Hin Nam No: Laos’ Most Biodiverse Region

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May 5, 2018

To support the Lao government in its endeavors to place Hin Nam No National Protected Area (Hin Nam No NPA) under UNESCO World Heritage protection, the GIZ-Hin Nam No component of the German Development Cooperation Programme Protection and Sustainable Use of Forest Ecosystems and Biodiversity (ProFEB) organized a 8-day technical field mission.

The mission, led by Professor Emeritus Paul Williams, an international expert in geomorphology and hydrology with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), set out on April 25th to assess the area’s geologic and geomorphologic features in relation to other tropical karst (limestone) regions.

This evaluation is part of the technical work on the nomination process of Hin Nam No as part of a transboundary UNESCO World Heritage site with Phong Nga Ke Bang National Park (PNKB NP) in Vietnam.

The technical work required for the nomination of Hin Nam No NPA as an extension to PNKB NP officially launched in March with the first meeting of the Hin Nam No NPA UNESCO nomination Technical Taskforce.

Its key challenge is to demonstrate the area’s contribution to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the soon-to-be transboundary World Heritage site.

The exploratory mission, conducted from April 25^th to 30^th, highlights Hin Nam No’s diverse landscape against the backdrop of other karst formations in the region and worldwide.

Oday Soudaphone, Governor of Khammoune, joined the team’s exploration of Xe Bang Fai cave, one of the largest active river cave passages in the world. During his visit, he emphasized the importance of Hin Nam No’s anticipated UNESCO nomination for Laos and Khammouane in particular.

“Becoming a Natural World Heritage Site will ensure the conservation and protection of the area and its outstanding universal value. Tourism-wise, the remarkable features of Hin Nam No’s karst formations and its biological diversity will attract both local and international tourists, which will in turn generate income for local communities,” said Governor Soudaphone.

Jens Lütkenherm, German Ambassador to Laos, who accompanied the technical mission on a helicopter flight over the karst landscape, highlighted Germany’s backing regarding the UNESCO nomination process.

A view of the downstream entrance of the Xe Bang Fai cave. The Xe Bang Fai river runs through this limestone cave for 12 km, making it one of the longest river caves in the world. Photo credit: GIZ/Lucas Wahl

“We fully support the Lao government in its efforts to attain UNESCO World Heritage status for Hin Nam No in order to protect its biodiversity and to strengthen Laos’ international profile as an eco-tourism destination. The status as a UNESCO World Heritage site would undoubtedly promote effective conservation of the region’s spectacular flora and fauna, and the geo-heritage of Laos. Laos as a member of the global community will contribute outstanding universal value for all citizens around the globe if Hin Nam No gains UNESCO World Heritage protection,” said Ambassador Lütkenherm.

Hin Nam No NPA, as part of a transboundary UNESCO World Heritage site with the Vietnamese Phong Nga Ke Bang National Park, would receive recognition by the international conservation community under the World Heritage convention.

However, there is still much work required to prepare for the submission of the nomination to UNESCO, particularly with respect to increasing knowledge about Hin Nam No and its values through baseline research.

As Professor Emeritus Paul Williams concluded his mission, Dr. Leonid Averyanov, a well known botanist and orchid specialist, started his 2-week vegetation survey from May 2-17 in Hin Nam No.

What is Hin Nam No?

The official website states:

Scenic landscapes, rugged karst mountains, highly biodiverse flora and fauna and lovely people. That is how this unique National Protected Area in central Laos could be briefly described. Of course, there would be much more to mention and even more to explore, the latter being a continuous process here in this part of the Annamite mountains. Due to the specific topography consisting of steep mountains, unreachable hilltops, hidden valleys, unknown caves, countless streams and springs, Hin Nam No NPA is still a very well conserved place on earth harboring a huge quantity of hidden treasures.

But it is not only the biodiversity that makes Hin Nam No a real unique place. Also, the people surrounding and guarding the NPA are quiet distinct. It is the first NPA in Laos where villagers are directly involved and engaged in the sustainable use and protection of the NPA, making their living out of it. The flora and fauna are as diverse inside the NPA as the people around it. The fact that there are different ethnic groups speaking different languages and dialects proves that a joint effort and strong willingness to change will lead to strong governance and ownership, thus, conserving not only the habitat of flora and fauna, but their own natural resources.

