The street along Mekong and Khan river under water !

Click to.. Read more!

Govt acts to safeguard Luang Prabang's world heritage status

The government will crackdown on violations of UNESCO rules to ensure Luang Prabang does not lose its status as a world heritage listed city.

Past violations related to construction of new buildings had put the city's status at risk, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad told the National Assembly on Friday.

The only solution was to strictly enforce UNESCO rules from now on, he said.

“If we don't solve the problem, Luang Prabang will be out of the list of world heritage sites,” Mr Somsavat said.

Last year UNESCO requested the government report on how Luang Prabang has changed since being listed as a world heritage site in 1995. UNESCO officials also inspected the city and asked the government to respond on 15 points.

One of these relates to road construction approved by the Department of Public Works and Transport without agreement from UNESCO, when UNESCO should have made the final decision, he said.

Mr Somsavat said some people knowingly constructed new buildings which breached UNESCO rules, while others sold their houses to entrepreneurs and moved away.

One troubling sign of this development was a reducing number people giving alms to monks in the morning, he said. Not only does this indicate a move away from tradition, the decline could also negatively impact tourism, because this tradition is one of Luang Prabang's major drawcards.

“World heritage is still new for us and our biggest challenge is making local people understand the need to preserve cultural heritage and how this impacts on development,” Mr Somsavat said.

“Some people ask why we should preserve heritage if it means we cannot develop. But I don't think heritage preservation delays our development. On the contrary it encourages development.”

UNESCO officials have asked the government to make an updated map of the city and encourage cooperation between UNESCO and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The Standing Deputy PM said coordination must be improved between relevant sectors, and local people needed to be educated about the importance of Luang Prabang's world heritage status.

Luang Prabang's popularity as a tourist destination has increased since the city was listed as a world heritage site in 1995.

Mr Somsavat said the influx of visitors helped local people generate more income and improve their living standards.

“Now we have two world heritage listed sites: Luang Prabang and Vat Phou Champassak in Champassak province. But we won't propose any more sites to UNESCO until we improve the existing ones,” he said.

“We will assess what we have done and try to address challenges. We have many sites to be proposed to UNESCO, but we want to study them carefully first.”

By Somsack Pongkhao
Vientianetimes
---------------------
Via Samakomlao Webboard, Thanks... Read more!

Documentary "Nourished by the Same River"

Nourished by the Same River is a major documentary series produced by China Central Television in cooperation with the national television stations of the countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Region, namely; Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. This 20-part series took three years to complete.-----Read in Lao-----
The underlying theme of Nourished by the Same River is “peace, friendship, cooperation and development”. In pursuit of this, it investigates the lives of the people of the six countries, exploring their living environment, natural surroundings, economy, culture, religion and society. The documentary focuses on the lives of some 40 diverse people, ranging from a 78-year-old elephant trainer in Thailand, to a female mine clearance expert in Vietnam; from villagers living in the primitive rainforests of Laos, fishermen on Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia and in China’s Guangxi Province, and a child who miraculously survived the tsunami in Thailand, to the workers of the famous ruby mines of Myanmar and a traditional artisan in China’s Yunnan province. The series also features the spectacular ancient civilizations, rich natural resources and unique cultures of the Lancang-Mekong River Region, as well as the achievements in economic and cultural cooperation made by the countries there.

Nourished by the Same River comprises 20 parts, each focusing on a unique topic. The series was shot in over 200 locations, from the ruby mines, Shwedagon Pagoda, Mandalay and Bagan in Myanmar, to the renowned Angkor Wat and Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia; from the tropical rainforests and the Khon Phapheng Falls in Laos, to Kao Yai National Park and Elephant Village in Thailand; from Cuu Long River Plain and the ancient city of Hue in Vietnam, to great sites of cultural and aesthetic interest in Yunnan and Guangxi in China’s southwest.

This major documentary series is a vehicle for promoting the Lancang-Mekong River Region to the rest of the world. It serves to enhance mutual understanding among people living in the region, and demonstrates the friendship among the six countries. It also stands as a symbol of the success of their exchange in the fields of television and the arts.

text from: http://www.cctv.com/english/special/sameriver/20080326/104019.shtml
Read more!

Luang Prabang won a World No Tobacco Day Award from WHO

Laos' old capital of Luang Prabang won a World No Tobacco Day Award from the World Health Organization (WHO) for its efforts to make the city smoking-free, the The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance said Friday.

