Paklai readies for elephant festival

Xayaboury province is getting ready to welcome local and international tourists to the second Elephant Festival, which is scheduled to begin next week in Paklai district.
“I would like to take this opportunity to invite business people, traders, locals and international tourists to join us for the festival,” Governor Lien Thikeo said yesterday at a press conference held at the Lao National Tourism Administration in Vientiane .
“You will see exhibitions of local products and many activities involving elephants, which will not disappoint.”
The festival will take place from February 15 to 17, according to the official schedule from the Lao National Tourism Administration.
Dr Lien said the provincial authorities and the French-run ElefantAsia had been preparing the event for months, and confirmed the festival would be bigger than last year's, with more elephants and parades.
Competitions between people and elephants, an elephant beauty contest, boat racing and rocket firing would all be part of the festival, organised to create an atmosphere of fun, he added.
About 70 elephants and hundreds of artists and performers will take part in the festival, according to tourism officials.
The Director of the Xayaboury Tourism Administration, Mr Sangviane Sengkannaly, said that the administration had prepared a number of places for accommodation.
The district has 14 guesthouses that can sleep only 300 people so the authorities are arranging for local families to provide a home-stay service for visitors.
He said about 400 families in the town of Paklai had agreed to open their homes to visitors, providing sleeping arrangements for more than 3,000 people.
He expected that more people would offer their homes in the days to come.
Mr Sangviane said that the price of a room in a guesthouse would be from 50,000 to 100,000 kip per night and for a home-stay it would be 25,000 kip to 30,000 kip per person per night.
“We have agreed on a suitable price for accommodation and all householders have promised not to charge more tha n this sum,” he said.
He added that guesthouse owners, host families and service providers had been trained in the provision of good service to visitors, and believed they would be impressed with the local hospitality as the people of Paklai were traditionally kind and welcoming. He also stated that people would have enough to eat, because there were plenty of restaurants in the district.
Mr Sangviane estimated that at least 15,000 people would attend the festival, and the authorities had arranged extra accommodation, if needed, in the neighbouring districts of Kaenthao and Sanakham, about 70km from the festival venue, less than two hours' drive away.
The first elephant festival was held in Hongsa district, Xayaboury province by the provincial authorities and the French-run ElefantAsia. There were only 49 elephants joined in the event last year.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy (Latest Update February 07, 2008)

Bokeo celebrates the blooming of dok ngiew

The annual Dok Ngiew (kapok flower) Festival in Tonpheung district, Bokeo province, attracted thousands of people last week, to celebrate the blooming of the flower in the area.
Miss Dok Ngiew 2008 contestants on stage during the Kapok Flower Festival in Tonpheung district, Bokeo province, held from January 30 to February 3. --Photo Ratsamy
The 8 th annual festival took place from January 30 to February 3 to promote tourism in the province.
“The festival is important to preserve local traditions and culture, as well as promoting tourism and enhancing unity among ethnic groups in the district,” said the Governor of Tonpheung district, Mr Chomsy Lattanaban.
The festival included various activities, such as a trade fair, sports competitions and the Miss Dok Ngiew 2008 beauty contest.
“Festivals like this one help to promote tourism in the ‘Golden Triangle' of Laos , Myanmar and Thailand ,” said the Head of the Bokeo Tourism Office, Mr Vanthong Chittakoun.
The event takes place each year to coincide with the blooming of the kapok flowers which grow naturally on 70 hectares in the district, according to Mr Vanthong.
Bokeo province is an entry point for many tourists arriving from Thailand before they make their way to other parts of Laos .
The festival attracted more than 60,000 people, both locals and foreigners, generating about 1.8 billion kip, according to Mr Chomsy.
Next year's festival is expected to be even bigger, because the district authority plans to invite tourism representatives from other Mekong countries, according to Mr Chomsy.
Bokeo province is in northern Laos , with its capital extending along the bank of the Mekong, at an intersection with Thailand and Myanmar .
The province lies on Road R3A, part of the major highway running from Kunming in China through the northern Lao provinces of Luang Namtha and Bokeo to Thailand . Parts of this route are still under construction but it is expected to be open to traffic soon.
It is envisaged that the 228-highway will contribute to economic development in northern Laos and facilitate commercial and tourism exchange with the neighbouring countries of China and Thailand .
The number of visitor arrivals to the province reached 68,487 last year, up 2.16 percent from 2006, according to the provincial tourism office.
There are about 85 tourist sites throughout the province. Sixty of these are places of natural interest, 18 are of cultural interest and seven have historical associations, according to the office.
By MK. Vongsam-ang (Latest Update February 06, 2008)

Old styled houses in Pak Khayoung

This small but quite old village is located on the bank of Nam Ngum river. Houses you can see here are likely more than 50 years old.