Source: KPL, HinNamNo.org

Vientiane Bus Company Announces Fare Increases

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Laotian Times

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May 5, 2018

The Vientiane State Bus Enterprise has raised the price of bus tickets for bus routes within the capital city due to constant hikes in fuel prices in recent months.

The raised ticket prices apply to the following routes, from/to Kuadin Bus Station (old price/new price):

Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge: 6,000 kip/8,000 kip per person

Thangon Village, Xaythany District: 5,000 kip/7,000 kip per person

Sangthong District: 15,000 kip/20,000 kip

Phontong Village, Chanthabouly District: 3,000 kip/4,000 kip per person

Donpamai Village, Sisattanak District: 3,000 kip/4,000 kip per person

Dongdok Village, Saythany District: 3,000 kip/4,000 kip per person

Nongtheng Village, Sikhothabong District: 4,000 kip/5,000 kip per person

Thongpong Village, Sikhothabong District: 4,000 kip/5,000 kip per person

Dongkhamsang Village, Saysettha District: 4,000 kip/5,000 kip per person

Sangthong District: 15,000 kip/20,000 kip per person

Namsuang Village: 10,000 kip/12,000 kip per person

Phialath Village, Sangthong District: 15,000 kip/20,000 kip per person

The recent hike of bus fares is the first of its kind since 2011, according to a senior official of the Vientiane State Bus Enterprise.

*Notice document announcing bus ticket increases*

After having released the announcement to the public, many bus goers immediately took to social media. Their comments were mainly focused not on the price hike but the lack of enforcement of bus rules. They highlighted several inappropriate behaviors exhibited by certain people including eating and drinking on the bus, conversing disrespectfully loudly, putting one’s feet up on the chairs, panhandling, and even selling goods.

One social media user, however, spoke for many when she remarked that the price was expected because the national minimum wage had been recently adjusted from 900,000 to 1,100,000 kip per month.

“What’s the point of an increase in our minimum wage if all the price of necessary goods and services go up with it?”

NERI: Lao Economy Needs Diversification

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Laotian Times

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May 3, 2018

An economic update released last month by the National Economic Research Institute (NERI), a government body led by former Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, stated that the mining sector’s contribution to the country’s economy will continue to drop over the coming years as a lower output is predicted for this natural resource-based sector.

NERI did not identify the factors contributing to the lower productivity of the mining sector. However, it is widely recognized that the mining sector, particularly two major mining operations, has seen a fall in the production of raw materials. One of these is the Sepon mine, the operations of which are expected to close in 2020 due to the exhaustion of resources.

Despite the mining sector’s lower contribution to the economy, economists at the institute remained confident that Laos’ overall economic growth rate would fall between 6.5% and 7% in 2018, already a comparatively high rate in Southeast Asia.

According to NERI’s report, another major driving force for the economy is electricity generation. A number of hydropower facilities have launched commercial operations, including the Hongsa Lignite power plant, Nam Ou 2 and 5 hydropower plants, Xekaman 1 and Nam Mang 1 hydropower plants.

Apart from hydropower, the construction industry will play an essential role in reinforcing strong economic growth, according to the economists. They cited the construction of the Laos-China Railway as a key driver of this sector’s development. Additionally, the services sector, particularly retail sales, will make a significant contribution to the economy.

International banks such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank recently released their own economic forecasts, and their findings were consistent with those of the National Economic Research Institute.

These international development partners have repeatedly advised the Lao government to diversify its economic base and to cease its dependence on natural resources – a perspective that is viewed as unsustainable. They also want the government to pay greater attention to the development of agriculture, in which a majority of the population is employed. They said the emergence of this sector as a key economic driver will lift a larger number of people from poverty.

The government has taken note of the current situation and has embarked on a mission, spearheaded by the current Prime Minister, to improve the business climate to attract more investment in non-resource sectors. However, observers said this mission is very challenging and will take time.

Source: Vientiane Times

Texas Chicken Opens Second Branch in Vientiane, Laos

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Laotian Times

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May 3, 2018

Texas Chicken Second Branch Vientiane Laos

Texas Chicken, the American fried chicken chain, has officially opened its second branch in Vientiane Capital, marking the expansion of the brand in Laos.

The branch opened on 2 May on Francois Ngin Road, in a location popular with tourists and local people along the Mekong River.

