Angsana Maison Souvannaphoum and Animal Doctors International were two of the leading businesses to be recognized at the 2023 Lao Responsible Business Awards for their commitment to the well-being of their workforce.
Lao Responsible Business Awards 2023 Celebrates Workforce Well-being

Former Miss Universe Laos Payengxa Lor Shines at Asian New York Fashion Week
Miss Universe Laos 2022, and a Miss Universe 2022 Top-16 finalist, Payengxa Lor, walked the ramp at Asian New York Fashion Week, on 9 September.
Tropical Depression from Vietnam to Hit Laos This Week
A tropical depression originating off the coast of Vietnam, bringing torrential rainfall to the central parts of the country has now weakened and entered Laos as a low-pressure system.
Thailand Receives First Chinese Visitors Under New Visa-Free Policy to Boost Tourism

BANGKOK (AP) — Top Thai officials welcomed hundreds of Chinese tourists at Bangkok’s international airport on Monday, the first day of a new visa-free entry program that officials say will boost the country’s tourism industry that was badly damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Luxury brands deploy diverse, innovative content strategies to accelerate online content platform businesses
By summarizing luxury brands’ success stories in the Douyin ecosystem, the white paper highlights their various stages of development in the Chinese market to help them achieve future sustainable growth on Douyin.
After a dip in 2022, Deloitte forecasts that China’s luxury market will hit RMB580 billion this year, accounting for 25% of the global total. Furthermore, China’s market share is expected to rise to 40% by 2030, surpassing Europe and the Americas to become the largest single market globally.
This will be driven by the continued consumption willingness of high-net-worth individuals, new incremental volume brought by the post-90s generation, extended reach through online channels, and the optimization of pricing, products, and marketing by brands. Jewelry, watches, and bags are the strongest-growing segments due to their investment potential and asset preservation, the rarity of their brand and design elements, and versatility.
Tianbing Zhang, Deloitte Asia Pacific Consumer Products & Retail Sector leader, says, “In 2023, China’s luxury sector is on a trajectory for a robust recovery, solidifying its position as a critical market in the global brand landscape. Our analysis indicates a maturing Chinese consumer base, where luxury items are increasingly seen not merely as social capital, but as assets for personal enjoyment and long-term investment. On the channel front, the accelerated digital transformation of China’s luxury marketplace has elevated online platforms into indispensable touchpoints along the consumer journey. Looking ahead, the future competitive advantage for brands will hinge on deploying diverse and innovative content strategies.”
Multiple touchpoints, rich content, and a complete value chain in China’s digital landscape are building a distinctive local luxury ecosystem. Chinese luxury consumers are shifting to more diverse online platforms, with 53% having purchased via online channels, including official brand websites (48%), official flagship e-commerce stores (43%), content platforms (39%), and luxury e-commerce platforms (26%).
Online content platforms have become integral to the luxury consumer journey, with 34% of consumers believing short video product descriptions are more detailed and 28% stating that short videos have richer content. Apart from product reviews and unboxing, Chinese consumers also want to understand the story behind a brand. Short videos and livestreams are the best carriers for this authentic content with stories, surprises, and fun. Thanks to its distinctive content creation and distribution system, Douyin has amplified the luxury industry’s voice within its ecosystem.
Xueqin Wang, vice president of the Ocean Engine Consumer Goods Business Center, adds, “In recent years, the digitalization of the global luxury market has been transformative, fundamentally altering consumer behavior within an increasingly digital content ecosystem. Short-format video, a vital content medium, is progressively ingrained in consumer interest cultivation and purchase decision-making. Douyin, one of China’s leading short-video platforms, is setting new standards in online marketing efficiency through data-driven insights, key performance metrics, and strategic optimization. In collaboration with Ocean Engine, a comprehensive data and content platform, and Deloitte, we offer a tailored approach enabling luxury brands to precisely identify their optimal business channels and consumer touchpoints. This strategic alignment serves to bolster market sustainability in China.”
According to the white paper, Chinese consumers rank easy to wear every day (49%), self-rewarding (47%), and fashionably designed (35%) as the top three considerations when buying luxury. Douyin E-commerce achieved exponential growth in gross merchandize value (GMV) and paid users and merchants over the first half of 2023, with GMV surging even higher during festivals and shopping seasons like Qixi Festival and Valentine’s Day, underlining the effectiveness of emotional marketing.
Qing Mu, vice president of Douyin E-Commerce, says, “Douyin E-commerce has been upgraded from interest e-commerce to omnichannel interest e-commerce. By skillfully merging compelling content that sparks shopping interest with a well-designed product shelf catering to active consumer needs. Douyin offers a holistic approach to the consumer journey, unlocking significant growth opportunities. Over the past two years, numerous brands have ventured into Douyin’s ecosystem, rigorously testing and validating its business models. By utilizing a well-curated mix of high-quality content, superior service, and officially authenticated products, these brands effectively satisfy the diverse consumption patterns of Douyin’s user base. This creates a streamlined, end-to-end consumer experience, from brand engagement to transaction conversion. The synergy between luxury brands and Douyin E-commerce promises a future filled with potential.”
Webin Lin, head of Ocean Engine Business Analysis, adds, “As of the first half of 2023, Douyin stands as a pivotal channel in China’s luxury narrative, captivating an impressive 150 million users with a keen interest in high-end products. Notably, 73% of China’s luxury consumer base actively engages with Douyin, a statistic unmatched by any other platform regarding reach, brand engagement, and conversion rates. As we move forward, we are eager to collaborate with brands to effectively communicate the nuanced attributes of luxury – elegance, intelligence, and heritage – through the expansive reach of Douyin.”
Crystal Wang, Deloitte China Consumer Products & Retail Sector Financial Advisory leader, concludes, “As Chinese luxury consumers’ mindset and channel preferences continue to evolve, the key to success lies in delivering excellence at every touchpoint by understanding their deeper needs for products, content, and services.”
Click here to read the white paper.
Hashtag: #DeloitteChina
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Deloitte China
Deloitte China provides integrated professional services, with our long-term commitment to be a leading contributor to China’s reform, opening-up and economic development. We are a globally connected and deeply locally-rooted firm, owned by its partners in China. With over 20,000 professionals across 30 Chinese cities, we provide our clients with a one-stop shop offering world-leading audit & assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, business advisory and tax services.
We serve with integrity, uphold quality and strive to innovate. With our professional excellence, insight across industries, and intelligent technology solutions, we help clients and partners from many sectors seize opportunities, tackle challenges and attain world-class, high-quality development goals.
The Deloitte brand originated in 1845, and its name in Chinese (德勤) denotes integrity, diligence and excellence. Deloitte’s professional network of member firms now spans more than 150 countries and territories. Through our mission to make an impact that matters, we help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world.
About Deloitte
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HKSTP and Global Entrepreneurship Network Join Forces to Propel Innovators from 200 Markets to Success Across the World
HKSTP delegation to Australia unveils Innovation Mixer and Market Discovery initiatives in Melbourne to pave way for Asia’s growth opportunities
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 September 2023 – The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), has joined forces with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) to lead aspiring innovators to global growth opportunities, and extend Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem to GEN’s 200 markets around the world. HKSTP led a delegation to Australia and attending the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2023 in Melbourne to explore collaboration opportunities and ignite market discovery initiatives.

