Mercure Hotel chain has announced the closure of its Vientiane property from March 1, 2019.
Mercure Closes Doors on Vientiane Property
The Mercure is set to continue trading until February 28 shutting its doors for the final time March 1, the letter signed by general manager Christopher Yeo and dated December 26, 2018, announced.
Boasting 172 well-designed guestrooms, the four-story hotel long benefited from its site conveniently situated on the airport end of Vientiane’s downtown.
More recently the highly competitive market for higher end hotel accommodation and proximity to the larger Crowne Plaza Hotel were doubtless among the factors driving demand and affecting considerations on the viability of the business in Vientiane for the Mercure Chain, part of the Accor group.
Laotian Times like other denizens of the city and beyond will be tuned in to learn what’s next for this prime spot located opposite the Park Honouring the legendary monarch King Fa Ngum.
Paralympic Gold Medallist Pia Lao Phakdee Among Awardees on Road-to Tokyo2020
Asian Para Games gold medal-winning powerlifter Pia Laophakdee among those to get recognition via Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on road to Tokyo2020.
Well, the festive season in the rearview mirror and like it or not, 2019 is now well and truly with us.
Those of us fortunate enough to get a break are heading back to work and regular activities and sporting pursuits with various levels of enthusiasm.
One group of people who need little additional motivation but could do well with all the support they can get are Laos’ elite athletes like Asian Para Games gold medalist Pia Laophakdee who will be striving towards their sporting goals.
Recogizing these efforts recently was no less than Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, who presented recognition and encouragement to the countries medal-winning athletes at an award ceremony held in Vientiane.
Paralympic Gold Medallist Pia Lao Phakdee Among Awardees on Road-to Tokyo2020
The Prime Minister also awarded the efforts of those who have helped the athletes achieve success, including coaches and administrators.
M Point Mart gives way to Mini Big C amid convenience store joint venture, rebranding.
Laos’ capital’s convenience store chain M Point Mart is set for an overhaul as Vientiane’s Phontan store staff confirm joint venture set see the city’s ubiquitous late night shopping outlets rebranded as Mini Big C with 24 hour shopping hours expected.
Setting up in Vientiane’s old town before expanding over the past decade to become ubiquitous upon many a street corner in Vientiane, the Point brand has become synonymous with convenience shopping in the capital.
Now the M Point Mart trade name appears to be making way for brand Big C, with the first Phontan store is already fully decked out in Mini Big C livery and staff dressed in uniform.
Well known local and international brands Beerlao Lao Brewing Company, Beer Leo and Coca-Cola beverages had promotional representatives to welcome customers to the suburban outlet on the last Saturday in December.
Already familiar to Laos’ many cross-border shoppers, it appears Thai retailer Big C’s foray on the Lao side of the river could mark a wider range of choice for the consumer living in the capital and beyond.
It comes after a long-awaited yet never realized outlet opening once planned for Vientiane’s Talat Sao Shopping Mall, the current status of which remains unconfirmed.
According to the company’s Thai website English page, “Mini Big C is a 24-hour convenience store.”
“Under management of Big C, we serve you with convenience, conciseness of only 80-100 sq.m. store size in community central area (sic), friendly services and variety of over 3,500 daily used products including not only leading brands but also Big C Brand for best value of money.
“Small sized products are our focus. Finally, what make us different from other convenience stores is fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables we offer.”
M Point Mart gives way to Mini Big C amid convenience store joint venture, rebranding.
Once more with Luv: ULUVUS for one night only Saturday 22 December 2018 at WINd-WEST
What can you say about ULUVUS? A few years less ancient than Vat Phu (Wat Phou) Champassak;
Probably not as well preserved as the olde towne of Luang Prabang,
Mysterious and curious though somewhat less so than the Plain of Jars;
Beguiling like a tune from a secret admirer, yet not quite a Khaen.
Such aims, like a UNESCO World Heritage Listing, may lie somewhere between old news, overdue recognition, aspirational daydreams and due any moment, but in any case, how could you fault the ambition of these relative titans of the (admittedly diminutive) Falang Lao musical landscape, known collectively as ULUVUS.
Like Seasoned BBQ Hands Back From A Distant Char Grill, ULUVUS Ready to Rock!
What can be said with relative certainty is few more pallid a phalanx of menfolk have flown as true in the worthy attempt to give the invisible bamboo ceiling of popular culture success in Laos a real shake.