Texas Chicken says it hopes to expand to seven branches within Laos in future, creating employment and offering job opportunities and professional training for unskilled Lao people.

The opening event was attended by Mr. Mickael Frangin, General Manager of Express Food Group Laos,
representatives of Express Food Group, shareholder Mrs Chanthachone Vongxay, and members of the press.

Texas Chicken is an American chain of restaurants specializing in fried chicken, which trades inside the United States as “Church’s Chicken.” The chain was founded as Church’s Fried Chicken To Go by George W. Church Sr. in 1952, in San Antonio, Texas.

The company now has over 1,700 locations in 25 countries, and is the third largest fried chicken chain in the world.

The first Texas Chicken restaurant to open in Laos was the That Luang branch, which was opened in 2016 by Express Food Group, a subsidiary of RMA Group, which also operates pizza and ice-cream restaurants throughout Southeast Asia.

The Texas Chicken restaurants in Laos have a core menu of classic Texas Chicken favorites, including hand-battered, freshly prepared original and spicy flavored spicy fried chicken, with honey-butter biscuits.

The second Vientiane branch of the fried chicken chain is located here.

Source: KPL

Dao Heuang Coffee to Penetrate Chinese Market

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Laotian Times

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May 2, 2018

The Dao Heuang Group, one of the biggest producers of coffee in Laos, is expanding its overseas sales network to China, where coffee consumption has been increasing by 15-20% per year.

Dao Heuang and Kunming Kanglin Food Import and Export Trading Company reached an agreement on buying-selling and dealership authorization of Dao coffee products in China.

The contract was signed by Vice President of the Dao Heuang Group, Boonheuang Carol Litdang, and a representative of the Kunming Kanglin Food Import and Export Trading Company, Khamseng Xayapheng, on April 28 in Champasak.

The agreement will enter into effect for three years until 2021.

General Manager of Kunming Kanglin Food Import and Export Trading Company, Li Lin He, said that the export of Dao coffee to China made sense because the latter is a huge country with a huge population and rapid and strong economic growth. These conditions provided the commercial rationale for the expansion of Dao products to consumers in China.

He added that his company recognized that Dao coffee was sourced from the Bolaven Plateau in the south of Laos. The plateau has a special climate and geography that provides a high quality yield and the coffee crop is processed by Dao’s own coffee plant. It is a big processing industry that uses modern technology of high standards.

Recently, there are some in China, where the tradition for many years has been to drink tea, have changed their drinking culture and are now consuming more coffee.

Source: Vientiane Times

Photos: Dao Coffee

More Koreans Are Choosing Laos As Travel Destination

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Laotian Times

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May 1, 2018

Koreans are fourth largest group of tourists in Laos

While considerable local and international attention have been focused on the arrival of Chinese tourists to Laos, another tourist group, Koreans, are bringing much needed foreign currency into the country.

In recent years, Laos has experienced a tremendous rise in the number of Korean tourists making them the fourth largest group of foreign tourists coming to Laos (behind Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese). It has been observed that travelers from Korea prefer primarily to take holidays in the central and northern parts of Laos, electing to spend most of their time in the capital city of Vientiane, Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang.

Since the broadcast of a reality TV show shot in Vang Vieng in 2014, Koreans of all ages have descended on the town every year. It is no wonder that hotels like Riverside Boutique Resort would look for Korean-speaking interns. A few years back, Koreans made up 42% of his guests.

However, the majority of Koreans hardly visit the southern part of Laos, which also boasts a large number of scenic and cultural charms.

Korean Ambassador to Laos, Shin Sung Soon has mentioned the need for more advertising to be done to promote the attractions of the southern provinces of Champasak and Attapeu, so that Koreans would know more about these areas and want to visit them. He also said that if southern attractions were more developed and advertised, they could become an attractive option for Koreans enticing more and more of the latter to come.

“The cooperation between Laos and the Republic of Korea on tourism is very impressive as last year witnessed more than 170,000 Koreans visiting Laos and more than 10,000 Lao people visiting Korea,” said the ambassador.

Thanks to the Lao government’s visa-free entry policy for Koreans for stays of up to 15 days, it is now substantially easier for Koreans to view Laos as viable holiday destination.