Beginning of trip to Vientiane province

Vientiane province is located in the north of Vientiane capital city. You can go there by North 13th road which leads to Luang Prabang. My trip was planned to participate in the wedding ceremony and we used another route through Nam Ngum bridge in Thagnone heading to Pak khayoung to see old styled houses, and from there using ferry to cross Nam Ngum again to wedding party in Phonemi. After that to see Nam Ngum lake and back to Vientiane.

Vientiane-Khon Kaen bus route to open

Laos and Thailand will open a new bus route next month, a return service from Vientiane to Khon Kaen, aiming to promote trade and tourism.

Deputy Head of the Planning and Transport Divi si on of the State Bus Enterprise, Mr Bounyou Thammasath, said this would be the third Lao-Thai bus route, in addition to return trips from Vientiane to Nong Khai and from Vientiane to Oudon Thani.

From a joint survey carried out by Lao and Thai bus authorities, it was found that the number of people travelling to Khon Kaen was increasing daily.

“At present passengers must first to go Thailand and board a private bus if they want to get to Khon Kaen, paying for two separate journeys - from Vientiane to Nong Khai and from Nong Khai to Khon Kaen,” Mr Bounyou said, adding that the new service would make things much easier for passengers.

The service will begin on February 14, running two buses a day on the 150-km route and charging 50,000 kip or 180 baht.

The buses will depart the Morning Market at 8.15am and 2.15pm.

There are plans to increase the number of buses if demand is high. “This is the first step of the b usiness,” he said.

Since Laos and Thailand opened a return bus service from Vientiane to Nong Khai in 2004, the number of passengers has risen annually and more buses have been added. At present there are six buses a day each to Nong Khai and Oudon Thani.

It costs 15,000 kip or 55 baht for the journey to Nong Khai and 22,000 kip or 80 baht to travel as far as Oudon Thani.

Mr Bounyou said that rising fuel prices had cut into profits, but so far ticket prices remained unchanged.

However, officials have written a proposal to the government asking for permission to increase bus fares, which it is now considering.

With the building of friendship bridges between Laos and Thailand , the transportation sector has developed considerably, especially on the bus route running from Savannakhet province in Laos to Mukdahane province in Thailand .

Mr Bounyou said Laos and Thailand were planning to introduce a return service from Vientiane to Bangkok in the years to come.

He said that the State Bus Enterprise had not yet begun a service to Vietnam and China , but passengers wanting to travel by bus to these countries could start their journey at the Southern Bus Station or at the Northern Bus Station in Vientiane.

By XAYXANA LEUKAI
(Latest Update Janurary 24, 2008)

Ministry plans new national museum

( Champassak province) — The Ministry of Information and Culture is reviewing plans to build a new National Museum in Vientiane , according to a senior official.
The Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, Prof Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, told Vientiane Times on Monday during the Ministry of Information and Culture's nationwide 2007-2008 meeting in Champassak province that the government would consider the project's budget once the model and drawing plans were completed.
“We will start building the national museum once the government agrees on a budget, and we hope this will be soon, as the new building will be far more impressive than the existing one,” he said .
He confirmed that once the new building was ready, the old national museum site would be used for other ministerial activities.
“We need a new museum mainly because of the many new archaeological discoveries we have made during excavations around the country,” Dr Bosengkham said.
He went on to list a number of historical artefacts that were in storage because there was no room to display them in the existing museum.
“It's important for Lao people to be able to learn about the history of their country, which is why we want the best venue possible to display the many items of interest we have in the national collection,” he said.
The new museum will be built beside the Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial at Km 6, already a popular destination for visitors to Vientiane .
Dr Bosengkham said the government has also approved plans to build smaller provincial museums throughout the country.
“On top of the 5-hectare site in Vientiane , our project will extend to all the provinces, some of which already have museums, but which are in need of improvement,” he said, adding that all museums are scheduled for completion by 2020, according to the ministry's plans.
“These museums will be important places of learning for the next generation, who need to be acquainted with their country's history in order to love their country,” he said.

By Panyasith Thammavongsa (Latest Update January 23, 2008)