Lao ridesharing service LOCA has begun its trial service in the city of Luang Prabang, aiming to provide 24-hour service in the northern tourist town by February next year.
The service became available on December 23 in Laos’s iconic ancient city. It is the first city outside the capital Vientiane where LOCA service is available.
LOCA founder Mr. Souliyo Vongdala said the company sees “high number of registrations” when it comes to the number of drivers, without providing the exact number.
He said LOCA will “slowly” add and train drivers in Luang Prabang before putting them on the road.
The service has more than 300 drivers in Vientiane, with each undergoing a strict and competitive screening process. The service is available 24 hours in the capital.
Since LOCA has no on-the-ground office in Luang Prabang, the company works with a local partner and sends out Vientiane-based team members there to train the first patch drivers.
The monitoring of drivers will be done from the headquarters in Vientiane, said Mr. Souliyo.
Since its establishment in 2018 as the first local ride-sharing service in Laos, LOCA has seen dramatic growth over the years. Its sales volume has grown 600 percent and has teamed up with several third parties to enhance service safety and capabilities.
In October, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Vientiane-based Minivan Association to have 240 minivan association members to the LOCA platform, increasing ease of access to minivan services in Vientiane.
Separately, the company teamed up with Lanexang Assurance Public Company in a move to enhance the protection standard of the service. With the agreement, two companies agreed to start providing standard insurance coverage for LOCA service, while exploring healthcare for its drivers.
Two firms are currently in talks to provide trip insurance that will cover each valid trip passenger regardless of the driver insurance status or liability in case of the accident, according to Mr. Souliyo.
The Lao government has announced it will begin promoting domestic tourism next year as a way to boost tourism in addition to attracting foreign arrivals.
In a succession of visit year campaigns, 2018 saw Visit Laos Year, which helped the country attract large numbers of overseas visitors. Following the campaign’s success, this year was dubbed Vist Laos-China Year 2019, and included bilateral activities and tourism promotion between Laos and China.
The apparent success of the previous two visit year campaigns has prompted the government to go for a third, with the yet to be named domestic tourism year happening in 2020.
Sources say the campaign may be dubbed Lao Thiao Lao 2020, meaning “Lao visit Laos Year 2020”.
Vientiane Times reported that the department of Tourism Marketing under the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, is working on a campaign to encourage Lao people to travel within the country, as part of the national socio-economic development plan for 2020.
Consultation with tourism operators has already begun, while an exact target for visitor numbers has not yet been released.
International Tourism Target Set
In 2020, the government expects to attract around 4.7 million international visitors and raise more than US$ 900 million in revenue.
More than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos this year, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.
Newly appointed Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, recently met with Trip.com Group CEO Ms. Jane Sun for discussion on ways the website may assist tourism in Laos.
The World Toilet Association and South Korea’s city of Suwon have joined hands and installed a new toilet in Wat Sisaket in Vientiane.
The new toilet, dubbed “Suwon Toilet,” is a 27-square meter block equipped with cubicles for both male and female visitors as well as the disabled.
Wat Sisaket sees about 540 visitors on average per day, but toilet facilities are often cited as being the least satisfying party of any visit.
The association said it hopes this new toilet sets an example for future facilities development in the country.
The association is an international organization dedicated to protecting lives through the improvement of sanitation via toilets. The Inaugural General Assembly held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2007, hosted participants from 66 countries, including government officials in the fields of sanitation and public health, representatives from NGOs and other international organizations, and industry experts.
It began to support the construction of public toilets in nine African and Asian countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Mongolia, Cambodia and Laos between 2008 and 2009.
The association has built public restrooms in 35 locations in 16 countries by this year. Suwon Toilet in Vientiane is the 35th one.
This year, starting with Mongolia, it has set up public toilets in Laos and is also supporting construction in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Wat Sisaket and other tourist sites around the capital are now also providing free wi-fi for tourists.
The Laotian Times brings our readers a round-up of some of the most shared topics this past week, based on reach and engagement on Facebook. From tanks shooting real live ammunition and people shooting darts to thieves of undergarments and jackfruits, this is a brief list of the types of content that are commonly shared on Lao social media.
Lamvong 99
In honor of President Kaysone’s 99th birthday anniversary, senior members of the Lao government gathered together in celebratory fashion in a traditional lamvong dance that caught the admiration of social media users throughout the country.
