Thailand Visa Application Appointment Process Online Sees 2-Week Wait Times
Visa applications to Thailand from Laos via Vientiane are set to get a shakeup with the introduction of an online appointment system, Thailand’s Embassy has confirmed.
Long queues into the Thai consulate in Vientiane are set to become a thing of the past, with all appointments to be made online and walk-ins refused.
Information on the system is set to be released on embassy channels January 28, and come into effect on February 1.
Apart from saving time, money and streamlining operations in a general sense, the move is set to make the biggest difference in summer, when rising temperatures have occasionally been known to fray tempers and sanity among the queuing applicants of multiple nationalities, many of whom are frequent travelers to or foreign residents of Thailand on “visa runs”, as well as those persons based in Laos seeking visas permitting more than two trips per year overland to the near neighbor via Friendship Bridge.
For those folk wistfully nostalgic about their time spent waiting for a visa appointment in the consulate queue, be sure to make it down in this splendid weather for old times sake.
More than just an anniversary, the celebrations for the 70 years of the Lao Armed Forces on January 20 also a provide a handy milestone in the Lao political cycle.
That wasn’t just a half hour of fireworks on That Luang Esplanade and the biggest parade by the nation’s troops in a decade.
Last weekend’s celebration of the 70 years of the Lao Armed Forces was also a forum for international military-military links and a milestone in the Lao political cycle that marks three years since the previous Party Congress and two years until the next.
Lao Armed Forces Show off Russian-made Tanks at 70th Anniversary parade
Kommadam Academy of the Ministry of National Defense in Naxaythong district was the venue for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Lao People’s Army. There the Armed Forces showcased the capacities of members and their equipment in service of the people of Laos.
The event was an eye catcher, bringing together the nations front line serving military personnel and hardware in a way that is rarely witnessed in peacetime Laos.
Photographers from local and international news agencies snapped images of equipment including theYak-130 advanced jet trainer appearing, in this case caught on image via news agencies such as China’s Xinhua.
However, it was images of the personnel themselves that proved quite gripping and potentially fear-inducing.
The parade was broadcast by Lao National Television and partners including Lao Star TV.
Live ພີທີສະເຫຼີມສະຫຼອງວັນສ້າງຕັ້ງກອງທັບປະຊາຊົນລາວ ຄົບຮອບ 70 ປີ [ 20-01-2019]
Posted by LAO STAR TV on ວັນເສົາ ທີ 19 ມັງກອນ 2019
As in Laos as much as anywhere, such an event to honor a nation’s armed forces is also attended by the country’s most powerful civilian as well as military leaders, past and present.
As such, the event was held in the presence of Party and government leaders including President Bounnhang Vorachit, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, senior military officials, former leaders, foreign military officials and representatives of mass organizations.
The event comes some three years to the day since the 10th Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Congress in January 2016 and some two years out from the next. A Party Congress helps set policy directions and can have lasting influence not only on the fate of the nation but on the career trajectories of its delegates alike.
LPRP Secretary General, President of Laos Mr Bounnhang Vorachit speaks at Lao People’s Armed Forces 70th Anniversary Parade. (Image KPL)
The event comes after Lao Defence Minister Chansamone Chanyalath’s promotion to the rank of General – the highest rank in the Lao People’s Army – in 2018.
Presidents of the Lao PDR present and former standing to attention as military leaders salute.
While Laos remains under civilian rule under the LPRP, military service and familial connections provide one of the fertile sources for political capital in the country’s single party system.
International attendance was also up.
A number of foreign military delegations, including those from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Russia, Myanmar and Thailand, as well as representatives from diplomatic corps and international organizations also attended.
Alongside the closely politically aligned neighbors namely Vietnam and China, capturing the recent headlines in military relations with Laos has been Russia.
High level as to be expected, the Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Politburo member and Minister of National Defence, General Ngo Xuan Lich. With his Lao counterpart General Chansamone, he presided over the start of repair work at the Lao capital’s Museum of Military History with the granting of some 13 billion kip (1.5 Million USD).
Not to be outdone, China was also conspicuous in its generosity, handing over a medical ward at Vientiane’s Military Hospital 103. Covering 24,000 square it meters, is equipped with nearly 300 beds and six operating rooms, and can provide medical treatments for approximately 3,000 outpatients each day.
Later the same evening, ground shaking booms and shimmering explosives were felt and indeed seen from vantage points across Vientiane on January 20 as the country’s Armed Forces marked 70 years since its establishment with a generous pyrotechnic display above That Luang Stupa, the nation’s “heart”.
Members of the public sat in the back of parked pickup trucks or stood with camera phones raised in wonder as the booms echoed across the flat and reflective asphalt surfaces to take in the spike in sight and sound.
The pyrotechnics were the biggest to be witnessed in the capital since December 2015 for the marking of the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Democratic Republic.
Amid the pyrotechnic bombast, one could easily imagine a twinkle in the eye of another Lao warrior, the leader King Setthathirat, whose statue sits ever perched upon his elevated pedestal in front of the golden stupa.
Laos and the European nation of San Marino have inked diplomatic ties on the sidelines of the United Nations in New York.
