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Government Declares One-Dish Menu Items to Be Priced No More Than 15,000 Kip

By
Laotian Times
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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has just announced that it will be implementing a new price control policy, in Vientiane Capital, on the following popular menu items in restaurants: pho, kao piek, kao pat, and kao latna.

The notice, dated 25 May, and signed by the DG of the Office of the Industry and Commerce Ministry Bansathi Thepavong, stated that the aforementioned one-dish menus (aharn jarn diew) should not exceed 15,000 kip. In the event that the customer would like a customized dish with extra serving sizes or special items, he/she may negotiate the price directly with the vendor.

The MOIC has asked the Vientiane Department of Industry and Commerce and the Vientiane Department of Information, Culture and Tourism and other relevant bodies to cooperate and ensure compliance among restaurant vendors.

The new policy is part of the government’s efforts to curb inflation and ensure that average citizens are able to pay for food and that food vendors are able to earn a fair profit from their businesses.

Food vendors that need to alter their prices must seek approval from the Vientiane Department of Industry and Commerce, by detailing the costs of their ingredients and materials.

Source: Laopost, Mahason Magazine

Cow and Buffalo Deaths Occur in Vientiane Province

By
Laotian Times
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cow and buffalo deaths in vientiane province

In addition to the cow deaths occurring in Vientiane Capital this month, a number of cattle have now died in several villages in Vientiane Province.

Local veterinarians have been unable to determine the cause of death.

Two cows died in Phonsavath Village earlier this month, while ten more cows were found dead in Sengchalern Village. 13 buffalo were also reported dead in Naxomboun Village.

Experts theorize that the cattle have contracted some form of disease, whether spread from other cattle or other animals is unknown.

The 13 dead buffalo were purchased from a neighboring province, and after being put out to pasture they suddenly began to die.

District Governor Saman Visetyaphong is quoted in a report by the Vientiane Times as saying that residents have been instructed to temporarily suspend the sale of beef, and farmers have been asked not to move their animals in order to prevent the spread of disease.

Meanwhile, local veterinarians and agricultural specialists are investigating sick animals in the province.

Earlier this month, 40 cows died in Xaysettha District, Vientiane Capital, suspected of being poisoned by chemical waste.  Another 80 cow deaths were reported in the same area the previous month.

Endless forms most beautiful: strolling through Laos’ first botanic gardens

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Laotian Times
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There is grandeur in this view of life… and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. (Charles Darwin)

Darwin would doubtlessly revisit these observations if he visited the botanical gardens in Luang Prabang (Pha Tad Ke), themselves evolving from a wilderness at the base of a limestone hill into a stunningly designed verdant environment.

Visiting four years ago, we whizzed by the indistinct muddy river, landing with a gang of young minority farmers keen to learn composting and cultivation techniques, oblivious to the horticulture staff waving frantically and ineffectively as we passed. The embryonic gardens then comprised a collection of compost heaps, teaching spaces and chaotic fledgling nurseries. How things have changed.

Rik Gadella

Teaching is central to the Garden’s ethos. School and village groups learn nutrition and are given seeds to propagate. While primarily an educational and research facility, Pha Tad Ke offers visitors an informative respite from temples and shopping. Not to mention really fabulous food. Darwin’s appreciation may explain why an art conservator, a man of creativity and design, was drawn to creating a living art work.

“I finally escaped my life in Europe, travelling for the first time in ages. I came to Luang Prabang and found this land,” Rik Gadella, Pha Tad Ke’s founder, tells me.

“I am an organiser by nature. I like getting people together, blending the technical and creative, but it’s been hard. Even now we are not finished. We need funding for pumps and irrigation, a guesthouse for visiting researchers, to add a specialised orchid nursery…” He sighs, all too aware of the enormity of the task. What he has achieved is all the more remarkable for being largely self-funded.

So, why botany? Bryony Smart, a visiting researcher, leading what might be the first long-term site research study of limestone botany, says, “Plants are everything. Think food, clothes, spices, medicines, building materials. Most of our great discoveries have been around plants and their economic potential.”