Apart from the favorable state initiative, there are currently five daily direct flights between Laos and Korea. This has also spurred an increase in the number of visitors. Five direct flights a day is considerable compared to the two daily flights between Korea and Vietnam and even more astounding when compared to the six flights a day between Korea and Thailand, which is a regional hub for air travel.

With Korea’s Incheon International Airport being a regional transit hub, Ambassador Shin said direct flights to this airport help connect Laos with many parts of the world, further boosting foreign tourist arrivals.

To encourage more Koreans to stay longer in Laos, the ambassador said the visa-free stay should be extended, pointing out that 15 days was insufficient for backpackers.

“The 15-day visa exemption is adequate for people coming to Laos as part of a tour group, but it’s not long enough for independent travellers,” Ambassador Shin said, adding that backpackers were likely to need more time to explore Laos.

He added that he would ask the government to consider extending the visa exemption period from 15 to 30 days.

Economists at the National Economic Research Institute say Laos faces various obstacles in its bid to increase tourist arrivals to meet targets, including the target set for 2018, even though the country is running the Visit Laos Year 2018 promotional drive.

The government has set a goal of attracting 5.2 million international visitors, with the revenue target figure set at approximately US$910 million. But there are major challenges to meeting the targets, the institute said in its latest outlook.

The main obstacles include limited promotional advertising, high cost of general services and living costs, and lack of tourism products. Poor basic infrastructure, especially road access to tourist sites, is another drawback.

Laos has experienced a dip in foreign tourist arrivals in recent years even as other countries in the region such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are experiencing substantial growth, according to the outlook, which underlined the need for Laos to work hard to tackle the challenges.

Source: Vientiane Times, KPL, Nikkei Asian Review
Photo: K-Plus Entertainment

Sinon Loresca, King of Catwalk Travels to Laos

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Laotian Times

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April 30, 2018

Social media celebrity Sinon Loresca has recently arrived in Vientiane and has stirred up a lot of commotion in its sleepy capital with his infamously provocative catwalk, sensationalized by his popular Instagram account which has over 440,000 followers and his Facebook Page with over a million LIKES.

Dubbed the “King of the Catwalk,” Loresca has a tremendously chiseled body and the perfect tan to accompany it. He has been hailed as one of the most talented gay men to strut in high heels in the most mundane of places including airports, beaches, sidewalks and most recently at Patouxay Monument.

https://www.facebook.com/TheKingofCatwalk/videos/1843798882580278/UzpfSTE1NTA5MDE4ODUyMDMzMTQ6MTg0NDI0NjY1NTg2ODgzNA/

By some estimates, the “Patouxay Catwalk” video, in which Loresca is seen walking his dog in high heels in front of the Patouxay Monument in Vientiane Capital, has been viewed more times in one day than the official Laos Simply Beautiful video has in several weeks.

Apart from Patouxay, Loresca visited a number of Vientiane’s famous destinations including That Luang.

He went to lift weights at Sengdara Fitness.

He even met Nui, Miss Universe Laos 2017.

While it is safe to say that the King of the Catwalk’s visit to Laos was neither staged nor officially sanctioned by the Visit Laos Year Campaign 2018, the amount of publicity generated by his social media posts and videos on Facebook and Instagram has most certainly brought much needed tourist attention to Laos.

Irrawaddy Dolphin May be Making a Comeback

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Laotian Times

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April 30, 2018

irrawaddy dolphin in Laos — Irrawaddy dolphin in Laos

The population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River has increased for the first time in twenty years, according to a recent WWF report.

The Irrawaddy dolphin, found only in Southeast Asia, is considered critically endangered. They are found in the Mekong River, the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, and the Mahakham River of Borneo Island.

The number of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River has now increased to 90 animals, however, a 15 percent increase over an estimate of 80 made in 2015.

The survey area stretched from Kratie in Cambodia to the Khone Phapheng Falls in Champasack Province, Laos.

One report in 2016 suggested that the dolphin was functionally extinct in Laos.

The WWF has stated that while the increased numbers are good news, the dolphins remain threatened by illegal fishing methods, increased boat traffic and dam projects.

However, efforts by the WWF, the governments of the countries involved, and local tourism has made a difference.

Dolphin watching and ecotourism are important businesses for communities on the river, and the WWF hopes that this can help bring the animal back from the brink of extinction.

Source: WWF
Photo: WWF