A mysterious German man walked into PT 88 Shop, a shoe store in Paktaang, hoping to trade cigarettes for pants. The staff members of the establishment took pity on him and pooled together their money to buy him a new pair of shoes. The owner of the store gave the man a new shirt and pants. Noticing that the man was visibly shaking from possible dehydration, the staff gave him water to drink, which was happily received. Appreciative and humbled, the man offered in exchange what appeared to be his only possession, several packs of cigarettes. The offer was kindly refused and the pack of cigarettes was handed back to the man.
On December 16, Luang Prabang Rescue 1625 reported that a house fire had killed three people in Muang Nga Village. The victims included Sisopha, 37, an uncle to Minlapha, 20, and Anousone, 17. All three perished in the house fire. The red cross organization will transfer the remains of the deceased to a nearby temple, Vat Thaohai. The causes of the fire are currently unknown. View more pictures here.
Facebook users showed their love and amusement for a post displaying the aesthetic beauty and charm of Khmu culture and dress. The pictures were taken at a sports ceremony at the National University of Laos (Dongdok).
Lao people love to wax nostalgic about the old days, but they were stunned by these old photos taken of people and temples in the ancient capital of Luang Prabang.
What better way to keep warm in the uncommonly cold weather? One school in Houaphanh led their kids outside and performed a typical Lao line dance called the Paslop.
A festival in Laos would not be complete without a game of darts. But this one Hmong festival goer went on a shooting streak as he successfully popped half of the balloons in the entire booth, causing the owner to stop him to allow other people to have a turn. The admin of Tholakhong playfully recommended that the man be placed in the national team for archery and shooting games.
If You Want Something Done Right, You Gotta Do It Yourself
Residents in Pakaading (Borlikhamxay) pooled their financial resources and labor to help pave the road leading to Phonchaleun Temple, highlighting the best of the spirit of social welfare and community voluntarism.
This video clip of Lao and Russian soldiers holding “Laros 2019” whereby they used tanks and other battle equipment in forest, swamp and mountainous terrain, while practicing joint operations techniques in the jungle, went sensationally viral.
In this strange CCTV clip, a masked man on a motorbike casually stops at an unidentified location and proceeds to steal a range of clothing items hanging on a drying rack. The man took a special interest in carefully selecting undergarments for theft.
If undergarments were not strange enough, how about jackfruit? On December 18 around midnight, a band of thieves stole some large jackfruit in Luang Prabang. The thieves were humorously nicknamed “Jon Haixo” which means “High Society Criminals” for their use of a large getaway vehicle and the stealing of a luxury fruit.
A car scammer has been caught by authorities in Attapeu and reveals how he was able to trick people by “selling a car” online to multiple unsuspecting individuals. The perpetrator confessed that he had promised to buy a car for 200,000 baht (approximately USD $6500) and resold it a marked up price of 350,000. He would advertise the car on Facebook and would take a deposit from several people, abscond with the cash, and would never pay the original car owner.
A mother and daughter perished instantly after their motorcycle collided with a ten-wheeler in Mai Village, Sikhottabong District. The incident happened last Friday at around 5pm.
Thailand has decided to uphold a sentence of life imprisonment for Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha, charged with smuggling 1.2 million methamphetamine pills, locally known as ya ba, into the country in 2016.
The Thai Court of Appeal found that Mr. Xaysana had arranged for the drugs to be smuggled from Laos and for a vehicle with a false compartment in the roof to conceal them.
Bangkok Post quoted the court ruling as saying that Mr. Xaysna must serve his term in Thailand since the smuggling attempt was aimed there, although it happened outside the country.
The court also dismissed Mr. Xaysana’s appeal that Thai authorities had misunderstood him, possibly due to a wrong translation between the Thai and Lao languages.
Mr. Xaysana has been linked to several of Thailand’s rich and high-profile but has consistently denied being a major player in the regional narcotics trade.
According to the indictment filed in April, Mr. Xaysana and six other then-alleged accomplices conspired in September 2016 to smuggle 1.2 million speed pills into Thailand from Laos through the Nong Khai border checkpoint.
At that time, it was speculated that members of the drug ring were going to transfer the pills to other members in Mr. Xaysana’s network in southern Thailand, who were then going to attempt to smuggle them into Malaysia.
Police arrested several members of the network who were identified to be in possession of the drugs in October 2016.
Lao national baseball team is to visit Vietnam between December 26 and 29 for a friendly match with local teams.
