2nd Luang Prabang Film Festival
The second Luang Prabang Film Festival kicked off on Saturday featuring 25 feature-length films from around South East Asia and is scheduled to run until December 7.
The festival celebrates film-making in Southeast Asia and gives Lao people a chance to see more of what their neighbours are producing in this art form.
The government has backed the project, instituting special measures designed to facilitate film-making activities and investment in the industry. Last year's festival was a great success and organisers hope it will become a permanent institution and encourage more film-making in Laos.
The highlight of the opening was a Lao film titled On Safer Ground by Stuart Ryan and Hedley Dindoyal. The documentary follows a teenage football team from Laos as they travel to the Gothia Youth World Cup 2010 in Sweden.
After the screening the organisers surprised the guests by bringing the entire team, from Xieng Khuang province, onto the stage and a standing ovation followed.
The official opening ceremony was followed by a red carpet party with the appearance of VIP guests including filmmakers, directors and actors along with other figures working in the film scene at the Luang Prabang French Cultural Centre.
Our festival last year was a huge success, so we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to keep this project going, said Mr Gabriel Kuperman, who is the founder and director of the festival.
This year we are proud to be showcasing 25 feature-length films from around Southeast Asia. These movies represent the broad range of skilled filmmaking in the region, and the films were thoughtfully nominated by our Motion Picture Ambassadors, several of whom are with us today.
We have two venues showing the films this year: the handicraft market and also at the beautiful Amantaka just down the road. Lao short films and selections from the National Archive will also be screened at our Visitor Centre - Project Space Luang Prabang, he said.
There, visitors will also find exhibits by UNESCO and the Southeast Asia Movie Theatre Project, as well as images from the Gothia Cup, where much of our opening film, On Safer Ground, is filmed. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see films in restaurants and other businesses around town.
Director of the Cinema Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Bounchao Phichit, said The object of the Luang Prabang Film Festival is to develop and promote the growth of the film industry in Laos and to engage in other cultural exchanges with a view to promoting tourism in Laos, particularly in Luang Prabang, which is a World Heritage Site.
The first Luang Prabang Film Festival last year encouraged film activities and promoted many quality Lao films. As a result of its success, young filmmakers are now eager to produce more films.
The festival demonstrates the good working relations between the film industries of South East Asian countries, enables the audience to view a diversity of films, and enables Lao filmmakers to learn from their regional counterparts.
The government of Laos has realised the importance of film activities. The Department of Cinema was established in 2008 to manage the film industry and promote the development of quality Lao films in response to public demand.
Films featured at the festival are At the Horizon, On Safer Ground and Lao Wedding.
Apart from the main festival there will also be a roadshow, which will screen a small selection of films in various provinces. These Lao-subtitled films will be shown over two-night stops.
This travelling festival will provide local communities with an opportunity to interact in an international cultural event, something they rarely have the chance to do given their socio-economic disadvantage and remote locale. This element of the festival will be organised with the support and cooperation of provincial governments and departments of information and culture.
The Luang Prabang Film Festival is organised in partnership with the Department of Cinema, the Lao Journalists' Association and UNESCO Bangkok.
Modern Laos through the lenses of Lao photographers
Some 65 studies by young Lao photographers and photojournalists reflect the daily life of Lao people, scenery and culture set in an exhibition called Laos Today which recently opened at the Project Space Gallery in Luang Prabang province.
The exhibition is planned to run from now until August 5. It opened following the success of the first exhibition which was shown in Vientiane, receiving a good response. Now visitors in Luang Prabang have the chance to observe and discover the meaning of Laos Today through the perspective of young Lao photographers.
The Laos Today photo exhibition grew out of a workshop for Lao photojournalists organised by the US Embassy, the Lao Journalists' Association, and Lang Korng Photo Club in October 2011. After the workshop, the 14 participants were issued with cameras and encouraged to do cument the world around them. They rose to that challenge, and the photos on display in this exhibit are the result.
Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy to Laos, Angela Dickey said, We came together to open an exhibition called Laos Today. This is very interesting to me because it's my second time in Laos, the first being in 2000-2002. When I came back last year I was thinking about the old days, and came to realise that I really like old things, but it's also an exciting time to be in Laos, because things are changing here very quickly.
This exhibition shows that we are not living in the Laos I first saw 12 years ago nor are we in the Laos of tomorrow yet. So we try to figure out where we are. We are in Laos today. I think all these pictures are reflective of what's happening in the country right now.
