Chinnaly Norasing, also known as MG19, has just been declared the winner of the first ever Miss Grand Laos 2017. Ms Norasing is the first contestant from Laos to win this title and will be representing her home country in the world competition, Miss Grand International 2017 in Vietnam this October.
The runners-up were MG13, MG16, MG1, and MG5 (first runner-up, second, third and fourth, respectively).
Vientiane, 17:00
A severe fire has broken out at Sang Jiang Chinese Market in Vientiane Capital. Firefighters are on the scene, however the fire has spread throughout the shopping center. The cause of the blaze at Sang Jiang is as yet unknown. More to come as the story unfolds.
Words: Francis Savanhkham Photos: Phoonsab Thevongsa
Way back in 1994, a Canadian living in Vientiane opened a bakery. Much and More, as it was then called, had two main reasons for existing. One was to produce and supply sandwich bread to surrounding businesses. But its main purpose was to provide jobs for returning refugees, mainly Hmong people being repatriated into Laos.
More than two decades later, Joma – the name derived from the names of its four founders, Jonathan and Jocelyn, Michael and Aun – is a Lao institution, a legendary fixture in the country’s burgeoning modern café scene, with five branches in Laos, four in Cambodia and three in Vietnam.
From a humble wholesaler, to a café on Vientiane’s then-quiet main drag, to a slick, well-run chain spruiking coffee, bread, pastries and many more things besides, Joma is a comforting constant in a rapidly changing city, and a formidable presence in a market increasingly cluttered with coffee shops and bakeries. But despite different ownership, two name changes, and a secure place in the urban landscape, the business’ main ethos when it comes to its staff has stayed the same.
Stepping into a Joma café to order something from its extensive and “unapologetically Canadian” menu – staples include a “double-double” (a sandwich whose name is a riff on the Canadian habit of ordering a coffee with two creams and two sugars – a “double double”), taco salad and bestselling “bagel egger” – the average customer would be unaware that many of the staff were entirely unskilled when first hired. Some have disabilities, some are returning from traumatic situations, others were illiterate before fronting up for a job. And this, says country manager Jeff Spohr, is entirely the point.
“That core of creating jobs for refugees, that has influenced the company a lot,” he says. “Our hiring practice is one of our things I’m most proud of. People will often interview me, and say, ‘I’m just wondering if you have difficulty getting skilled labour’. And I tell them, ‘I don’t want skilled labour’. Our whole point is we give preferential hiring to people without skills. In fact, if you’ve got a disability, you’re going to get the job first.”
From deaf women baking in the kitchen to supervisors who, when hired, could not even read Lao script, the variety of disadvantaged and low-skilled workers who have worked at Joma is remarkable mainly for how little it affects the actual customer experience.
On a personal level, Spohr is heavily invested in the company’s staff. Another Canadian (and high school friend of one of the original owners), he first visited Laos in 2003 while honeymooning with his wife Alicia, fell in love with the place, and the two returned four years later to help run the Lao side of the business. In the nine years that he’s lived here, he has heard all the negative talk about Lao-style service, and resolutely ignored it.
It’s not surprising that, like many institutions, Joma has a certain mythology attached to it. The original Much and More wholesale bakery morphed into a café called Healthy and Fresh – taking up part of what is now the café’s flagship store in Vientiane’s downtown – which was eventually bought in 1999 by the two couples who comprise Joma. They rebranded the business in 2003, and since then the company’s defining altruism – both in terms of its staff, and the many, many projects it has funded through its business – is for real, and remains constant.“I really believe that there isn’t a lot of difference between me and them,” he says, of his staff. “The difference is I had the opportunity of good parents, good schools, good nutrition and good health…I’m not sure that all of those staff we hire have those opportunities. In fact, I’m sure they don’t. If they did, would they be any better at this than me? Yes they would… So if we can start there, all they need is an opportunity and a loving push.”
But despite its famous consistency and seamless service, times are changing for Joma. Look around, and suddenly there are cafes on every corner. Other chains that shall remain nameless are popping up in Cambodia and Vietnam. And more, and more, they’re filled with just as many locals as foreigners.
When Joma first opened, its clientele was almost exclusively foreign tourists and expatriates, and market competition was non-existent.
But, in the past five or six years, there has been a dramatic shift in the people who come through Joma’s doors, from branch to branch, and city to city. And this has led the company to make some adjustments. Regulars will notice subtle (some stalwarts might say dramatic) changes in the menu. There’s a whole new range of salads and sandwiches, five variations on the bagel egger (sales went up noticeably after this one), an almond croissant, doughnuts, baguettes and, in keeping with worldwide “wellness” trends, a range of matcha drinks. Everything, even the jam, is made in-house, and it’s all the result of market research, of responding to a morphing market.