"The Laos People's Democratic Republic, has once again proven their commitment to this global health treaty", alliance director Bungon Ritthiphkdee said, referring to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

"Without the close cooperation between government and civil society, the implementation of Smoke-free Luang Prabang would not succeed," she added. Luang Prabang was the royal capital, and seat of the Lao monarchy until 1975, when Laos went communist. City officials initiated the smoke-free program in March 2007, after the former capital was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The smoking ban applies to all tourist attractions, government workplaces, private areas such as restaurants, guest houses, hotels, internet shops, handicraft and souvenir shops, and public places such as the night market.

From www.tourlaos.blogspot.com/
................
Thanks...
Read more!

Top ten places to see in your lifetime, Tham Ting cave in Lunag prabang on the list !

Travellers have always made lists of the top destinations to be visited in the world and even armchair travellers dream of experiencing the most unique and exciting sites the planet has to offer.

Bruce Poon, the founder of adventure travel company GAP Adventures, shares his top ten tourist places to see in your lifetime.

Here is what he said about Laos.

The magnificent ancient caves of Pak Ou in Laos are set high above the Mekong River some 25km from Luang Prabang.

These caves have been a place of Buddhist worship and solitude for more than 600 years and more than 4,000 images of the Buddha have been placed inside them over that time.

A humbling place to ponder life's greater mysteries and Mr Poon said that experiencing the tranquillity of these caves is something he will always cherish.

More info about this article can be found at

http://www.travelbite.co.uk/feature/south-and-central-america/venezuela/top-ten-places-see-in-your-lifetime-$1217114.htm

Souce : www.tourlaos.blogspot.com/
Thanks...

Read more!

22,000 to celebrate Lao New Year in Luang Prabang !

Luang Prabang has estimated the number of both domestic and foreign visitors entering the province during Lao New Year celebration at 22,000.

“Foreign tourists will share over 70 per cent of the total visitors of the province during the celebration of Lao New Year,” said this week the Head of Luang Prabang Tourism Office, Mr. Khamtanh Somphanvilay.

The province also estimates that around 4 billion kip will be in circulation during the celebration.

“This year the province cerebrates Lao New Year from 9 to 19 April, and there will be so many activities than ever,” added Mr. Khamtanh.
A trade fair of domestic and foreign products and services also coincides the celebration of Lao New Year.

Source:From kpl
Via www.tourlaos.blogspot.com
Thanks... Read more!

The Procession of Phabang 2551 (Photos)

Click the photo to... Read more!

Naga procession 2551 (photos) !

Click the photo to... Read more!

Hae Vor Parade 2551 (Photos) !

Click the photo to see more... Read more!

Pavenaphone BOUPHA crowned Nang Sangkane 2551

Nang Sankane 2551, The Luang Prabang traditional beauty pageant finally came to an end last night and the most beautiful girl who crowned Miss Sangkhane this year went to Miss Pavenaphone BOUPHA, representing VISOUN village. Back to more ten year ago, her mother and mother's sister was also crowned the title of Miss Sangkane.

Click the photo to... Read more!

Live from Luang Prabang on LNTV1, Lao New Year 2551

Lao New Year Festival 2551 will live from The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang on LNTV1 on this Saturday night and Monday afternoon.

Click the photo to... Read more!

The Story of Nang Sangkhan

Click the photo to... Read more!

Luang Prabang to development New zone to speed up development

The government plans to set up a municipality as the main urban centre in Luang Prabang province to replace Luang Prabang district, in a bid to stimulate the development process, a senior official said yesterday.

According to the Deputy Head of the provincial administrative office, Mr Houmphanh Thammoungkhoun, preparations to establish the zone as a pilot project began in 2006. The new designation is expected to be officially announced next month, once the government has given its approval.

The provincial authority has allocated 68 villages in the town centre out of a total of 116 villages in the district for the new zone, while the rest will be incorporated into neighbouring districts.

Once the municipality comes into effect, Luang Prabang district will cease to exist, as will the position of district governor.

“The change is designed to facilitate fast development in all sectors in the municipality, including socio-economic and infrastructure development, and to foster a tourism hub,” said Mr Houmphanh.