Apart from showing photographs by Lao photojournalists, this exhibition also features photos by members of Lang Korng (Behind the Lens), a group founded by photography enthusiasts only two years ago. Its members have already made their mark with several successful photo exhibitions, and this display adds to their growing reputation as the best chroniclers of modern Laos.
I hope these photojournalists will continue their work and I think one day in the future they might have their works not only displayed in Laos but outside the country, as the US embassy is very proud to work and help Lao photojournalism and journalism in general in Laos, she said.
This exhibition makes it abundantly clear that a new generation of Lao photographers and photojournalists are ready to step to the fore and carry out their most important job of photography, to show the public moments of great significance occurring in everyday life.
Kasemrad International Hospital Vientiane Project
Luang Prabang buffalo dairy yields wealth of benefits.
The Lao Buffalo Dairy in
Luang Prabang province
is benefitting the local
community in many ways,
by providing income for
villagers and a sustainable
future for the Lao people
involved in the project.
It operates in close
collaboration with local
villagers and is supported by
a number of non-profit and
government organisations.
The farm works with
villages in the province to
produce buffalo cheese and
a range of dairy products.
It is a socially-responsible
enterprise consisting of
a commercial dairy and
production facility that turns
out yogurt, cheese and icecream
and other products
for local and overseas
customers.
The Lao Buffalo Dairy
was established in 2014 and
is located in Meuangkhay
village, Luang Prabang
district.
This socially-responsible
business is funded, owned
and managed by foreign
investors and two Lao
nationals.
The CEO of Lao Buffalo
Dairy, Ms Susie Martin, said
the farm cooperates with and
benefits people from villages
in and around Luang Prabang
by renting their buffalo. This
provides families with a
regular income stream from
an underutilised resource,
particularly female buffalo.
“We rent female buffalo
from villagers so we can
milk them. We have built
a facility for milking the
buffalo and keeping them
well fed, healthy and safe.
During this time, we care
for, feed, and vaccinate all
the buffalo and their calves,”
Ms Martin said.
“We give the owner 1.4
million kip each time we
rent one buffalo. They stay
here for about eight months,
including six months when
they are milked daily after
giving birth. Then they are
returned to the owner until
they are ready to calve again
and the process will start
anew. The villagers will
retain ownership of their
animals. Calves become
buffaloes and these buffaloes
will in turn have calves, and
a cycle of opportunity will
begin.”
“ We b u y c a s s a v a ,
popcorn and rice grain from
local people which also
supplements their income.
We will increase the number
of orders when the number
of buffalo increases. We
may also help villagers to
grow grass for our farm,”
she added.
The farm benefits from a
local and international team
with a combined wealth of
experience.
Beef consumption outstrips supply in Vientiane
The demand for beef in Vientiane is high but local farms are only able to meet about 10 percent of the market's needs, excluding beef shipped in from the provinces, a local businessman has said.
“Vientiane alone needs more than 500 cattle to supply its slaughterhous es to meet daily consumption needs,” the owner of Patthana Farm in Sangthong district, MrSysouphanhChanthalath, told Vientiane Times last week.
MrSysouphanh, who is Vice President of the Vientiane Cattle Breeding and Entrepreneurs' Association, was speaking on behalf of the association. He went on to say that long-term low interest bank loans were key to ensuring a sufficient supply of beef.
“Nowadays not many people dare to invest in breeding cattle. It takes a couple of years to make a profit, but the market price of beef shows no sign of decreasing even though the price of other products fluctuates,” MrSysouphanh said.
He said that if banks would allow a longer loan repayment time, it would open up opportunities for more people to invest in livestock breeding.
Vientiane Times reporters went to Sangthong district to observe developments in agriculture and interviewed various people working in different sectors.
MrSysouphanh added that the demand for beef was not only high in Laos but neighbouring countries including Vietnam and China also wanted to buy beef from Laos.
“Frankly, we only have the capacity to supply about 10 percent of the beef needed by Vientiane's markets. The rest comes from the provinces,” he said.
The farmer now owns more than 100 head of cattle, all of which he sells to buyers in Vientiane. He has put more than 5 billion kip into expanding his farm to more than 25 hectares, where he keeps cattle, goats and some lambs.
When Laos is an active part of the Asean Economic Community, it will mean that more people come to Laos and the demand for meat will increase, especially for beef, he said.
