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Laos Among Remote Countries with Best Internet

Laos Among Remote Countries with Best Internet

Berlin-based online travel website Tourlane has named Laos as one of the most remote countries with the best Internet.

Laos took 3rd place in the ranking, for which the company used its data to create a shortlist of top vacation destinations for German travelers that are further than 4,000 km away from Germany.

This shortlist was then cross-referenced against each country’s internet connectivity. The final shortlist of 11 countries is based on three factors: Speed of mobile Internet, the cost of mobile Internet, and distance from Germany, according to a statement by Tourlane.

Mobile Internet speed per destination is based on data dated August from a leading online speed test site that displays the average download speed per country, while data from a leading price comparison site for Internet and telecommunications was used to determine the average cost of mobile Internet in each country.

In addition, the company used a “leading online mapping service” to determine the distance of the destinations from Germany.

Fiji crowned the ranking, followed by Chile.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Indonesia ranked 4th while Thailand ranked 5th.

The ranking result is a boon to Laos, which is currently bolstering its efforts to increase Internet accessibility.

The country launched a project in September to offer free Wi-Fi at landmarks in its capital Vientiane in a move to cater to not only the general public but also foreign visitors.

The project, supported by the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity will enable visitors to use the internet at frequently visited locations such as Wattay International Airport, Namphou Fountain, and Hor Phrakeo.

LOCA to add Minivan Drivers to its Ridesharing Fleet

LOCA to add Minivan Drivers to its Ridesharing Fleet

LOCA and the Vientiane-based Minivan Association have signed an MOU to welcome 240 minivan association members to the LOCA platform, increasing ease of access to minivan services in Vientiane.

LOCA, which is Laos’s first ridesharing application, hopes to make city transportation accessible and transparent for its customers, both foreign and local.

“Given our current success with the lightweight vehicle service, we now would like to welcome a minivan service to our platform to provide additional services and choice of transportation in Vientiane,” says Souliyo Vongdala, CTO of LOCA.

The tentative service that LOCA will introduce in collaboration with the minivan association will be charged at an hourly rate. The service will give customers an affordable option for group travel.

Tentative packages will start from 3 hours, 4 hours, and 7 hours, and all options come with a seat capacity of 8 people.

3 Hours/80KM Priced at 290,000 KIP

4 Hours/100KM Priced at 390,000 KIP

7 Hours/150KM Priced at 520,000 KIP

Both the Minivan Association and LOCA share the same vision to digitize the transportation service. Both parties are willing to collaborate to improve the standard of minivan services in Vientiane Capital.

“This cooperation is a big milestone and will represent a good example of collaboration between a startup company and the existing business,” said Mr Souliyo.

“Additionally, with the recent cooperation between LOCA and the Lanexang Assurance public company, we will also introduce a new standard for the protection in the transportation services soon, which has never been done before in Laos.”

Government to Crack Down on “Ghost” Civil Servants

Government to Crack Down on “Ghost” Civil Servants

The Lao government is currently in the process of clarifying the actual number of civil servants amid growing public concern over the possibility of payments made to “ghost” civil servants who do not exist.

“This process is part of procedures to ascertain the true number of civil servants in Laos,” said Director General of the Civil Servant Management Department, Mr. Souvanny Rattanavong, as quoted by Vientiane Times.

Among concerns, some say it is possible for the government to continue paying salaries into the bank account of civil servants who no longer hold a government position.

The government began to pay salaries for civil servants via bank transfer a few years ago in an effort to simplify the process.

Currently, each ministry has to submit a list of names of civil servants and their bank account information to the central government before salaries are transferred.

This process allows the Ministry of Home Affairs to confirm the number of civil servants who are eligible to receive salaries, but it cannot prove the existence of each official.

In order to tackle the issue, the government has authorized the Ministry of Home Affairs to partner with the Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Public to issue new ID cards to civil servants in 2018, which can be used to withdraw salaries from ATMs.

The ministry has distributed the new ID cards to 37 central state agencies as part of the process to double-check the true number of civil servants while it plans to distribute the cards to nine other central state agencies and complete such distribution in the provinces in 2020.

The Civil Servant Management Department will request the cancellation of payments if they learn about the existence of “ghost” civil servants. Those who abuse the current loophole would also face punishment in accordance with the law.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister issued a new decree on the ethics and morals of civil servants, including a revised code of conduct. The decree prohibits civil servants from abusing their power for personal gain or the benefit of their relatives and people associated with them. Those who fail to abide would face disciplinary action.

