Visit Laos-China Year to begin tomorrow
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) - Laos and China will launch a major campaign this week to boost tourism cooperation between the two countries throughout 2019.
Officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies met in Vientiane this week to discuss the details of the ceremony to initiate Visit Laos-China Year 2019.
Tourism officials said a number of activities would be held at the National Culture Hall on January 25 to mark the launch of the year-long tourism promotion.
Key activities will include cultural performances and an exhibition of Lao and Chinese tourism products. There will also be films that depict the special attractions of Laos and China.
According to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, senior government officials from Laos and China will give speeches to officially launch Visit Laos-China Year 2019.
The government has high expectations for the success of the campaign and is hoping for a surge in Chinese visitors. In 2018, more than 805,800 Chinese visited Laos, a 26 percent increase compared to 2017.
This year the government projects that more than 1 million Chinese will visit Laos and is hoping to attract about 4.5 million visitors in total.
Tourism officials said a number of activities have been planned specifically for Chinese tourists. These include a China culture week celebrating 58 years of Laos-China diplomatic relations.
There will also be a mid-autumn festival and Chinese cultural performances in Luang Prabang and Vientiane, while tourism authorities will hold a meeting on Laos-China tourism management in Champassak province.
Hotel and restaurant owners and travel agents have been asked to design products and offer services that match the requirements of Chinese tourists. Some tourist attractions such as Buddha Park in Vientiane will have information brochures written in Chinese. Meanwhile, Bokeo province is holding its annual Kapok Flower Festival (Dok Ngiew Festival) which began yesterday and is being advertised as a tourist attraction. Provinces including Luang Prabang will build more facilities, provide more services, and improve standards at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.
Chinese will be added to informative signs at popular tourist sites and tourism pamphlets will be written in Chinese as an aid to visitors. Restaurants will give their menus a Chinese twist.
Souvenirs will come with explanations about their significance, and will be attractively packaged, according to the Luang Prabang provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department.
More than 4.1 million visitors came to Laos in 2018, a 8.2 percent increase compared to 2017. More than 800,000 tourists came from China, an increase of 26 percent, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Scoot to launch direct Singapore-Laos flight
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) - The budget arm of Singapore Airlines, Scoot, is ready to launch Singapore-Laos flights in April with tickets starting at US$88, it announced yesterday.
Scoot will fly from Singapore to Vientiane to Luang Prabang on a circular route. It will depart from Singapore for Luang Prabang, followed by Vientiane, before heading back to Singapore, according to The Straits Times, the leading newspaper of Singapore.
These routes were transferred from its sister airline SilkAir with Scoot’s A320 aircraft.
Luang Prabang and Vientiane are the first two of the several new destinations the low-cost carrier will be adding to its network this year.
With the addition of Laos, Scoot’s network will span 68 destinations across 19 countries and territories.
Three weekly flights will connect to Laos from Singapore departing 9am on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving at Luang Prabang at 11.10 am and then on to Vientiane by 1pm.
The return flight departs Vientiane at 1.50pm, arriving back into Singapore at 6pm (all local times).
Scoot’s Laos sale includes one-way fares from US$$189 departing Perth, US$199 from the Gold Coast, and US$209 from Sydney and Melbourne.
Fares do not include excess baggage or meals and all flights have a stopover in Singapore.
The limited period promotion tickets are available on Scoot’s website from now until January 22.
SilkAir launched a service to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in October 2016. It has since stopped the service after poor passenger figures between October 2017 and February last year, according to Channel News Asia.
Lao Airlines also stopped direct Laos-Singapore flights from March 25 due to operational reasons and, as of now, has no plans to resume the flights.
This is the second time that direct flights between the two countries were halted, after Lao Airlines relaunched a Singapore-Laos flight in October 2017.
Khammuan’s Tha Falang creating social media buzz among visitors
KHAMMUAN (Vientiane Times/ANN) - The new Tha Falang development in Khammuan province is receiving lots of interest from domestic and international visitors after numerous pictures of the beautiful site have been shared on social media.
Located on the Nam Don river in Thakhaek district, the site opened last month ahead of this year’s scheduled commencement.