The Vientiane Cattle Breeding and Entrepreneurs' Association now has 25 cattle farms as members, whose owners raise more than 1,300 animals between them.
MrSysouphanh said most Lao people prefer to eat beef rather than other meat, so it is worth investing in cattle farming.
“I would like to raise more than 200 to 300 cattle a year. I'd like to focus on supplying young animals to restaurants that roast a whole carcass for their customers, and raise more cattle to sell to other farms in Vientiane,” he added.
He said Sangthong district was one of the best places in Vientiane for livestock breeding because of the fine weather, fertile soil for grass cultivation, and for agriculture in general.
The price of beef on sale in Vientiane markets ranges from 65,000 kip to 70,000 kip, although prices may be different in some provincial markets.
Lao satellite should help with low cost services
Officials from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication recently replied to questions among members of the public asking about the potential benefits for them after the first Lao satellite was launched into space a few months ago.
The Department of Telecommunications under the ministry said there were various things that Lao people would benefit from after the satellite launch and the most important is they would like society to utilise its service systems.
About four months after the launching LaoSAT-1 satellite, there were a lot of comments from members of the public asking the government side whether they would benefit from the cheaper cost of internet services in Laos.
Then Vientiane Times brought the questions to the ministry last week.
Director General of the Lao Satellite project under the Telecommunications Department Dr Phouluang Kanolath, who is a representative of the government side, answered that now that Laos has its own satellite, the prices for internet should go down as the providers will no longer have to pay rental from other satellites.
“We would like local people in society to access the real service systems of the LaoSAt-1 satellite,” he explained.
The government received LaoSAT-1's In-Orbit Delivery and witnessed the opening of the Lao Asia-Pacific Satellite Company Limited last week.
The ministry also reported that the telecommunications sector in Laos will have more convenience after Laos got the satellite, including high quality services in Information Communication Technology which will cover every area in Laos, including remote areas where fiber optic cables do not reach.
These services will include Direct To Home (DTH), Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), National Emergency Communications Network (NECN), Television Production Centre (TVPC), International Gateway Station (IGS), and Wireless Broadband Cognitive Networks (WBCN) which serve the internet in the present day by using the Time-Division-Long Term Evolution (TD- LTE) 4G system.
Dr Phouluang said there are a lot of services which will be made possible by the satellite, aiming to make it easier than today in regards to communication between the remote areas and central provinces or the capital, including e-learning and e-medical services.
The LaoSAT-1 satellite represents a new technology for Laos which can help further the country's socio-economic development and boost the quality of telecommunications in Laos.
In November 2015, the LaoSAT-1 satellite was launched into space and until now the experiments relating to the satellite's technical capabilities have proved it is fully functional for telecommunications.
The satellite was launched from China into the 128.5 degrees East orbital slot, which has been specifically allocated to Laos.
The satellite launch is part of the government's efforts to propel the country towards industrialisation and employ advanced technology for telecommunications.
Meditation VR - Laos, Luang Prabang & Vang Vieng Nature (360 VR Video)
Please enjoy this episode of 'Meditation VR' in which we select the most relaxing scenes from each destination we've visited in this longer format type of video.
In this episode: Laos, with some incredible views in and around Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.
More episodes following soon!! Please feel free to subscribe to our channel to stay tuned :).
VR Gorilla is an Amsterdam based virtual reality production studio. We aim to create the most immersive, enthralling experiences imaginable. We want to give you new experiences and take you places you have never been. We want to tell stories like you’ve never seen and heard them before. We want to share with you our dreams.
We make 360° video productions that are perfected to be experienced in high end VR headsets (like Gear VR and Oculus) as well as Cardboard and YouTube/Facebook 360. Our background as filmmakers give us the advantage of knowing how to tell a story and really captivate your audience. Obviously te rules are different in VR but still there is much that we gain from having this experience.
More 360° VR videos on our website:
If you are interested in licensing this or other 360° VR videos we have made, or wish to create new content, please contact us.
Secret War in Laos [1080 resolution] ~ Hmong History ~ Project 404 aka Palace Dog
Far above the Plain of Jars,
And the mighty Mekong River.
High atop the mountains of Laos,
Generations of Hmong lived a peaceful, happy life.
Then war tore the country apart,
Bombs rained down,
For ten years, Laos was bombed every 8 minutes.