Former PM Bouasone Bouphavanh Retires from Public Service

Former PM Bouasone Bouphavanh Retires from Public Service

Former Prime Minister of the Lao PDR Mr. Bouasone Bouphavanh has officially retired from public service, handing over his post at the National Economic Research Institute to Dr. Leeber Leebouapao, his deputy.

The handover was held at the National Economic Research Institute in the presence of Mr. Bounthong Chitmany, Deputy Prime Minister.

Former PM Bouasone Bouphavanh and Deputy Dr. Leeber Leebouapao share a hug
Former PM Bouasone Bouphavanh and Deputy Dr. Leeber Leebouapao share a hug

Mr. Bouasone Bouphavanh was Prime Minister of Laos at the age of 52, leading the nation from 2006 to 2010.

He was educated at the Communist Party Institute in Moscow, in the Soviet Union, from 1986 to 1990, and rose to prominence after taking a position as president of the State Planning Committee.

Vientiane Hit by Water Shortage amid Drought

Vientiane Hit by Water Shortage amid Drought

Vientiane’s water utility company, Nampapa Nakhone Luang, is currently installing a new pump to draw water up from the Nam Ngum river as some areas of the capital are facing water shortages.

In particular, parts of Xaythany, Xaysettha and Chanthabouly districts do not have sufficient water, Lao Phatthana Daily reported.

The shortage comes as the Dongmakkhay water treatment plant is unable to produce enough water after the Nam Ngum River dropped to an unusually low level in the middle of this month.

The water level of the Mekong River is already exceptionally low, but some of its tributaries will continue to fall as the rainy season has come to an end, said Deputy Director General of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Ms. Outhone Phetluangs, as quoted by Vientiane Times.

The population of Vientiane Capital uses about 200,000 cubic meters of water per day.

Ms. Outhone cited an unusually low rainfall as the main cause for the drop in river levels.

Based on the data collected by the department in recent years, rainfall this year was at a historic low, especially in the north of the country, she explained.

A report issued by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in July indicated that rainfall in that month was 70 percent less than average.

New Ridesharing Service DriveUp to Challenge LOCA

New Ridesharing Service DriveUp to Challenge LOCA

Cambodia’s Meal Temple Group has launched its new DriveUp ridesharing service in Laos, becoming the second player in the country after locally-grown LOCA.

Meal Temple, which was established in 2013, made its first foray into Laos in July by purchasing an existing food delivery service mobile application, MyDelivery, from local fintech firm Kiwi Group. The company currently has a presence in Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.

The group’s move to launch a ridesharing service in Laos comes amid the growth of the country’s tourism sector.

“Laos is the new eldorado for tourism in the Mekong region, after Cambodia, with more than 5 million tourists yearly already, growing at a fast rate, expecting to double in the next ten years and accounting for more than 15% of the country’s GDP,” the group said in a statement.

The latest figure shows that the number of domestic and foreign tourists holidaying in Laos during the first nine months of this year increased compared to the same period last year.

More than 3.4 million people vacationed in Laos in the first nine months of this year, an increase of about 11 percent compared to last year, while the number of visitors from China soared by 26 percent, according to the Tourism Development Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

Laos attracted more than 4.1 million foreign tourists last year, an 8.2 percent increase from the previous year. Tourism generated revenue of more than USD 755 million in 2018. The country hopes to attract at least 4.5 million people this year.

The company’s main strategies to appeal to the customers as a newcomer are to provide lower costs while reducing wait time for its customers, said Ms. Angele Fargette, product manager for DriveUp in Laos.

The service currently has about 100 drivers available in Vientiane, and it plans to add more while looking into the possibility of expanding the service to other major cities in the country.

“Vientiane is the perfect city to test our service for the first time, as competition is really small, prices are really elastic depending on cars, drivers and customers, and tourism is growing, so the market is ripe for disruption here.” Ms Angele added.

LOCA sees ridesharing competition as opportunity

Having a new competitor might be alarming for existing player, LOCA, but founder Mr. Souliyo Vongdala rather sees it as an opportunity to grow his service further.

Mr. Souliyo told The Laotian Times that the company is currently focusing on improving the service quality along with the welfare of its drivers and overall safety standards for both drivers and customers.

“Our sales volume has grown 600 percent since the launch in 2018,” Mr Souliyo said.  “I believe it’s time for us to focus on the quality of the service.”

Souliyo Vongdla, CTO of Bizgital, owner of LOCA ridesharing app
Souliyo Vongdala, CTO of local technology firm Bizgital (owner of LOCA ridesharing pp)

Mr. Souliyo cited its competitive hiring process for LOCA drivers as an example.