Laos has some of the last remaining intact areas of limestone karst in the world; vestiges of old sea floors with shell fossils found as high as Phongsaly in the north of the country. It’s natural that Pha Tad Ke’s speciality is limestone botany. International scientists hope the largely inaccessible karst ecosystems remain intact, and are keen to get in and explore what may be the last of these little known universes.

“It should be a matter of great pride to Laos that they have such exciting scientific frontiers. We predict lot of discoveries,” says Smart.

“For instance, being so close to China, we are on the lookout for the critically endangered magnolia grandis. We are afraid this and several other species of magnolias in this region will not survive as the forests are almost gone. We hope to find remnants so we can conserve the species. We have caught the attention of the Queen Sirikit Gardens, Xishuangbanna Gardens in China, the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens and the Singapore Gardens who are helping with research and conservation.”

Smart, a tall rangy woman whose voice blends New Zealand with Londoner spice, and her colleague Mr Somdy, agree that science has not been good at communicating with the public. So these gardens give new meaning to informative ethnobotany. Circular consecutive gardens display plants normally used in Laos for human and elephant medicaments, food, flavourings, dyes, and – for those with Lady Macbeth inclinations – poisons. You can take a walk into the golden bamboo cathedrals and hear the sounds of birds and the scurrying of reptiles. Increasingly science is showing us that simply being in the forest is good for our wellbeing. The Japanese call it ‘forest bathing’.

Gadella has bigger dreams. “We hope to attract doctoral students to work with Lao botanical staff to foster more research,” he says. “I want to host events like writers’ and ideas festivals to encourage wider discussions on the environment and its increasing relevance to our changing world.”

At the ai​rport, chatty travellers leaving Luang Prabang were dismayed they had missed the gardens. “Damn. I wish we had been told. Now it’s too late.” Don’t make that mistake. It’s easy to get there.

Phad Tad Ke is a 10-15 minute boat ride from Luang Prabang. The boat leaves the dedicated pier every hour on the hour. The entrance fee is USD25, including the boat. Note that the Gardens are closed on Wednesday. Phone: 071 261000. Find a map at www.pha-tad-ke.com. The office is at the end of the street, the fourth turnoff to the right after Joma.

Note: It may be hard for the disabled to make it down and up the steep banks. Let the staff know if you need assistance.

 

facebook.com/PTKBotanical

pha-tad-ke.com

Originally Published in: Champa Meuanglao

Photos: Arounothay Khoungkhakoune

Tuborg Open, Diplo & MØ – Stay Open

By
Laotian Times
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Tuborg, the Danish lager brand, has announced the return of their successful music campaign Tuborg OPEN, which this year sees global pairing Diplo and MØ exploring musical influences and creating new collaboration tracks with artists from around the world.

Now in its second year, Tuborg OPEN is once again bringing together a group of incredible musicians to create something truly special; a song with one global message but the story told in a different way by each collaborating artist, using their own unique lyrics and reflecting the diversity and unique local culture. Artists from some of Tuborg’s key markets across Asia and Europe will encourage people to be ‘Open To More’ in their own way, emphasising that the power of trust and an open attitude adds value to all our lives.

American super producer and DJ Diplo, who was part of last year’s campaign, returns with Danish rising star and long term collaborator MØ. Together they have created a track, called ‘Stay Open’, with artists from around the world invited to rewrite the verses to tell story of what being ‘Open To More’ means to them.

The global track has just been released, which you can listen to below or on the Tuborg Laos Facebook Page:

Speaking about this year’s campaign, Diplo said: “To be part of Tuborg Open for the second year is really cool. This year Tuborg came to us with the idea of being “Open to More” and MØ and I were already working on ‘Stay Open,’ this track about how so many times people are closed but it’s important to stay open to new people and experiences.