Laos became the most heavily bombed country on earth.
The CIA supplied weapons, training, and salaries,
And the Hmong provided the soldiers and the casualties.
Over 10,000 Hmong died, a rate 100 times higher than that of the U.S. in Vietnam.
Before learning to drive cars, Hmong learned to fly,
More than half the Hmong fighter pilots were killed.
The Hmong had entered the space age,
A generation of children thought rice came from the sky.
By 1975 the country was destroyed, and everything was lost,
Entire villages were evacuated by air.
The only choice was to flee across the Mekong to safety in Thailand,
To finally depart their beloved Laos,
And start a new life in America.
In addition to the U.S.
Hmong also resettled in other countries, including:
France, French Guiana, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and Germany.
Many Hmong, after spending years in refugee camps in Thailand, were forcefully repatriated back to Laos.
Video/photo/music editing and text narration by Cory Jasperson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a historical video / photo compilation made in iMovie that gives a basic overview of the Secret War in Laos and its impact on the Hmong people--prepared and presented in one of the breakout sessions of the 2013 Regional LDS (Mormon) Hmong Conference entitled Listen to My Story held in Sacramento, California.
After years of many requests for copies of the video presentation, finally posting it online for everyone to view and share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
General Vang Pao, Nais Phoos Vaj Pov, Long Tieng, Looj Ceeb, VP, CIA, USAID, Hmongstory 40, Hmong Story, Hmongstory.org, Tso Rog Nplog Teb, Air America, Tragic Mountains, Ravens, T-28, Lee Lue, Luang Prabang, Plain of Jars, Lub Tiaj Rhawv Zeb, Lav 52, Lav Tsib Caug Ob, Xieng Khouang, Keeb Kwm Hmoob (Liv Xwm), Hmong Guerilla Fighters, Hmong Army, Special Guerrilla Unit SGU, Angelfire
Laos - ThatLuang Marsh Specific Economic Zone - Prepares for AEC 2015
The project covers an area of 365 hectares in Vientiane capital, with the aim of urbanising the marsh and creating better facilities for foreign investment in Laos.
When finished the project will include a large residential area, public parks and green spaces, a lake, roads and drainage, a sports complex and a commercial centre. There will also be five-star hotels, shopping centres and entertainment venues and twelve condominium blocks with 18 floors are set to go on sale in October this year.
#1 How To Cross The Thai/Lao Border
-English/French subtitles available-
______________________
Episode #2
For anyone in holidays in Thailand this is how you can come in Laos for a cheap price. Taking a plane straight to Laos is quite expensive, the best trick is to come in Udon Thani near the border and then take a bus to Vientiane. This is a step by step video to show you all the process, starting from the bus station of Udon Thani, and going through the Nong Khai border to end at the hotel i'm staying in Vientiane.
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My first video in Vientiane :
Full Moon at Luang Prabang..Laos. Watch for UFO (bird) flying across face of moon.1 min 42 sec.
Full Moon at Luang Prabang..Laos.
Watch for UFO (bird) flying across face of moon.1 min 42 sec.
Laos - National Geographic Adventure World Traveller
Thesis Luang prabang Art & Cultural hall project desing
Laos-China railway 78 percent complete
Construction of the 414-km Laos-China railway from the Chinese border to Vientiane is progressing well and is now 78.2 percent complete.
According to a report issued on September 30 by the project management committee, all of the main structures such as tunnels, bridges and overhead railway supports have been built. Laying of the track itself and other facilities has not yet been done as they are part of a separate agreement.
Acting Head of the Laos-China Railway Project Management Committee under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Thenekham Thongbonh, told Vientiane Times on Friday that when all of the main structures are in place the next step will be installation of the track, electricity and management systems, and other facilities needed to operate the railway.
However, whether the project is completed on time or not in part depends on the availability of construction sites, so that the project operator, namely the railway company, can proceed as planned. This means the project management committee has to speedily arrange compensation for people whose land and other property has been expropriated.
Mr Thenekham said that so far the government has made available 98.5 percent of all the required construction sites and that only about 2 percent, or 11 sites, both large and small, have yet to be acquired.
Luang Namtha and Oudomxay provinces have handed over all of the sites required by the project.
All of the necessary sites have been acquired in Luang Prabang province, apart from one location in the Buam Or area where a station is planned. This site is located in a village but the authorities plan to relocate the inhabitants so that land is freed up.