Performing in the Lao language inspired by the wit and guile of troubadours past, the oft uniformed gents gathered a following among local and international fans alike.
Now, they are back from distant points of the globe to the epicenter of Vientiane evening amusement known and loved by generations; WINd-WEST Pub.
Inscribed on the Indee Records imprint, the lads spent a few well-spent years of the late 00’s and early to mid 10’s in Laos, lighting up the stage more than a fair few times and put out more than a couple of music videos if Youtube is anything to go by.
Gone but hardly forgotten and with a facebook page boasting no less than 36,000 likers (FB existed back then?!) they and their legions of aficionados call on fellow diehard fans and newbies alike, particularly those that fulfill the following criteria:
a) still alive in the physical sense;
b) of sound mind and body;
c) geographically proximate to WINd West Pub
to come out of the woodwork forthwith for this fully renovated if not reincarnated performance.
ULUVUS perform boat racing festival way back in 2011
Like a flashback to another lifetime, you will be boasting old-time reminiscences with tall tales and rock hand signs to be to be hoist anew at the endless metaphorical BBQ of rock and roll.
Ivory seized in Nakhon Phanom smuggled from Laos' Khammuan province.
Thai Police in Nakhon Phanom province have seized 930 items of ivory weighing some 22 kg from a Vietnamese national attempting to bring them across the international frontier from Laos’ Khammouane province, Thai news media reported Monday.
The case follows another major seizure in Laos Bokeo province on December 13 confirmed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
In the Khammuan-Nakhon Phanom smuggling seizure case, the alleged suspect, a Ms Than Nguen Kee Thanh, 43, was taken into custody at the Thai border checkpoint on Sunday after she arrived by bus from Thakhek in the Lao province of Khammuan, the provincial customs chief Naratchapol Lertratchatapasorn confirmed, Bangkok Post reported Monday.
Ivory seized in Nakhon Phanom smuggled from Laos’ Khammouane.
The Nation reported that “officials were conducting a routine check of the bus and the travel documents of passengers at the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge’s border checkpoint in Nakhon Phanom’s Muang district when the discovery was made.”
“The woman claimed she was given Bt2,000 just before she boarded the bus from Laos to take the bag to an unknown recipient at the Nakhon Phanom bus terminal.”
Ivory seized in Nakhon Phanom smuggled from Laos’ Khammuan province.
The move comes after raids and recent seizures of five outlets at a Special Economic Zone in Bokeo province on December 13 in the country’s North-West, near the frontier with Myanmar, undertaken by Lao authorities and documented by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
The enforcement is follows a Prime Ministerial order issued 8 May 2018 on the strengthening of the management and control of wildlife and wildlife in Laos.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Laos) welcomed the law enforcement measures, particularly the implementation of Order No. 05, which it said provided for the conservation of wildlife and stop illegal and endangered wildlife trade in Laos.
Images Credit WWF in Laos
The seizures while significant is unlikely to be the last while demand persists for the material and ringleaders remain out of reach.
Say no to Ivory says China’s basketball hero Yao Ming via billboard in Vientiane, Laos.Campaigns to change behavior like that led by China’s basketballer Yao Ming are being welcomed as a way to stem demand by helping to make ivory “uncool”. It is hoped that these can find results in time to save key and iconic species of the natural world.
Responsible tourists don’t buy Ivory, China’s first ever NBA basketball hero Yao Ming tells visitors to Laos.
Undertaken in 2015, the census provides a snapshot on changing demographics between 2005 and 2010 in multiethnic Laos.
“Socio-Economic Atlas of the Lao PDR provides readers with a highly detailed, multidimensional set of insights into geographic and temporal patterns of the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the population of the Lao PDR.”
“It combines statistical data from the last two Population and Housing Censuses of 2005 and 2015 with detailed geographic information to present a wealth of new information on a large set of highly detailed thematic maps that are accompanied with descriptive texts. ”
Available online without charge, its chapters deal with subjects such as Demography, Migration, Literacy and Education, Health, Ethnicity, Economic Activities, Living Conditions and Poverty.
Miss Laos On-anong Homsombath has captured the best national costume gong at Miss Universe 2018.
The striking entry was inspired by the mythical Kinnaree, a half-bird/half-woman that features in the country’s diverse Buddhist and ancient Hindu-influenced culture and mythology alongside various tribal and animist spiritual beliefs.