“It fits the campaign perfectly and the artists from around the world are already coming to us with ideas of how they want to change it up and add their own perspective to the idea of staying open which is the really cool bit of the project.”

Danish vocalist and songwriter MØ is excited about the global collaboration process: “For me, the journey you go on to get to the finished product is often the best bit. By being open to new influences, you mix together things that you think will never fit but sometimes, it really works well. I love what you learn and experience from doing that and watching the track you had at the start become something totally different.”

Look out for more surprises linked to the campaign in the coming weeks. If you want to learn more, you can visit: www.tuborgopen.com

Chemical Runoff Suspected in Cow Deaths

By
Laotian Times
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cow-deaths-chemicals

Chemical runoff from factories is suspected to be the cause of the recent deaths of over 40 cows in a village in Xaysettha District, Vientiane Capital.

Authorities are investigating the livestock deaths, and all nearby factories will be inspected for release of chemicals into water sources. Factories found to have released contaminants will be made to pay compensation to farmers who lost their livestock.

The deaths of the 41 cows comes in addition to 81 cattle that died last month in villages in the same district.

As the industrial sector develops in Laos, animal deaths are fast becoming a serious issue. Herbicides and pesticides used on plantation fields are one source of contaminants, with factories releasing chemical runoff causes further contamination of water sources.

A report published in January by Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service (LURAS) demonstrated that the use of pesticides in Xieng Khouang Province has led to traces of contaminants in the blood of 96 percent of residents in the province.

Source: Lao Post

River of wonders

By
Laotian Times
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Watching the sun set over the banks of the Mekong has to be one of the great draw-cards of visiting Laos.

That these banks are relatively undeveloped, in Laos at least, to some is one of its greatest assets. The Mekong may be one of the world’s great rivers, alongside, the Mississippi, the Danube, the Murray-Darling and the Nile. But unlike these, there persists a romantic notion about the “unspoiled” status of the Mekong, due to pervading poverty in most of its host countries. Connecting six countries, it’s the longest river in Southeast Asia, and among the longest and largest drainage basins in the world, home to over 65 million people (not including China), and the world’s second most bio-diverse waterway after the Amazon).

But, as Dr. Anoulak Kittikhoun, the Mekong River Commission’s chief strategy and partnership officer, observes, the Mekong is also situated in one of the world’s most geo-strategic regions. This means that development is both inevitable and unstoppable, and all the well-meaning nature-loving tourists in the world can’t beat it back.

“You have a lot of poverty in this area, but it’s changing,” he says.

“If you go down to Can Tho City in South Vietnam, in the Delta, you’ll find a big city with high-rises. Cambodia’s Phnom Penh is well on its way to catching up, and Vientiane, in perhaps 10 years, will have several high rises.”

But how to manage these changes? Countries like Laos and Cambodia may be using the Mekong to harness their growth, but it’s organisations like the Mekong River Commission – an intergovernmental body with those two countries as well as Thailand and Vietnam as members, that exist to ensure the river is protected.

Dr. Anoulak says the MRC has a fundamental tenet – meeting the needs but keeping the balance – that ensures no one loses out if the river is managed correctly. The primary and unique role of the MRC in guiding the river’s future has just been reaffirmed by the Prime Ministers meeting for their 3rd MRC Summit on 5th April 2018 in Siem Reap.

Under the slogan of One Mekong, One Spirit, ensuring a balance of development and protection has to include both people and the natural world.

“We have strategies and guidelines to make sure that what each country tries to do to develop or use the river does not compromise its use by others,” he says.

But most of all, we try to ensure that livelihoods remain intact, that development improves lives and does not make people worse off than they already are.”

This includes those using the river for subsistence living – fishing, irrigation – as well as large-scale projects like dams.

“We monitor water quality, water flows, fisheries, the ecological health of the river,” he says.

 

 “For large-scale development projects, we do a lot of consulting back and forth.” Projects have improved after MRC looked at them.

The tourism industry, one of the country’s main sources of income, is a major consideration when it comes to one of the country’s main attractions.