KK Transport and Service Company was authorised by Khammuan province to develop the site, which is located between Thock-Nayor and Songkhone villages.
A Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed between the provincial Planning and Investment Department and the company in May last year. Company CEO Mr Khambee Lattanavong told Vientiane Times yesterday that Tha Falang was officially opened on December 8 after the company completed some facilities ahead of schedule.
“The facilities are designed to attract Europeans followed by Thai visitors,” he said.
The planned development sees the construction of 20 bungalows near the riverbank and 30 further inland as well as the provision of 100 kayaks for rent. The kayaks can be paddled over a 5km section of the river with motorboats also to be provided along with restaurants, a market, and other facilities.
Mr Khambee said the company was currently operating only some of the activities including 20 picnic huts near the riverbank, rental kayaks, a restaurant, and retail outlet.
He expected to build 20 more huts, and the bungalows will be completed in the next two months.
Kayaks cost 69,000 kip per person to rent or 85,000 kip for two people and 99,000 kip for three. Tubing rental is 20,000 kip and 50,000 kip for hut rental, while entrance and toilets are free of charge.
Tha Falang is currently attracting 100-150 visitors each weekday peaking at 300 on Saturdays and Sundays. Prior to the development, the site attracted only 50-60 people a day for swimming. Most of the visitors so far are Lao and Thai.
Tha Falang is 10 km from the centre of Thakhaek district. Khammuan is located in central Laos and borders Borikhamxay and Savannakhet provinces. Travel by private vehicle to the province takes 4-5 hours from Vientiane.
Newest address for fine dining in Vientiane
Khao poon cheo khing - noodles served with a ginger sauce – is becoming popular in Vientiane as it is both a tasty dish as well as healthy.
This dish is a huge hit, especially at lunch time, with office-goers, families and friends.
If you are hungry head to this newest address in Vientiane - Khao Poon Cheo Khing Yai Sikhai.
The ingredients of the popular dish “khao poon cheo khing”.
The restaurant is small but serves a variety of delicious local foods such as bamboo shoot soup, grilled fish and chicken.
The grilled chicken costs 55,000 kip while the grilled fish is priced at 25,000 kip.
The restaurant opened on Friday with a lavish ceremony organised by its owner Mr Win Weanmany.
The restaurant has received a lot of interest and many foodies have already visited it after Mr Win Weanmany posted the menu on the Facebook page - Khao Poon Cheo Khing Yai Sikhai.
Mr Win told Vientiane Times he opened the eatery because this dish is popular in the capital, and not many restaurants are offering this kind of fare.
The pricing of most dishes at the restaurant is reasonable – ranging from 5,000-60,000 kip.
However, the highlight of the menu is without doubt noodles served with ginger sauce.
The ingredients for one set consist of noodles (khao poon), grilled chicken and fish, beef, vegetables, pickled fish, chilli and ginger sauce.
“We provide something that’s different from most restaurants. We offer the best quality food which is fresh and also reasonably priced. Khao Poon Cheo Khing offers the perfect ambience too, where people can relax and enjoy a meal with family or friends,” Mr Win said.
The menu aims to attract all groups of people, including office-goers, families, friends and tourists who want to try out the local cuisine.
Mr Win said he opened the restaurant after studying recipes that featured noodles with ginger sauce for over three years.
The restaurant can serve up to 60-70 customers a day. It opens at 10am and closes at 6pm.
It is easy to access and is situated in Phosy village, Sikhottabong district.
Most of the customers are locals, especially teenagers and students who stop by for a hearty lunch.
By Viengdavanh Banphahaksa
(Latest Update December 29, 2018)
China-Laos cross-border tunnel
Construction of the cross-border Friendship Tunnel on the China-Laos railway is proceeding smoothly, the China Railway No.2 Group Co, which is in charge of the project, said on Sunday.
"We have made a 300-meter entrance into the cross-border mountains, and will have half of the job done on the Lao side at the end of this year," Wang Xiaodong, Party secretary of the construction unit boring the Friendship Tunnel from the Lao side, told the Xinhua News Agency.
The 9,595-meter tunnel has two parts, 7,170 meters in China and 2,425 meters in Laos. The entrance on the Lao side is finished and landscaping is in progress.
~Xinhua-Global Times~