Spohr says much of Joma’s business is focused on raising the bar, both in terms of training staff and giving back to the community. Joma now invests 10 percent of its profits into grassroots initiatives, local communities and projects involving those in need.
But for a long time, Joma didn’t publicise these activities.
“In the beginning, the ‘don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing’ principle was very heavily applied – they didn’t tell anybody,” he says.
But that principle no longer applies. Spohr says that with an increased profile comes increased responsibility, and Joma can also set an example.
“The company is showing that good business, ethical business principles and social responsibility in action can also still be done and have profit,” he says. “So we’re trying to raise the bar, and if you do good things and don’t tell anyone, it’s hard to raise the bar. That’s now become [a goal] in the last four or five years, figuring out how to tell people properly about the things that we’re doing…We’re definitely interested in giving back, through the way we run the business but also what we do with the money in the end.”
Like all countries, the number of Lao citizens who suffer from mental health issues are abundant. However, due to the lack of treatment options readily available to patients, 41,000 people in Laos live with their mental health issues untreated.
More than forty percent of construction for the new bridge crossing the Nam Ngum River, that will connect Nabong village to Thakokhay village in Pakngum district, has been completed.
With assistance from Lao World Public Co., Ltd, the estimated 105 billion kip (USD $12,728,100) bridge was expected to take 24 months to complete from the time of the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place in February, 2016.
Plans for construction somberly began after a boat capsized at the site on May 26, 2015, leading to the tragic drowning of 10 children.
Director of the Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department, Mr Detsongkham Thammavong, stated that the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. He added, “Now the project is concentrating on construction of the top of bridge pylons and then will continue on to other work. When the bridge is finished it will be toll free to serve the people.”
According to the latest blueprint, the bridge will be 236 meters in length and 11 meters wide, with two sidewalks of 1.5 metres each.
The finished bridge will provide a direct contribution to Vientiane’s development in support of the government’s overall socio-economic development plan, as it will be essential for the economic development of the region by improving the flow of goods between communities and easing transport.
The bridge will also boost trade along the river by providing convenient access to transporting goods and offering locals an incentive to participate in agricultural production due to the area having potential to grow a variety of crops.
Most importantly, local school children in the Pakngum district will now be able to travel across the bridge between Nabong and Thakokhay villages safely and conveniently.
With many car owners using social media as a platform to vent their frustration about petrol stations defrauding customers in Vientiane, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces, authorities have too found that several petrol stations are, in fact, cheating consumers by not providing sufficient amounts of fuel or providing dirty fuel.
Over the past two months, the Standards Department at the Ministry of Science and Technology has prompted authorities to inspect the quality and quantity of fuel at frequented petrol stations, and though the department won’t release information on what petrol stations or how many are guilty of the scam, it has been confirmed that the stations have been warned to cease operations until all meters have been reset properly.
A senior official at the Ministry of Science and Technology has asserted that authorities have warned several stations in the capital after being caught cheating customers. The official further explained that if these operators are found to be guilty of cheating consumers again, regulations will be enforced and the stations will be fined and penalized.
The Ministry of Science and Technology in cooperation with relevant sectors implemented a pilot project last October, where they inspected petrol stations and discovered that several stations were selling contaminated fuel.
The inspection of petrol stations have gained traction in recent months due to requests and complaints made by the Petroleum and Gas Group Association, vehicle dealerships and members of the public. Dirty fuel not only damages engines but also affects the reputation of vehicle and fuel businesses in Laos. Dirty fuel could derive from poor management of oil imports, resulting in petrol stations buying fuel from any source at a cheap price, regardless of quality.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, all fuel will be tested at border checkpoints for quality assurance before being distributed to petrol stations from this point on. In addition, the ministry will check petrol stations routinely, particularly those that are popular amongst motorists.
The fuel quality testing and inspection is part of the government’s efforts to protect the rights of consumers.
Laos imports all its fuel from other countries, but there is no official report about the exact figure of petrol imported to Laos for 2015 or 2016. However, according to the latest report released in 2013 by the Lao Petroleum and Gas Association, Laos imported over 911 million liters of fuel. An estimated 45 to 50 percent of the fuel Laos imports is used in Vientiane capital and Vientiane province alone.
The State of Pasta offers delicious gourmet pasta dishes at a fraction of the price that you would find in most Italian restaurants around town. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite casual and suitable for business lunches, impromptu catch ups with friends, and family friendly dining. I was pleasantly surprised by the attentive service from the staff and the owners, not to mention the quality of flavors in the food itself. The State of Pasta will be my new go-to when I have a pasta craving that needs satisfying.
