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Pakngum Bridge Construction Underway Due to 2015 Tragedy

More than forty percent of construction for the new bridge crossing the Nam Ngum River, that will connect Nabong village to Thakokhay village in Pakngum district, has been completed.

With assistance from Lao World Public Co., Ltd, the estimated 105 billion kip (USD $12,728,100) bridge was expected to take 24 months to complete from the time of the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place in February, 2016.

Plans for construction somberly began after a boat capsized at the site on May 26, 2015, leading to the tragic drowning of 10 children.

Director of the Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department, Mr Detsongkham Thammavong, stated that the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. He added, “Now the project is concentrating on construction of the top of bridge pylons and then will continue on to other work. When the bridge is finished it will be toll free to serve the people.”

According to the latest blueprint, the bridge will be 236 meters in length and 11 meters wide, with two sidewalks of 1.5 metres each.

The finished bridge will provide a direct contribution to Vientiane’s development in support of the government’s overall socio-economic development plan, as it will be essential for the economic development of the region by improving the flow of goods between communities and easing transport.

The bridge will also boost trade along the river by providing convenient access to transporting goods and offering locals an incentive to participate in agricultural production due to the area having potential to grow a variety of crops.

Most importantly, local school children in the Pakngum district will now be able to travel across the bridge between Nabong and Thakokhay villages safely and conveniently.

Authorities Crack Down on Shady Petrol Operations

gas
gas

With many car owners using social media as a platform to vent their frustration about petrol stations defrauding customers in Vientiane, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces, authorities have too found that several petrol stations are, in fact, cheating consumers by not providing sufficient amounts of fuel or providing dirty fuel.

Over the past two months, the Standards Department at the Ministry of Science and Technology has prompted authorities to inspect the quality and quantity of fuel at frequented petrol stations, and though the department won’t release information on what petrol stations or how many are guilty of the scam, it has been confirmed that the stations have been warned to cease operations until all meters have been reset properly.

A senior official at the Ministry of Science and Technology has asserted that authorities have warned several stations in the capital after being caught cheating customers. The official further explained that if these operators are found to be guilty of cheating consumers again, regulations will be enforced and the stations will be fined and penalized.

The Ministry of Science and Technology in cooperation with relevant sectors implemented a pilot project last October, where they inspected petrol stations and discovered that several stations were selling contaminated fuel.

The inspection of petrol stations have gained traction in recent months due to requests and complaints made by the Petroleum and Gas Group Association, vehicle dealerships and members of the public. Dirty fuel not only damages engines but also affects the reputation of vehicle and fuel businesses in Laos. Dirty fuel could derive from poor management of oil imports, resulting in petrol stations buying fuel from any source at a cheap price, regardless of quality.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, all fuel will be tested at border checkpoints for quality assurance before being distributed to petrol stations from this point on. In addition, the ministry will check petrol stations routinely, particularly those that are popular amongst motorists.

The fuel quality testing and inspection is part of the government’s efforts to protect the rights of consumers.

Laos imports all its fuel from other countries, but there is no official report about the exact figure of petrol imported to Laos for 2015 or 2016. However, according to the latest report released in 2013 by the Lao Petroleum and Gas Association,  Laos imported over 911 million liters of fuel. An estimated 45 to 50 percent of the fuel Laos imports is used in Vientiane capital and Vientiane province alone.

Foodie Review: The State of Pasta’s Homemade Pasta is a Must Try!

The State of Pasta

The State of Pasta offers delicious gourmet pasta dishes at a fraction of the price that you would find in most Italian restaurants around town. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite casual and suitable for business lunches, impromptu catch ups with friends, and family friendly dining. I was pleasantly surprised by the attentive service from the staff and the owners, not to mention the quality of flavors in the food itself. The State of Pasta will be my new go-to when I have a pasta craving that needs satisfying.

Atmosphere

I ventured into ‘The State of Pasta’ black and yellow building on a Saturday night, not really knowing what to expect. My first thought was that the exterior of the building didn’t do the interior justice. The tables and chairs were all uniformly set up, with a very clean, modern and minimalistic design. The restaurant considers itself an ‘Italian’ restaurant, however I would say not in a traditional romantic sense. The bright lighting, white walls and un-cushioned chairs reminded me of an IKEA showroom that served fast food, rather than a place that knew how to make quality handmade pasta. However, I did take a gander up the spiral steps to the second floor, which looked cozier with a lounge-y feel.

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The Menu

The menu wasn’t too extensive and consisted of just a handful of choices, but i think it had the right amount of options. I get overwhelmed when there’s too much on a menu, and I prefer a smaller selection with some really great dishes than a menu stuffed with mediocre dishes. And though the flavors of the dishes were limited, each plate was customizable. The customer chooses what kind of pasta they want with their dish, how cooked the pasta is, and extra ‘toppings’ such as minced pork, parmesan cheese and bacon (for a minimal charge).  I ordered the same flavor dish as one of my friends, but because of the choices we made, they came out to be two different tasting dishes.