GEN is a global community that fosters deeper cross-border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policy makers and entrepreneurial support organisations, to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business.
In July this year, John Lee, the Chief Executive of HKSAR, witnessed an MoU signed by Jonathan Ortmans, GEN Founder and President and Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, committing the two parties to support entrepreneurship across ASEAN countries. To expedite the partnership, HKSTP joined GEC 2023 in Melbourne from 19-22 September with a delegation of fast-rising startups and business leaders from Hong Kong. The delegation highlighted Hong Kong’s world-class I&T ecosystem and potential for collaboration with their counterparts from GEN’s global network. The infusion of new talent and ventures will further boost Hong Kong’s mission towards an international I&T hub, creating opportunities for all innovators.
Ir Dr HL Yiu, Chief Corporate Development Officer of HKSTP, said, “HKSTP is committed to growing collaboration with the worldwide innovation community through our partnership with GEN. Entrepreneurs all face common challenges in the startup-to-scale-up journey and Hong Kong’s unique integrated innovation ecosystem provides funding, R&D, talent and go-to-market opportunities to the world. Both HKSTP and GEN share the same vision of fostering global innovation, collaborating and growing our respective ecosystems to reach new levels of success.”
The collaboration with GEN commits both parties to exchange programmes and activities to drive cross-border and cross-sector collaboration with a focus on Green Tech, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, SmartCity, Mobility, AI, and Fintech. GEN’s annual flagship events such as Global Entrepreneurship Week and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, provide ideal platforms to expand Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem to new markets.
“GEN is committed to connecting entrepreneurs to opportunities that help them start and scale,” said Jonathan Ortmans, Founder and President of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “We are proud to be deepening collaboration with the HKSTP to advance the interest of both local and global founders.”
The HKSTP Australia delegation leveraged the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, which featured three days of actionable intelligence from various sectors. It gathered thousands of voices, from 200+ countries to participate in creating an inclusive global ecosystem by networking, learning and sharing. The delegation also met with representatives from the startup community, universities, government bodies and investors in Australia to further explore business and collaboration opportunities. In addition, the delegation shared experiences and exchanged ideas with Australian tech ventures who are interested in learning and exploring the Hong Kong market.
HKSTP also introduced its Market Discovery Programme in Hong Kong and shared details with enterprises interested in expanding into Hong Kong, the GBA and mainland China markets. The two-day intensive Market Discovery Programme will be held in Hong Kong on 6-7 November 2023, packed with seminars, tours and networking opportunities to connect entrepreneurs with experts, investors, corporate leaders as well as entrepreneurs with past success in expanding their business within the region. The by-invitation programme is free-of-charge and participants can experience a stay at the Science Park’s InnoCell smart living co-creation space to spark collaboration with Science Park’s I&T talents.
For details, please visit: www.hkstp.org/our-community/events-and-happenings/expand-in-china-with-confidence/
Hashtag: #HKSTP
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Youth Climate Action Conference Held in Vientiane Last Week
Zero Waste Laos, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living in Laos, hosted the Youth Climate Action Conference at ICTC in Vientiane, with support from the European Union Delegation to Laos, World Vision, and the Norwegian People’s Aid.