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Nam Phou Area Gets Major Makeover

Nam Phou Park (photo credit: Lao Phatthana Newspaper)
Nam Phou Park (photo credit: Lao Phatthana Newspaper)

The much loved Nam Phou Area (Fountain) has recently received a major makeover. It’s now known as Nam Phou Park.

Several years ago, the Nam Phou area had incited much controversy after it had been privatized and made into the commercial venture, Mix Restaurant. A few restaurants in the vicinity closed down due to new design obstructions and a significant number of locals and expats had complained that the Nam Phou had lost its charm and public park status.

Responding to intense criticism, the concession owners decided to revamp the park to become more accessible and friendlier to both locals and tourists alike.

“The rationale for changing the name from Mix Restaurant to Nam Phou Park was so that it could reclaim its original title as the beloved public park that we all know. We’ve opened up the park so that multiple vendors could set up shop selling a variety of goods, foods and drinks. Dividing up the park into different zones, including the VIP area, the bar area, the urban youth area, the garden area, the city view area, will hopefully appeal to a larger amount of people,” says Dalouny Phoummasack, Director of the new Nam Phou Park.

Daytime View of Nam Phou Park
Daytime View of Nam Phou Park
Nighttime View of Nam Phou Park
Nighttime View of Nam Phou Park

“There will also be a live band playing trendy music as people dine and shop every evening,” Phoummasack added.

The total cost of the Nam Phou Park remodeling is estimated to be approximately USD $360,000 (3 billion kip).

The Nam Phou Park initiated a soft launch earlier last week and has so far received a warm reception from the public. It is envisioned to become one of the hottest city attractions for both locals and tourists and is well-positioned to become a must-visit place during Visit Laos Year 2018.

 

ຈຸດເລີ່ມຕົ້ນຂອງການນັດພົບທີ່ 0 km ທີ່ Namphou Park Restaurant-Bar

Posted by Dalounny Phoummasak on ວັນພຸດ ທີ 13 ທັນວາ 2017

 

 

Photo Credit: AJ Photisane’s FB Page

Lao Nationals Arrested For Smuggling 98 Million Baht into Laos

Two Lao Nationals Detained For Alledgedly Smuggling millions of Thai baht across border
Two Lao Nationals Detained For Alledgedly Smuggling millions of Thai baht across border

Two Lao citizens were detained while they allegedly tried to smuggle 98 million baht in cash into Thailand through the Vientiane-Nongkhai border a few days ago.

Soubanh Thiasiri (aged 30) and his younger brother, Khambone Thiaisiri (aged 24) were caught hiding the cash in their Lao license plated Toyota Landcruiser.

Laos Partners with Thailand, Myanmar to Control Air Quality

In an effort to control the cross-border smog caused by illegal forest fires, Laos has teamed up with Thailand and Myanmar to address the damage it has contributed to the environment and its poor air quality.

Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister addressed the topic at a meeting earlier in the week, stating that illegal brush fires pose a threat to the air quality of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

With all three countries plagued by forest fires, the meeting discussed measures on how to efficiently prevent and eliminate the issue of forest devastation and haze caused by wildfires in the North, calling on tighter border cooperation between the countries.

Illegal deforestation generally occurs Laos in the countryside of these countries due to the ‘slash and burn’ method- a method that farmers utilize to eliminate large acres of forest area in order to clear land for agriculture.

Technologies of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency are being used to predict and prevent forest fires.

A forest fire prevention plan has been put in place by the Pollution Control Department, with the purpose of keeping a close watch on illegal brush fires beginning February, 2018.

Vientiane’s First Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant Launches

Reed beds, Vientiane's First FSTP
Reed beds, Vientiane's First FSTP

It’s official. Three years after the feasibility study was complete, Vientiane’s first fecal sludge treatment plant in Nahai (Xaysettha District) has officially launched. The plant was made possible through financial support from French metropolitan agencies SIAAP (Syndicat interdépartemental pour l’assainissement de l’agglomération parisienne), AIMF (Association Internationale des Maires francophones) and AESN (Agence de l’Eau Seine Normandie), costing over USD $1.4 million.