The restaurant also offers handmade potato gnocchi, fresh lasagna and ravioli dishes, focaccia sandwiches and a few tasty looking vegetarian options. They also offered draft beer, wine by the bottle or glass, a large selection of Italian soda flavors and coffee. Though I thought I saw a fully stocked bar on the second floor, I didn’t notice a menu for mixed drinks.

The meal started off with complimentary focaccia bread accompanied by three dipping sauces, which were the traditional olive oil, fusionend mango-peanut chutney and a surprisingly delightful piment-ail. We ordered the ‘tomato and mozzarella in carrozza’ which came with a side salad. The mozzarella was breaded to be crunchy, but i thought it was a bit stale and could have done without it. The others seemed to enjoy it though, so maybe i’m just not a fried mozzarella expert (there goes that line of work).

 

Highly Recommended

I ordered the Creamy Lao Sausage with cooked macaroni (though it came slightly too al dente for my taste), topped with caramelized bell peppers in a creamy garlic sauce with a generous portion of Lao sausage. I also added extra parmesan cheese and bacon (because, duh) for just 10,000 kip extra. I can’t stress how much I LOVED MY PASTA DISH (see how i bolded, underlined and italicized? That’s how much i loved it.) From the first bite to the very last, I savored every mouthful. The homemade pasta made all the  difference, and though the dishes were so simple, the flavors were elevated to the next level.

The Damage

With two starters ( including the offered focaccia bread), four main dishes with the extras, three glasses of wine and one draft beer, the bill came to 295,000 kip and for what it was, it was worth every kip.

The State of Pasta is opened daily from 11AM to 10PM and is located along the Mekong opposite of Naked Espresso 2. Visit their facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thestateofpasta/ for more info.

Korea Eyes Laos and Cambodia for E-commerce Opportunities

ecommerce
ecommerce

A Capacity Building Workshop for expanding business opportunities in e-commerce has been organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center in Vientiane for Wednesday, July 5, 2017.

Organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), the purpose of the workshop is to share Korea’s experience and expertise in e-commerce with Lao entrepreneurs.

Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, Kim Young-sun, stated that, “As more and more businesses are moving away from traditional offline stores and going online, electronic commerce has increasingly become an important parcel of doing cross-border business. Lao PDR has a great potential to develop its e-commerce sector, as broadband internet access is widely available in Vientiane and in other parts of the country. I hope this workshop serves as a platform not only to enhance the competitiveness of Lao e-commerce sector but also to expand digital business opportunities between Lao PDR and Korea.”

The opening ceremony of the Workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Kim Young-sun along with the Ambassador of ROK to Lao PDR, Yun Kang-hyeon, and various high-ranking officials from the MPI are expected to deliver their thoughts.

Experts and business representatives from Korea and Laos will conduct presentations on the themes of ‘Overview of Korea’s E-Commerce Development Strategies’, ‘Policies and Opportunities in Lao PDR’s E-Commerce Industry’, ‘How to Enhance Cross-border E-Commerce’, and ‘Business Start-up for SMEs’ following the ceremony.

The Korean delegation that will participate in the workshop includes experts from the Korea International Trade Association, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Changgong E-Commerce Laboratory, as well as the Kyungpook National University.

Korean business representatives will also take part in the workshop, seeking new business opportunities in the e-commerce area through one-on-one business meetings and site visits.

Due to the ASEAN-Korea partnership recognizing the importance of the digital era, the partnership has carried out  several programs in digital industries. The workshop that will be held in Laos is part of the back-to-back workshops in Lao PDR and in Cambodia, which will enable the ASEAN-Korea Center to gain insight on the current status and potential of the e-commerce industries in the two countries.

Dengue Fever Outbreak Far From Over

Dengue Fever Laos

The fight against dengue fever in the capital is proving to be an uphill battle, as the figure of outbreaks reported has more than doubled in just one month.

Dengue fever cases in Vientiane have inflated from 332 to 696 cases just from May thru June of this year, with one death reported. During the same period last year there were no reports of any outbreaks in the capital.

Year-to-date dengue fever infections nationwide have increased from 1,760 to 3,000 cases from May thru June, along with five deaths being recorded in the country.

Authorities are particularly concerned that dengue cases have been reported in the capital at an alarming higher rate than any other provinces across the country. These figures contrast from January 1 to June 30 of 2016 when only 249 cases  were reported for the entire country.

Acting Director of the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology under the Ministry of Health, Dr Onechanh Keosavanh stated that openly reporting outbreaks is one of the main approaches in responding to dengue, adding that increasing public awareness is one of the strategies to reduce the risk of dengue transmission.

Local officials and health authorities continue to highly urge people to clear potential mosquito breeding sites around their homes and workplaces to help control the spread of the virus, stressing that local communities need to keep their surroundings clean, while focusing on killing mosquitoes and their larva inside and near these areas. Any still water that collects in jars, vases and dishes should be thrown out. Schools, hospitals, factories, hotels, restaurants, tourist facilities and offices are advised to organize cleaning activities to remove any sources of stagnant water to slow mosquito breeding.