Many organisations have been involved in the planning process to ensure it is in line with UNESCO's world heritage criteria. These bodies include the World Heritage Office, District Development and Administration Office, Public Works and Transport Department and the Governance Improvement Project, which have all collaborated in creating a development strategy.

“We must make sure that the development process is aligned to world heritage criteria,” Mr Houmphanh said. He explained that the new zone is divided into various sections, with specific areas dedicated to commerce and culture.

The administrative structure has also been improved, as several offices have been merged to streamline services and the provision of various permits. The Lao Women's Union , Lao Trade Union, Lao Youth Union and the Veterans' Office have been merged in one mass media organisation office.

This merger will not only streamline administrative services, but will help to reduce the administration budget, said Mr Houmphanh.

The pilot project is expected to be self-sufficient in terms of the budget needed for the development of the new zone. This means the authority should be able to use the money generated by various activities within the area for investment in development without requesting further budget allocation from the central and provincial levels.

“To begin with, it will be necessary to request funding from the provincial budget to develop the new zone, but once the economic situation is healthy we hope to be self-sufficient,” he said.

Mr Houmphanh said the establishment of the new zone would not affect any existing investments.

He explained that the authorities concerned have benefited from their experience in conducting such a project with Vietnam , where a similar venture was functioning well.


By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
Vientianetimes
Via Samakomlao, Thanks...
Read more!

Lao New Year Celebration in Luang Prabang (Videos)!

Lao New Year Celebration in Luang Prabang (Videos)

In Lao Click

In Englis Part 1 ...Part 2
Read more!

Luang Prabang celebrates top travel award (Photos) !

Click the photo to see more photos and to read in Lao

Luang Prabang celebrates top travel award 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang last Sunday celebrated its award by the UK 's leading travel magazine, Wanderlust, of the ‘Top City Gold Award', for the third successive year.

The celebrations began with food offerings to monks, followed by processions carrying national flags and banners, and an elephant parade.

The parade began at the provincial administration office and slowly travelled along Sisavangvong Road to Vat Xieng Thong, with local and foreign visitors joining in the celebrations.

Speaking before the parade, Governor of Luang Prabang province Bounheuang Douangphachan said the people of Luang Prabang were very proud to receive the international accolade.

“The award is not easy to win and we were competing with many well-known cities around the world,” he said.

Luang Prabang authorities have treated tourism as a priority in achieving socio-economic development and the industry has grown rapidly. The province has developed tourism services for cultural, natural and historical attractions to bring economic benefits to local people, he said.

The town was voted into the magazine's top 10 cities, from a list of 615, before the decision was made to give it the gold award. A poll of the magazine's readers who had visited the city found a satisfaction rating of more than 97 percent.

Luang Prabang won the award because it is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1,200-year-old historic town is considered to be the cultural and religious capital of Laos .

“The most important aspect of the town is the charm and hospitality of its people, a characteristic that has been handed down over the centuries. Now it has been revealed to the world,” Mr Bounheuang said.

He said people of all ethnicities should be proud of their artistic culture and architecture, and urged them to preserve and develop the town in a sustainable way.

In 1995 UNESCO added the town to its list of World Heritage Sites. It became the first such site in Laos , ensuring the preservation of its mixture of traditional Lao and French architecture. Since then its unique character has helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

Also attending the celebrations were Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and President of the Lao National Tourism Administration Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Deputy Governor Dr Khampheng Saysompheng, and the Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Bouangeun Saphouvong.

By MK. Vongsam-ang
Vientianetimes
Via tourlaos.blogspot.com/

thanks... Read more!

Nang Sangkhane 2005 and her new album with a famous music company, Valentine

New Lao singer from the world heritage town of Luang Prabang, Touly, officially released her full album in Vientiane entitled "Just say hi" under the Valentine Music record last February 7th. Before this album, Touly used to have her first album in Luang Prabang at Santipab school, the place where she graduated from.

You may have heard about Touly before from her popular song "Jep bor Jum", which
has been broadcasted in many Lao radio and TV programs. At present, her song is in the top 5 chart at Music Boom, Lao star TV channel. This song is composed by herself and is inspired by her friends and all people around her. There are totally 10 songs in this album, in which, she composed all the songs and mixed the sound by herself...

It spends about a year and a half to complete this album and music videos. The location of her music videos are 50% spotted in Luang prabang and 50% in Vientiane. Before Touly entered the music industry, she met Mr. Kai, the partner of Valentine music company and later, become the singer of this company.