Atmosphere
I ventured into ‘The State of Pasta’ black and yellow building on a Saturday night, not really knowing what to expect. My first thought was that the exterior of the building didn’t do the interior justice. The tables and chairs were all uniformly set up, with a very clean, modern and minimalistic design. The restaurant considers itself an ‘Italian’ restaurant, however I would say not in a traditional romantic sense. The bright lighting, white walls and un-cushioned chairs reminded me of an IKEA showroom that served fast food, rather than a place that knew how to make quality handmade pasta. However, I did take a gander up the spiral steps to the second floor, which looked cozier with a lounge-y feel.
The menu wasn’t too extensive and consisted of just a handful of choices, but i think it had the right amount of options. I get overwhelmed when there’s too much on a menu, and I prefer a smaller selection with some really great dishes than a menu stuffed with mediocre dishes. And though the flavors of the dishes were limited, each plate was customizable. The customer chooses what kind of pasta they want with their dish, how cooked the pasta is, and extra ‘toppings’ such as minced pork, parmesan cheese and bacon (for a minimal charge). I ordered the same flavor dish as one of my friends, but because of the choices we made, they came out to be two different tasting dishes.
The restaurant also offers handmade potato gnocchi, fresh lasagna and ravioli dishes, focaccia sandwiches and a few tasty looking vegetarian options. They also offered draft beer, wine by the bottle or glass, a large selection of Italian soda flavors and coffee. Though I thought I saw a fully stocked bar on the second floor, I didn’t notice a menu for mixed drinks.
The meal started off with complimentary focaccia bread accompanied by three dipping sauces, which were the traditional olive oil, fusionend mango-peanut chutney and a surprisingly delightful piment-ail. We ordered the ‘tomato and mozzarella in carrozza’ which came with a side salad. The mozzarella was breaded to be crunchy, but i thought it was a bit stale and could have done without it. The others seemed to enjoy it though, so maybe i’m just not a fried mozzarella expert (there goes that line of work).
Highly Recommended
I ordered the Creamy Lao Sausage with cooked macaroni (though it came slightly too al dente for my taste), topped with caramelized bell peppers in a creamy garlic sauce with a generous portion of Lao sausage. I also added extra parmesan cheese and bacon (because, duh) for just 10,000 kip extra. I can’t stress how much I LOVED MY PASTA DISH (see how i bolded, underlined and italicized? That’s how much i loved it.) From the first bite to the very last, I savored every mouthful. The homemade pasta made all the difference, and though the dishes were so simple, the flavors were elevated to the next level.
The Damage
With two starters ( including the offered focaccia bread), four main dishes with the extras, three glasses of wine and one draft beer, the bill came to 295,000 kip and for what it was, it was worth every kip.
The State of Pasta is opened daily from 11AM to 10PM and is located along the Mekong opposite of Naked Espresso 2. Visit their facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thestateofpasta/ for more info.
A Capacity Building Workshop for expanding business opportunities in e-commerce has been organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center in Vientiane for Wednesday, July 5, 2017.
Organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), the purpose of the workshop is to share Korea’s experience and expertise in e-commerce with Lao entrepreneurs.
Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, Kim Young-sun, stated that, “As more and more businesses are moving away from traditional offline stores and going online, electronic commerce has increasingly become an important parcel of doing cross-border business. Lao PDR has a great potential to develop its e-commerce sector, as broadband internet access is widely available in Vientiane and in other parts of the country. I hope this workshop serves as a platform not only to enhance the competitiveness of Lao e-commerce sector but also to expand digital business opportunities between Lao PDR and Korea.”
The opening ceremony of the Workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Kim Young-sun along with the Ambassador of ROK to Lao PDR, Yun Kang-hyeon, and various high-ranking officials from the MPI are expected to deliver their thoughts.
Experts and business representatives from Korea and Laos will conduct presentations on the themes of ‘Overview of Korea’s E-Commerce Development Strategies’, ‘Policies and Opportunities in Lao PDR’s E-Commerce Industry’, ‘How to Enhance Cross-border E-Commerce’, and ‘Business Start-up for SMEs’ following the ceremony.
The Korean delegation that will participate in the workshop includes experts from the Korea International Trade Association, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Changgong E-Commerce Laboratory, as well as the Kyungpook National University.
Korean business representatives will also take part in the workshop, seeking new business opportunities in the e-commerce area through one-on-one business meetings and site visits.
Due to the ASEAN-Korea partnership recognizing the importance of the digital era, the partnership has carried out several programs in digital industries. The workshop that will be held in Laos is part of the back-to-back workshops in Lao PDR and in Cambodia, which will enable the ASEAN-Korea Center to gain insight on the current status and potential of the e-commerce industries in the two countries.