Embassy Vientiane, the Asia Foundation, the Bennack-Polan Foundation, Chillax Productions, Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Laos, Exo Travel, Sofitel Luang Prabang, the Nam Theun 2 Power Company, Princeton in Asia, the Royal Thai Embassy Vientiane, Indochina Productions, the Delegation of the European Union to Lao PDR, DK Lao, Theun-Hinboun Power Company, NP Service & Design, Champa Meuanglao Inflight Magazine, Final Draft, and the Asia-Europe Foundation.For more information on the festival, visit lpfilmfest.org or stay up to date at facebook.com/lpfilmfest.
__________LPFF Background:
Founded in 2009, the Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) is an annual celebration of Southeast Asian cinema held every December in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. LPFF is a not-for-profit project that fosters cross-cultural dialogue within the region and supports the burgeoning film industry in Laos. Throughout the year, LPFF organizes a range of cultural events and educational activities, from film screenings to workshops for amateur Lao filmmakers. LPFF also manages the Lao Filmmakers Fund, a publicly-generated granting system that helps local artists realize their film projects.

The United Kingdom: 10th Largest Investor in Laos

Laos-UK 60th Anniversary Logo
Laos-UK 60th Anniversary Logo

While Laos’ geographic neighbors China, Vietnam and Thailand dominate its top ten list of foreign investors, an unlikely contender claims the 10th spot, and it is not what one may expect: the United Kingdom.

The UK has gone from being the 15th largest investor in the country several years ago, since the establishment of a UK Embassy in Vientiane, to currently the 10th largest foreign investor in Laos.

Prime Minister’s Office: No Public Funds For Greeting Cards

PMO Notice - No Greeting Cards for Public Officials

In line with the national frugality policy (as stipulated in Prime Ministerial Order No. 9*), the Lao government has declared that public servants are prohibited from using state funds to send New Year greeting cards to extend best wishes to senior leaders. They are, however, allowed to send cards to their foreign colleagues, according to a ministerial notice signed by Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, Phet Phomphiphak.

Due to recent revenue shortfalls, the Lao government has tried to minimize expenses in certain areas perceived as unnecessary, whenever possible. Administrative expenses were the first to experience cutbacks.

While previous notices have not always been as effective as planned, they reflect the government’s idealism and intention to ensure that national resources were being spent on productive endeavors.

The 2017 public revenue collection efforts are estimated to reach only 98% of the annual plan while expenditures are expected to reach 97.5% of the plan, forcing the government to cut back on certain expenses to prevent the country from being dragged into perennial debt.

**Some important features stipulated in the order: banned construction of public office buildings until 2020; prohibition of new vehicle purchases for public affairs for 2018.

PMO Notice - No Greeting Cards for Public Officials
PMO Notice – No Greeting Cards for Public Officials
Source: Laopost