The Lao team will participate in a match with Vietnam National University and Korean International School in Hanoi on December 27 and 28, respectively.
Laos is currently hosting its first professional baseball league that lasts until January 11 at Sapphavisa Stadium in the Lao capital Vientiane.
A total of six teams will participate, including Lao J Brothers, National University of Laos Miracle and four more from secondary schools in the capital.
Laos saw its first baseball team formed in 2013 and participated in the 2018 Asian Games, the first time that the country dispatched its baseball team to an international match.
The team is currently led by Kwon Young-jin, a former coach and supervisor at South Korea’s Daegu High School baseball team.
The country formed a government-backed baseball federation in 2018 and began in April this year to build its first baseball stadium in Vientiane.
It is also currently constructing the country’s first baseball stadium, which is expected to be completed this month.
South Korea’s financial group DGB Group will support KRW 300 million (USD 256,200) for the construction of the stadium, with land and other necessary support provided by the Lao government.
The country began construction in April this year, recently completing soil flattening. The constructor is currently laying artificial turf.
The Lao Baseball Federation also plans to hold an international baseball league to celebrate the opening of the stadium by inviting teams from a total of five Southeast Asian countries.
A nationwide manhunt in Thailand has come to a close as authorities managed to arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang, dubbed the “Jack the Ripper” of Thailand, after he had been identified by an eyewitness who had boarded the same train. Pumpuang is suspected of murdering a 51-year-old woman in Khon Khaen last Sunday.
The alleged fifty-five-year-old serial killer was spotted on train No. 234 at Khok Kruat Station in Muang Distract bound for Bangkok, according to an article from the Bangkok Post. A mark over his left eyebrow had caused a worried university student to recognize the Pumpuang, whose face had been plastered all over television and posters, to alert the authorities. He was arrested by police at Pak Chong Station hours after the student confirmed that it was indeed the suspect.
Thai authorities arrest serial killer Somkid Pumpuang. Photo credit: Royal Thai Police
Earlier, a witness claimed to have seen a man fitting Pumpuang’s description disguised as a monk in Udon Thani. Authorities had surmised that the suspect might have planned to flee to adjacent Nong Khai in an ultimate attempt to cross into Laos.
Immigration and security officials at the Lao-Thai border were on high alert, checking both motor vehicles and pedestrians, as they searched for Pumpuang. Since Tuesday, all vehicles heading to Laos had been scrutinized for signs of the alleged criminal at all border checkpoints. The Nongkhai Immigration Department had put posters with the suspect’s pictures in bulletin boards around the border areas. Undercover Thai detectives had been deployed to search areas within the vicinity.
Pumpuang was originally given the death penalty for the serial murder of five people, but this was later reduced to life in prison. His life sentence started in 2005 and he was released earlier this year for good behavior.
Newly appointed Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, met with Trip.com Group CEO Ms. Jane Sun last Friday for discussion on ways the website may assist tourism in Laos.
World heritage sites such as Luang Prabang, Wat Phu, and the Plain of Jars illustrate the charm of Laos and demonstrate the importance of tourism to the national economy.
The Lao tourism sector has formalized arrangements with a growing number of foreign travel companies, and the nation now includes 15 international tourism ports. Meanwhile, tourism infrastructure is being upgraded, and online visa systems have made the entrance to Laos faster and more convenient.
During their talks, Ms. Jane Sun suggested that strengthening of resources and information between Laos and China, with an emphasis on sustainable and eco-tourism, would be mutually beneficial.
“The Chinese market is crucial to Lao tourism, and we welcome Trip.com Group to grow its presence in our local tourism industry,” said Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun, according to a report by Trip.com Group.
The Vientiane Times reported yesterday that more than 756,900 Chinese visitors came to Laos this year, an increase of about 26 percent over the same period in 2018, with the Vist Laos-China Year being hailed as a success by authorities.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jane Sun said she hopes to strengthen cooperation with Laos in the development of new products and the promotion of tourism.
The global visa service center of Trip.com Group has already formed an exclusive strategic partnership with Laos after the opening of a visa “green channel,” which will allow tourists from China to enjoy a streamlined visa application process.
Trip.com Group says that their statistics indicate visa applications to Laos via their website platform have risen by 80 percent compared to last year.
Trip.com Group and the Lao government intend to formalize a strategic agreement in the near future to make both countries more prominent international tourist destinations.