Foreign ministers of the two countries met at a signing held on September 28, 2018 at UN Headquarters, Lao News Agency KPL reported.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith and San Marino Minister for Foreign and Political Affairs Nicola Renzi shook hands after signing off on the diplomatic deal.
Flag of San Marino
San Marino is a city-state that predates yet the formation of the modern-day Italian Republic.
The land-locked (yet Adriatic Sea proximate) state is nonetheless connected to the outside world by ancient and modern routes alike.
The republic has an area of 61.2 sq km with a population of 33,779 people with Italian the official language.
San Marino on the map
The 141st country with whom Laos has established formal diplomatic links, San Marino is one of the worlds smallest nation states by population and size.
It is understood to have gained independence more than a millennium and a half ago from the Roman Empire on September 3, 301, and professes a long history of independence.
Some 97% professing Christianity & Roman Catholicism as their religious identification.
While not a member of the European Union, San Marino is within the Euro currency zone.
Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and there is yet another reason to celebrate with flights to China’s glitzy and advanced economic metropolitan magnet Shanghai from the capital of Laos, Vientiane.
Flights from Vientiane to Shanghai for $US199 + tax are expected to light up the departure boards at Wattay International Airport with flag carrier Lao Airlines preparing to head north and back four times a week starting from the 28th of January.
Advertisements for the route to the coastal Chinese economic powerhouse began popping up online.
Confirmation, details via Lao Airlines’ own social media and website were still pending January 18 local time.
Founded by two expatriates, Mr Greg Nolan, an Australian and Mr Benjamin Soo, a Malaysian-Lao, Modern Lao Homes began with the mission to take on the challenges of building quality, modern homes in Laos. In their visits to their client’s properties they’ve been called in to renovate, Greg and Benjamin realized that Lao many houses are in very poor condition, some only a few years old. This is largely a result of construction companies in Laos using low quality building materials and techniques to cut corners and cut costs.
In just three years since its establishment, Modern Lao Homes has undertaken a total of twenty projects, including renovation, design and home-building in Vientiane. And another ten projects are underway, scheduled to be built in 2019. As the demand for good home construction increases, Modern Lao Homes is striving to make its services readily available for Vientiane, and to carve a name for itself as Laos’ most trusted and valuable home builders.
Satisfied Customers of Modern Lao Homes
There is also a common local misconception that building a modern house often means it will be a lot more expensive, especially when hiring an expat-run company like Modern Lao Homes to build, but according to Greg and Benjamin, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“We are upfront and transparent with the cost it takes to build a good home with our customers,” says Greg.
“Our houses will last for generations, unlike many of the houses that are found in the market today. We are also probably the only company that are transparent enough to show our customers every bill for items purchased and the profit margin we make so they know that they really get their money’s worth,” he continues.
Another of the unique selling points of Modern Lao Homes is the company’s ability to source for products and items overseas that aren’t typically found in Laos. Saw a nice barn door on Pinterest that you think would be great in your kitchen? WiFi lighting in the living room? Sliding doors that slides into the cavity of the walls? The company has a good network with suppliers in Australia, Thailand and Malaysia that would be able to bring in products and materials of your liking to complete your dream home.
Modern Lao Homes offers a variety of services ranging from home renovations to providing architectural drawings and of course, home building. The process of building a house can be daunting especially with the many paperwork and processes required to obtain build permits but at Modern Lao Homes, all paperwork is carried out by the team to put the customers at ease.
With the upcoming Lao Real Estate Expo 2019 to be held in Don Chan in 1st March this year, the public will be able to experience a VR walk-through of the company’s very own completed houses at their booth. Their booth received great reception and buzz last year during the Lao Build Expo 2018 when they first introduced a new way for customers to experience and see the quality of their builds through the use of VR and has agreed to do it again for their upcoming booths at Lao Real Estate Expo 2019 and Lao Build 2019 this year.
Thailand's Bangkok-Nong Khai Railway to link with Lao-China Railway
Construction of Thailand’s component of the regional high-speed rail network linked to China’s ambitious One Belt One Road plan is on the move again after years of delays hampered the progress of the high-profile project.
A first 3.5km phase was the subject of a groundbreaking ceremony in December 2018, presided over by Thai PM Prayut Chan-Ocha.
Set to link up with the Lao-China railway at the Laos border, the railway will connect Thailand’s capital Bangkok with the country’s northeastern city of Nong Khai on the Lao border, a distance of 873 km (542 miles).
Trains will run at top speeds of up to 250km/h, leading overland travel time from Bangkok to Nong Khai to be cut from 11 to three hours when the full line is operational in 2023.
The 250-km (155 mile) section linking Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima is expected to be operational in 2021.
The bidding process for a further six phases should be carried out in 2019, Thailand’s Bangkok Post has reported.
It is expected that once completed, rail passengers traversing Thailand with appropriate tickets and travel documents shall be able to proceed onward to the Lao capital of Vientiane and stations in Laos beyond and onward to stations in China’s Yunnan including the provincial capital Kunming.
After leaving Na Tha station in Nong Khai’s Muang district, the railway is set to pass over the Mekong River via a new Thai-Lao friendship bridge specifically designed to accommodate the expected rail passenger and freight traffic.
The Laotian Times has provided periodic updates on the progress of the Lao China Railway project as construction continues toward a 2021 completion target.
Another of the unique selling points of 