An elaborate design as much puppetry as couture bedecked in shimmering gold, Laos’ remarkable entry beat out a list full of incredible and extravagant outfits from around the globe.
The victory wasn’t enough to win overall, with the 2018 Miss Universe title going to the Philippines’ Catriona Gray.
The back story behind the outfit was previously reported in Laos’ state-run daily, the Vientiane Times, in which designers positively referenced the public response to July 23’s Attapeu Dam Disaster among the inspirations for the 40kg-plus outfit.
Earlier on that same July day, The Laotian Times reported on Ms On-anong’s surprise announcement as Miss Universe Laos 2018.
The selection came after organisers announced the cancellation of the scheduled contest for the title.
Countless and myriad. Such are the contributions of volunteers to making our communities better places to live, no matter where on the globe we call home.
Both Lao and international volunteers efforts in Laos were recognized for World Volunteers Day in the capital Vientiane Wednesday evening, with a celebration set to recognize efforts in building resilient communities.
International Volunteers Day in Vientiane, Laos
Personal actions matter for community resilience.
At the event at Vientiane’s UN House, volunteers from multiple organizations were preparing to gather to share how they help build resilient communities.
Among these were official assistance volunteers in the form of United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
Joining them was Cuso International, is a non-profit development organization, whose goal is to work alongside local people in other countries, to improve the lives of people living with poverty and inequality.
Official assistance volunteers from France Volontaires and those of cooperation agencies from Japan (JICA) and the Republic of Korea (KOICA) were also in attendance as were members of Global Shapers Vientiane Hub, a World Economic Forum youth initiative.
Insights and inspiration from volunteers on the ground were set to be shared, along with dance performances and networking opportunities.
International Volunteers Day in Vientiane, Laos
UN Representative’s Message
Addressing the gathering was UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Kaarina Immonen.
“The International Volunteer Day (IVD), which was established by the United Nations in 1985, is an initiative to recognise contributions to development agenda made by volunteers, organisations and communities, joining by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide,” Ms Immonen said.
“Since 1983, more than 1,100 UN volunteers have served in Lao PDR from over 60 countries, and around 30 UN volunteers serve annually in various UN agencies, project offices and Lao government ministries.
“They devote themselves in constructing better future for the Lao population in different fields.
“This year, our campaign set a closer look on how local community volunteers contribute to building resilient communities.
“In the 2018 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report released lately, it stated volunteerism provides a mechanism for channeling individual actions into collective strategies for coping with risk.
“These strategies help build social relationships, forging bonds of solidarity, enhance trust, expand people’s support base and lessen their vulnerability to shocks and stresses.
“When Laos was hit by the worst flood in its history last July, UN volunteer was one of the members of our emergency response team to supply food donations and clothes to the affected communities.
“Our volunteers sustain their support to the communities by coordinating disaster relief tasks, educating rural communities and ethnic groups on disaster preparedness through community radio, assisting Unexploded Ordnance clearance in flooded areas, raising Lao population’s awareness on climate change issues, encouraging them to take climate actions and promoting environmental sustainability.
“We would like have our locals to learn how different sectors work on community resilience.
“Therefore, UN Volunteers Programme in Lao PDR decided to commemorate the International Volunteer day by inviting different partners to share their volunteer experience, encouraging the public to get involved in volunteerism in their own ways.”
PM Thongloun asks for insights from Japan’s volunteers
Earlier in the week, insights and impressions from experiences at the grassroots was the Prime Ministerial request.
Members of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) and Japan’s Senior Volunteers (SV) were hosted by Mr Thongloun Sisoulith and senior officials on for an annual courtesy call and informal exchange on Monday, December 10.
According to the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Thongloun expressed heartwarming appreciation for volunteers’ daily efforts. The volunteers also reported on their activities and challenges that they directly are facing on the ground. In response, the Prime Minister made comments on the initiatives being made by the Government of Laos.
Japan has been dispatched Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) since 1965 and Lao PDR is the first country in the world which received the volunteers from Japan.
Since then, 992 Volunteers have been making efforts to solve development issues in various sectors together with the people of the Lao PDR. The 1000th Japanese volunteer to Laos is set to arrive in early 2019.
Prime Minister Thongloun welcomes visit from Volunteers from Japan via JICAPM Thongloun meets Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) via JICA
PM Thongloun meets Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) via JICA