The FSTP (fecal sludge treatment plant) received much support from the technical assistance of French consulting firm SIA Conseil, WTA (Water Technical Assistance) and GRET, acknowledged the Vientiane City Office for Management and Services (VCOMS).

The FSTP is the world’s first plant to use an innovative treatment process based on planted reed beds, and is described as follows: the fresh sludge is spread over filter beds planted with local reeds to separate the solid part of the sludge while enabling the elimination of pollution through an aerobic biological process. After a period of 8 years, the accumulated layer of humus created on the surface of the beds is removed, dried and can be sold as a means to improve the quality of soil for gardening or even agriculture. In Laos’ tropical climate, this treatment technology is highly efficient in reducing pollution from the sludge.

 

The fees collected from desludging operators and humus sales would cover operational and maintenance expenditures of the FSTP.
The fees collected from desludging operators and humus sales would cover operational and maintenance expenditures of the FSTP. Photo credit: SIA

Vientiane is growing at a phenomenal rate and like other urban metropolises in the world, the city has come face to face with the challenge of managing their citizens’ wastewater.

There is currently no functional sewer system in Vientiane and residences and businesses had primarily used on-site sanitation systems, comprised of septic tanks and rudimentary pits. Once the septic tanks/pits are filled, people would call private desludging vendors to empty the pits and transport the sludge to a designated site, the municipal landfill at KM32.

Aerial View of FSTP (construction period)
Aerial View of FSTP (construction period). Photo credit: SIA

Big wins for “Raising a Beast” and “Cat Island” at 2017 LPFF Talent Lab, led by Tribeca Film Institute

Luang Prabang, 11 December 2017 — Xaisongkham Induangchanty’s Raising a Beast and Siege Ledesma’s Cat Island took home top awards last night at the 2017 LPFF Talent Lab, led by Tribeca Film Institute® (TFI). The Lab, which focused on grant writing and project pitching, was held on the opening weekend of the eighth annual Luang Prabang Film Festival, which kicked off on 8 December and will run through 13 December.

LPFF is a yearly celebration of Southeast Asian cinema held in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage town in northern Laos that lacks a single working movie theater. With inclusivity as core to its mission, all festival events are free and open to the public.

Building off the first iteration of the Talent Lab in 2016, this year’s Lab was expanded to two days, and included a pitching workshop and pitch forum with feedback from a panel of film professionals.

The jury selected Induangchanty’s project, Raising a Beast, to attend the TFI Network market at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival® (18-29 April 2018). Induangchanty attended the Talent Lab with his Filipino producer, Abigail Lazaro.

Hosted annually by TFI, the industry market gives filmmakers the opportunity to build connections with a wide range of industry insiders who can potentially help them advance their projects.

TFI will mentor Induangchanty through the completion of the project. All participants in this year’s Talent Lab will also receive preferential consideration for any of TFI’s grants.

Raising a Beast, which is also co-produced by American producer Steve Arounsack, 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.

Singapore-based media investment firm Aurora Media Holdings, represented on the jury by Jeremy Sim, selected Ledesma’s Cat Island as the recipient of their Aurora Producing Award. Ledesma, who attended the Talent Lab with her producer Alemberg Ang, will receive $10,000 USD to help produce her film.

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.

Founded by Justin Deimen, Terence Kong, and Sim, Aurora Media is one of Southeast Asia’s leading media and entertainment asset incubation, investment and management specialists.

The announcement of the winning projects was made in a uniquely Luang Prabang fashion: while cruising down the Mekong River at sunset.

Following the afternoon pitch forum, the jury and Talent Lab fellows from the 10 participating projects boarded a boat manned by Mekong Kingdoms, a stylish new boat company that opened operations earlier this year. Fellows took in Luang Prabang’s magical mountain views and attempted to relax while the jury deliberated in a private room in the stern.

The jury was comprised of filmmaking professionals from around the world, including Sim; 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.

The 10 projects that LPFF selected to participate, which are in various stages of production, come from six countries from the ASEAN region: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand. The pool was equal parts documentary and narrative features, with five projects of both genres participating. Attendees taking part in the Talent Lab included directors, writers, and producers behind the films.