According to the Ministry of Health, reported cases for 2017 are slightly higher than the 1,716 cases reported for 2014, however is still lower when compared to the same period in the epidemic years of 2010 and 2013.

2013 was particularly challenging with 15 out of 17 provinces reporting dengue at startling epidemic levels and resulted in 95 deaths from a total of 44,171 reported dengue cases.

US Grants over 3 Million USD to UXO Project

rice
rice

The US government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) granting 24 billion kip (US$3,026,000) to Laos, in support of a rural development project through Unexploded Ordnance clearance in Xieng Khuang province.

The grant will contribute to the non-technical and technical aspects of surveying and clearing unexploded ordnances in the Xieng Khuang districts of Nonghet, Khoun and Phaxay. The project is being funded by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, U.S Department of State (WRA) and will run for a year.

The MoU was signed on June 30, at a ceremony in Vientiane between the Director General of the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action sector in Laos, Mr Phoukhieo Chanthasomboun, and Country Director of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in Laos, Ms Blossum Gilmour with the US Ambassador to Laos, Ms Rena Bitter, in attendance.

At the ceremony, Ms Blossum stated that funding for the project will be used to increase access to safe land in Xieng Khuang, through land release activities. Over the 12 months covered in the grant, the MAG will clear and release over 3,4 million square meters of land for safe and productive use. Non-technical surveying will also be completed in 94 villages and technical surveying will be conducted on a minimum of 46.8 million square meters of land.

Deputy Head of Labour and Social Welfare Department in Xieng Khuang province, Mr Chanthy Khiewmala said, “Xieng Khuang is one of the most UXO contaminated provinces in the country. Since 1994, MAG and other organizations have so far cleared and destroyed UXO from 11,600 hectares with 622,756 UXO devices destroyed”.

The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO/Mine Action Sector has set a target to clear UXO from 28 percent more land this year as compared to 2016.

Last year, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao), with the support of international organizations and the government, cleared devices from 2,500 hectares and  plans to increase the area to more than 3,200 hectares this year.

Of the land set to be cleared, 92.5 percent is utilized for agriculture, such as coffee farming and rice cultivation, as well as land needed for new agricultural activity. Land needed for the construction of schools, irrigation and dispensaries accounts for the remaining 7.5 percent.

According to reports, a total of 100,434 UXO devices were detected and destroyed last year, of which 81,773 were cluster bombs. Ten UXO-related accidents killed five people and injured 16 others.

During the second Indochina War (1964-1973), more than two million tonnes of UXO were dropped on Laos, making it the most heavily-bombed country per capita worldwide.

Lao Statistics Aims for International Standards by 2020

laos
laos

On June 29th, a seminar on scientific statistics was held at the Center for International Cooperation and Training and under the theme, “enhancing production unity and political statistics publication”.

The Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB), under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, has successfully created a strategic development plan of sustainable national statistics for 2016-25 and its vision for 2030, along with the completion of the amended law on Statistics approved by the National Assembly (NA) last month.

The national statistics system will be modified and implemented in accordance with international standards by 2020, and is regarded as a measure for achieving socio-economic development, industrialization and modernization.

This system is considered another step towards integrating with international standards and will be an index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Index).

During the meeting, General Director of the National Statistics Department and Head of the LSB, Mr Samaichanh Boupha, stated that the purpose of the seminar was to highlight the significance of statistical analysis and to educate on scientific statistics and knowledge exchange that can apply to all sectors, ministries and localities.

He added, “It is a preliminary idea to encourage and promote those interested in statistics science and those people are usually using the information of the official statistics.”

The two-day gathering included a seminar that released new methods of statistical work, particularly presenting the topic on statistical science in a semi-academic manner to statisticians, and an exhibition of the statistics work where various statistics departments and divisions of each province had brought their pieces of work to display on the occasion to celebrate National Statistics Day.

At the seminar event, representatives of line ministries, departments and various international development partners, and donors  were invited to hear about the progress of the implementation of statistics affairs in Laos.

Aroma Banana Farms Banned in Vientiane Province

banana plantation
banana plantation

Effective September 17, investors looking to grow aroma bananas in Vientiane province will no longer be able to obtain the necessary permit for it.

Since 2013, aroma banana farms have dominated more than 400 hectares of land in Hin Heub, Vang Vieng and Feuang districts in Vientiane Province alone, and are primarily invested in by Chinese venture capitalists.

Director of the Vientiane Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department, Phouvong Bounzou, clarified that investors who currently own and operate a banana farm are required to accelerate harvesting their produce and cease growing the fruit by September, or replace the farms with other commercial trees.

Authorities will use strict measures in accordance with Lao law to punish those who are found guilty of violating the new rules.

An estimated 319 hectares of 412 hectares have bananas growing on land owned by local people under concessional agreements between investors and locals, while the rest are under concessional agreements between investors and the government.

Agricultural production plays an important role in food security in the province, as it is a main source of income for local citizens.

However, the new law may be in response to the poisonous pesticides repeatedly found in the country’s soil and water sources, that are widely employed by farm owners to control insect pests, though this has not been confirmed by officials.