In addition, there are still several sites in Vientiane province and Vientiane that cannot yet be handed over to the project operator, including four or five in Vientiane province.
In Vientiane there are many areas yet to be handed over to the project operator, mainly in Xaythany district, including in Nongphaya, Nathom, Nongviengkham, Donnon, Xay and Dongxanghin villages.
Sites in these villages are needed for the railway but the compensation process is proving difficult because some of the people affected do not agree with the principles of the compensation offered.
Mr Thenekham said compensation was being awarded through a committee made up of seven different representative groups. They will sign agreements and assess the value of the property affected.
Compensation covers people’s land, buildings, and planted crops, with each having a set unit price.
Some people think they should be awarded more compensation than what is being offered, but the unit price cannot be adjusted to suit individuals’ requirements, Mr Thenekham said.
Before the unit prices were legislated, they were discussed many times and brainstormed by the Vientiane People’s Council and Provincial People’s Councils. Prior to their approval, various committees debated the amounts on many occasions in line with their responsibilities.
Construction of the US$5.986 billion (37.4 billion yuan) Laos-China railway began in 2015 and is set for completion in 2021.
laos3.mp4
I lavori di costruzione dell'impianto idroelettrico del Theun Hinboun in Laos
Project LAO/020 - Part 6
Achieving Service Quality Through People: Tourism Human Resource Development - Vision and Stretegic Recommendations
Xayaboury banana farms ordered to cease operations
vientianetimes.org.la
Five companies with banana plantations in Xayaboury province have been ordered to stop growing the fruit, but can still plant other replacement crops in compliance with regulations.
Four of the companies affected are Chinese backed with banana farms located around the villages of Phonthong, Namtuan, Naluam and Nalae, with one Lao farm located at Vangkham village, all in Phieng and Xayaboury districts, Xayaboury province.
Some companies are now being instructed to remove banana trees from the farms after authorities ordered a suspension of operations after inspections revealed they were not complying with regulations.
Head of Xayaboury Agricultural and Cooperative Promotion Sector, MsSengthongPhengdee told Vientiane Times yesterday local authorities have ordered the five target companies to stop planting banana trees and remove them on more than 600 hectares in Phieng and Xayaboury districts. This follows an executive order from the Prime Minister's Office issued at the end of last year.
We hope that the removal of banana trees will be completed by May this year, she said. However, to be fair to the companies, local authorities have suggested other options for farmers.
They can plant other crops and fruits according to their location, and this will started after they have completed banana tree removal from their farms, MsSengthong said. More importantly, all farmers should not be using too many dangerous chemical substances, and instead be using organic fertiliser as approved by agriculture officials.
Chinese-run banana farms are not only found in the northern provinces, there are also hundred of hectares in Vientiane province and the capital.
The northern provinces of Bokeo, LuangPrabang, Oudomxay and Phongsaly mainly grow bananas for export to China, but Oudomxay and LuangNamtha provinces are the major centres for banana plantations in Laos.
Bokeo authorities also plan to suspend the operations of 18 companies who have invested in banana plantations. The cultivation of about 6,000 hectares of banana trees by 23 companies in Oudomxay province will also be suspended.
According to investment statistics, Chinese companies have invested in more than 764 projects in Laos at a cost of more than US$7 billion in areas such as mineral products, agriculture, electricity, artefacts, and tourism. Of these projects, 552 were funded by Chinese companies, while Laos and China jointly invested in 212 projects. China is Laos' top source of foreign investment. The total value of imports and exports from Laos to China exceeded US$1.5 billion over the last nine months of 2015-16. Of this figure, the export value totalled US$950 million, while imports were valued at US$570 million.
Laos - Gay Travel Destination - AdonisHoliday.com
Southeast Asian Circuit Gay Tour - Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos
We are heading to laid-back Luang Prabang, the former royal capital of Laos and one of the most interesting places in Indochina. Here you can smell the baguettes baking and even find a decent bottle of wine, thanks to the French.
Project Paj Ntaub featuring Suzanne Thao
Hmong Museum's longest running program, Project Paj Ntaub, is a space for intergenerational communities to gather together and learn the art of paj ntaub.
This film highlights Suzanne Thao, the project leader, who has worked with over 100 students teaching each of them the traditions her mother and grandmother taught her.
Please support this programming by Hmong Museum on our website: hmongmuseummn.org