The participating projects included:

  • Autobiography (Indonesia), represented by Makbul Mubarak (director) and Yulia Evina Bharas (producer)
  • Bai Bibyaon, Lady Warrior of the Lumad (Philippines), represented by Cenón Obispo Palomares (director, writer)
  • Cat Island (Philippines), represented by Siege Ledesma (director, writer) and Ang Alemberg (producer)
  • Doi Boy (Thailand), represented by Nontawat Numbenchapol (director, writer)
  • Going Straight (Philippines), represented by Kristoffer Brugada (director)
  • It Wasn’t an Accident (Myanmar), represented by Soe Moe Aung (director)
  • Luzviminda (Philippines), represented by Inshallah Montero (director)
  • Raising a Beast (Laos), represented by Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (director, writer) and Abigail Lazaro (producer)
  • Song of the Homeland (Thailand), represented by Preecha Srisuwan (director, cinematographer)
  • Wilderness (Malaysia), represented by Nadira Ilana (director, scriptwriter)

In addition to the preferential consideration from TFI for any of their grants, all participants received scriptwriting software from Final Draft.

To read more about the Luang Prabang Film Festival, visit www.lpfilmfest.org.
_________

All Luang Prabang Film Festival press enquiries:
Eliza Mott: eliza.mott@lpfilmfest.org / +856 20 59 70 11 59

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.

About Final Draft, a Cast & Crew Company:
Final Draft, a Cast & Crew Company, has published Final Draft® software – the number-one selling screenwriting application in the world – for 25 years. Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards, allowing writers to focus on what they do best – writing scripts. Used by such industry giants as J.J. Abrams, James Cameron and Aaron Sorkin, Final Draft software is the professional’s choice and the entertainment industry standard. In addition to its flagship software product, Final Draft offers the annual Big Break Contest – a screenwriting competition that launches careers, and awards over $80,000 in cash and prizes. Final Draft also offers the Reader® and Writer® apps for iPhone and iPad, making creativity truly portable. To learn more about Final Draft and its products and services, visit: www.finaldraft.com.

Feasibility Study Says Laos-Vietnam Railway Doable

Two years ago, Lao, Vietnamese and Korean experts and officials met in the capital of Laos to commence a study on the feasibility of a proposed 555km railway that would link Vientiane, passing through Thakaek (Khammouane) to Vung Ang Port in Vietnam. Last week, that feasibility study was declared complete. The railway was announced to be a viable project, worth pursuing.

The study was conducted with a US$3 million grant from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), with the aim of preparing a master plan and providing capacity building to the railway sectors of Laos and Vietnam.

The feasibility study recommended 150km/h as the most apt train speed for trains speeding on the railway.

The Vientiane-Thakhaek-Mu Gia-Vung Ang railway (technically known as the A3 rail project) is one of the six rail network projects being considered by the government of Laos to transform the country from its status as a land-locked country to a land-linked one. If realised, it will connect Laos to Vung Ang seaport in central Ha Tinh province, Vietnam. It will also be an important link within ASEAN.

Proposed Vientiane-Vung Ang Seaport Railway
Proposed Vientiane-Vung Ang Seaport Railway

The railway projects include the Laos-China railway, Savannakhet-Lao Bao to the Vietnamese port of Dongha, Thakhaek-Savannakhet-Pakxe-Vangtao, and Pakxe-Veunkham (Lao-Cambodian border).

Luang Prabang lights up for Southeast Asia’s premier film festival

Luang Prabang, 9 December 2017 — Luang Prabang was lined in red carpet last night for the kickoff of the eighth Luang Prabang Film Festival.

Normally known as a sleepy town steeped in local tradition, a more cosmopolitan crowd descended upon Luang Prabang for the festival’s opening. Filmmakers from all across Southeast Asia and abroad have flocked to this UNESCO World Heritage site to celebrate Southeast Asian cinema for six days and nights.