“We currently have about 300 drivers in Vientiane working as a LOCA driver. They have to go through a competitive screening process, and we reject a lot when they fail to meet our standards,” he said.

Mr. Souliyo said the company regularly monitors feedback from customers and provides training and coaching to its drivers.

He also cited the company’s efforts to improve its customer service, so that the company can respond to the customers’ complaints or feedback in a timely and professional manner.

There are a total of 33 dedicated officers at the company who respond to such complaints or feedback, and the company is the process of adding more, said Mr. Souliyo.

In addition, Mr. Souliyo stressed the importance of improving the safety standard of the service for both drivers and customers.

Many ridesharing services in Southeast Asia either do not have proper insurance for their drivers or customers or have a wrong kind of insurance, which cannot cover different types of incidents that could occur during the operation of the service, Mr. Souliyo explained.

By recognizing the issue, LOCA is currently looking into ways of providing proper insurance for its drivers and customers, which could improve the overall safety standard of the service, he added.

In fact, LOCA signed a cooperative agreement last week with Vientiane-based insurance firm Lanexang Assurance Public Company in a move to enhance the protection standard of the service.

With the agreement, two companies will start providing standard insurance coverage for LOCA service, while exploring healthcare for its drivers.

“This cooperation will be the initiative to set a new standard for passenger transportation. LOCA wants to lift this standard to enhance public awareness about [the importance] of the protection when they are using public transportation service,” Mr. Souliyo said at that time.

Laos Among Nations to See Largest Increase in Obesity

Laos Among Nations to See Largest Increase in Obesity

Laos is among countries that will have the largest increase in obesity between 2017 and 2030, a recent study has revealed.

Laos ranked 8th in the obesity crisis ranking compiled by the World Obesity Federation and Atlas of Childhood Obesity, Guardian reported. The ranking estimates percentage point increase in children aged between five and nine from a total of 191 countries.

South Africa topped the ranking, and it was followed by China and Maldives. From Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranked 5th while Thailand landed 7th.

“Childhood obesity is rising exponentially worldwide as the relentless marketing of junk foods reaches around the globe,” Guardian noted. “Governments do too little to protect their children’s health.”

The number of obese children globally is predicted to reach 250 million by 2030, up from 150 million now, according to Guardian.

The fact that several Southeast Asian nations ranked high on the study mentioned above might not be a coincidence.

Southeast Asia was and is often associated with undernourishment, but that is no longer the case thanks to a half-century of economic development and income growth.

“Although hunger remains an issue in some areas, overall, Asians now have access to more and better food than ever,” wrote Bloomberg.

Asia’s eaters have tended to shift away from traditional starch-based diets and toward food rich in fat, protein, dairy, and sugar, much of it packaged and processed, it added.

Some numbers back this up. Obesity surged 24 percent in Singapore, 27 percent in Malaysia and 38 percent in Vietnam between 2010 and 2014. In addition, Southeast Asia now accounts for about 20 percent of all diabetics globally, according to Bloomberg.

“Promoting healthy [or healthier] eating will require long-term public-education campaigns, ideally combined with school-based nutritional programs,” it suggested.

Thai Airways to Cancel 6 Routes to 4 ASEAN Nations, including Laos

Thai Airways to Cancel 6 Routes to 4 ASEAN Nations, including Laos

Thai Airways International is looking into cancelling six fight routes to four Southeast Asian nations, namely Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.

These routes, which all emanate from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, are to Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Yangon, Vientiane and Luang Prabang, The Nation reported.

The Nation quoted Sumeth Damrongchaitham, President of Thai Airways as saying that these routes are all covered by a small number of flights and have low customer capacity.

Mr Sumeth added, however, Thai Airways will assign Thai Smile Airways to cover these routes instead once the cancellation plan is finalized.

The company’s decision comes amid fierce competition as airliners reduce prices stay ahead of its rivals, according to Mr Sumeth.

He added that the company will focus on rolling out promotional campaigns until year-end while adjusting its strategies to preserve its reservation rate, although next year’s strategy remains to be seen.

“Our prices this year have been reduced to a record low, and if this strategy doesn’t work, we may take a different direction, such as seeking more partners for organization tickets, increasing online channels, or giving privileges to frequent fliers,” said Mr Sumeth, as quoted by The Nation.

The company has a total debt of over THB 2.45 billion (USD80.9 million) and losses of more than THB 20 billion (USD661 million), despite being able to reduce its debts by THB 48 billion (USD1.58 billion) over the past five years, according to The Nation.