“For example, in Siphandon (4000 Islands) in the south, there’s a dam under construction at Don Sahong,” Dr. Anoulak says.

These nearby Khone falls are visited by thousands of people each year, and the area, just a few kilometres from the Cambodian border, is home to a tiny – and dwindling – population of rare Irrawaddy dolphins. The dam would block the Hou Sahong Channel, a key channel of the Mekong that allows for year-round fish migrations both up and down the river.

“But after our consultation, we have ensured there that there will be mitigation measures and monitoring to address impacts.”

Ultimately, while the Mekong will always be a source of wonder and admiration for tourists, a lot of work needs to be done to preserve it and, by extension, the livelihoods of millions. But, says Anoulak, gesturing to the window of his office, which overlooks the bustling downtown stretch of river, with Thailand visible on the far bank, the great waterway will always be known for its beauty.

 

Text by: SALLY PRYOR

Photohraph by: THE COURTESY OF MRC

Village Life in Northern Laos

By
Laotian Times
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At first glance, there doesn’t seem much to Muang La. Therein of course lies its charms. Being right in the heart of a small community, Vincent Vichit-Vadakan gains insights into local life.

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Dao Coffee Releases “Companion For Your Journey” Visit Laos Year Video

By
Laotian Times
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Dao Coffee has just released a tourism-themed video that invites all Lao people to visit tourism destinations in their own country.

Filled with vibrant and colorful scenes of caves and waterfalls, houses and churches, streets and coffee shops, the video follows an adventurous Lao teenage backpacker student from Vientiane capital as he journeys to the places he’s only dreamed about.

The video challenges a predominantly Lao audience (with English subtitles) to dare to leave their comfort zones and travel across the country to experience for themselves the beauty of Laos.

“How can you tell other people about Visit Laos Year, when you yourself haven’t gone out to explore and see it with your own eyes?”

ທ່ຽວທົ່ວລາວກັບດາວຄອຟຟີ້

ດາວຄອຟຟີ້ຈະປະກາດຊື່ຜູ້ໂຊກດີໄດ້ໄປລຸຍທ່ຽວທົ່ວລາວໃນວັນທີ 12/6/2018… ຟ້າວແນະນຳເຂົ້າມາສະຖານທີ່ທ່ຽວເດັດໆຂອງລາວເພາະເຮົາພາໄປແທ້ແນ່ນອນ▪ຢາກຮ່ວມເດີນທາງຄົ້ນຫາປະສົບການໃໝ່ໆພ້ອມກັບດາວຄອຟຟີ້ ແບບຟີຣໆບໍ່?▪ ກະຕິກາງ່າຍໆ》》》1.ໄລແຊຣວິດີໂອນີ້ເພື່ອຊ່ອຍສະໜັບສະໜູນການທ່ອງທ່ຽວລາວ^^ 2.ແຄັບເຈີ້ໜ້າຈໍທີ່ໄລແຊຣພ້ອມຄອມເມັ້ນທາງລຸ່ມແນະນຳສະຖານທີ່ທ່ອງທ່ຽວທີ່ເຈົ້າຄິດວ່າຢາກໃຫ້ທັງຄົນລາວ ແລະ ຊາວໂລກໄດ້ຮູ້ວ່າລາວມີບ່ອນທ່ອງທ່ຽວແບບບໍ່ຄືໃຜ.>>ດາວຄອຟຟີ້ ມັກຄອມເມັ້ນຜູ້ໃດ >>ກຽມໂຕແພັກກະເປົ໋າອອກເດີນທາງພ້ອມກັນ! #ກາເຟດາວຊວນທຸກຄົນໄປທ່ຽວລາວ #ໄລແຊໄວມີສິດໄປກ່ອນໝູ່#ນຳທີມທ່ຽວໂດຍພີເຊັນເຕີ້ຈອນນີ້ແລະຕິ້ງ

Posted by Dao Coffee on ວັນພຸດ ທີ 16 May 2018

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