22 of this edition’s 32 feature films have directors, producers, writers, or actors in attendance, all of whom will participate in Q&A sessions after the screenings of their films. Plus, the festival’s intimate and casual ambiance makes it so that audiences can chat one-on-one with their favorite filmmakers between screenings.

The night started off with a bang with a lively opening ceremony at the festival’s night venue at the Handicraft Market in the center of town, filled with Lao music and dance, as well as speeches from Festival Director Gabriel Kuperman and the Governor of Luang Prabang.

Following the ceremony was a screening of the new Lao film, The Anniversary. Directed by Chilasack “Jojo” Saysanith, the film had a successful commercial run in cinemas across the country upon its release in March of this year.

After the film, a melange of the international film crowd and the who’s-who of Laos headed across the street to party on the lush grounds of the swanky new hotel, Azerai–the first location in a new venture from Adrian Zecha of Aman Resorts fame.

In addition to the filmmakers representing their features, a bevy of directors, writers, and producers from the ASEAN region, Europe, and the United States also showed up to walk the red carpet, develop film industry contacts, and check out the regional talent.

Over a dozen young filmmakers are in town for the 2017 LPFF Talent Lab, led by the Tribeca Film Institute, where they will pitch their film projects to a jury who will award one film a trip to the Tribeca Network Market at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. In attendance from Tribeca are Bryce Norbitz and Molly O’Keefe, who will lead the Talent Lab fellows in a pitch workshop. Also spotted at Azerai was Jeremy Sim from the Singapore-based film fund Aurora Media Holdings, which will be awarding one of the Talent Lab projects the Aurora Producing Award for $10,000 USD.

A slew of Thai and Lao stars milled about, posing for photos with fans and new friends. Festival host and Lao pop star Touly looked elegant in traditional dress, while The Anniversary star Vena Boupha stunned in an elegant gown.

Ananda Everingham, the Lao-Australian actor who has found fame through his work in Thai cinema, is back in Luang Prabang to attend the festival as he has in previous years. Thai film is also well-represented, with over a dozen Thai filmmakers, producers, actors attending along with representatives from the Royal Thai Embassy.

The festival will continue until 13 December, with screenings, public discussions, and performances occurring throughout the week. In keeping with LPFF’s commitment to accessibility, all events are free and open to the public.

To read more about the Luang Prabang Film Festival, visit www.lpfilmfest.org.
__________

All Luang Prabang Film Festival press enquiries:
Eliza Mott: eliza.mott@lpfilmfest.org / +856 20 59 70 11 59LPFF 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.

IFC Gives Support to Aanandi Riverview Apartments

Aanandi Apartment

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will lend US$ 2 million to property developer Aanandi Lao Ltd for the construction of a multi-level serviced apartment building.

The apartment building, or condominium, will be located along the bank of the Mekong River in Vientiane Capital. The condominium will provide quality housing and facilities for a growing number of foreign and domestic investors that demand international standards.

The Aanandi Riverview apartments will be comprised of 76 service apartment units. Construction will take 24 months, and the apartments are expected to open in 2020.

IFC Agreement

“We greatly appreciate IFC’s long-term financing commitment and it is aligned to our group’s long-term vision to raise Laos real estate market to an international playing level,” said Sue Ma, Business Development Director, Aanandi Group.

“Furthermore, with IFC’s and our Japanese partner, Toshihiko Muneyoshi, it will add creditability and bring in global knowledge as well as technical and industry expertise to this project that prepares us for more future housing projects in the Lao PDR.”

The project will generate employment for Lao workers, offering training programmes to employees, and drawing from the local labor pool. The project also aims to support local suppliers by sourcing Lao materials.

IFC will offer its support to Aanandi in terms of adoption of international best practices, and undertaking environmental and social impact assessments.

This apartment building will comply with IFC green building standards, in hopes of reducing energy, water, and materials consumption by 20 percent.

“With the construction of one of the first international standard serviced apartment complexes in Vientiane, the project demonstrates the potential for growth in the sector – at this standard level -helping to make a market for future similar projects and enhancing the competitiveness of the Lao PDR as an investment destination,” said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Manager for the Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Photos: Aanandi Group