She revealed that there are some difficulties for her to be a singer. She is now working as a tourist guide in Luang prabang province and she has to travel to Vientiane and other provinces for her concert. Nevertheless, to become a singer is her utmost dream and she is now very proud to see this album gaining more and more popularity in Laos.

Last but not least, she wants to invite everyone to listen to her song and not to buy a pirate CD. She will try her best to improve herself and to produce more quality products to the society.

source: ecom
translated by volunteer.
Via Samakomlao, Thanks... Read more!

Luang Prabang receives gold award from travel magazine Of UK

The World Heritage town of Luang Prabang has won a ‘Top City Gold Award' from England’s leading travel magazine, Wanderlust. The magazine placed Luang Prabang, an ancient city in the north of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the top spot on its list of travel destinations announced at the annual Wanderlust Travel Awards 2008, held at Earl's Court in London, UK, on January 31. “We didn't expect to win the award because the judges hadn't told us the good news beforehand,” said the Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang province, Dr Khampheng Saysompheng. He flew to London with his delegation to receive the award. Luang Prabang was voted into the magazine's top ten, out of 615 cities, before the decision was made to give it the gold award. More conventional holiday spots such as Venice, San Francisco and Sydney also featured in the top ten. A poll of the magazine's readers found a satisfaction rating of more than 97 percent among those who had visited Luang Prabang. This is the third time the town has received a gold award from the magazine, also winning the top spot in 2006 and 2007. Dr Khampheng, who returned home with the award, said on Tuesday it represented the pride of the Lao people, especially those who lived in Luang Prabang. He thanked the magazine's executive board and its readers who had voted Luang Prabang into top place. “This award will encourage us to work harder to preserve and develop the town in a sustainable way,” Dr Khampheng said. The 1,200-year-old historic town is considered to be among the most beautiful in South East Asia and is renowned as the cultural and religious capital of Laos . “Luang Prabang won the award because it is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries,” he said “But the most important aspect of the town is the charm of the Lao people,” Dr Khampheng said. In 1995 UNESCO inscribed the town onto its World Heritage List. It became the first world heritage site in Laos , ensuring the preservation of its mixture of traditional Lao and French architecture. Since then, its unique character and charm have helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, for both Lao and foreign visitors. Recently the world's most famous newspaper, the New York Times, named Laos as number one of the world's top 53 tourist destinations to visit in 200 8. By MK. Vongsam-ang www.vientianetimes.org.la Read more!

Luang Prabang is in the top Favourite Romantic Destinations by Travel+Leisure Magazine

Valentine's Day comes once a year, but travel offers a year-round opportunity to show the special person in your life how much you love them. Here, Travel + Leisure Australia provides a list of 20 romantic, inspirational escapes.

Click here for more infor...

Travel+Leisure Magazine

Tourlaos


Read more!

Luang Prabang voted World most popular town

(KPL) The first world heritage town of the Lao PDR, Luang Prabang, has been voted the most popular town of the world.

The votes were released in England’s Wanderlust Magazine.

According to Luang Prabang Tourist Office, the world heritage town of Luang Prabang has been selected among 615 tourist towns world-wide. The town has won the honour for three consecutive years since 2006 followed by Spain and Italy.

Amid the rising number of tourist arrivals, Lao people are proud of the ranking for the country’s jewel - Luang Prabang.

Mr Khamtanh Somphanvilay, Deputy Head of Luang Prabang Tourism Office, said he believed that the selection would augment this year’s number of tourist arrivals at least to 300,000, which will bring about US$ 100 million.

He added that Laos could not vote for itself and won such an honour for Luang Prabang. But it was the result of a unanimous voting by a number of tourists and tourism companies around the world through England’s Wanderlust Magazine.

Last year, the ancient town in northern Laos was closely kept an eye on by the competent UN agency for local activities of urban development, which could cause damage to efforts of preservation of the value of the ancient culture and unique architecture of Luang Prabang. In this respect, we have cooperated with local authorities and central levels to monitor and inspect activities occurring in the town, but we believed that all things must proceed within the scope enforced regulations and laws, explained Mr Khamtanh.

Luang Prabang was proclaimed by UNESCO as the first world heritage town in Laos in 1995. Since then, this dormant ancient town has been waken up by an influx of tourists from all corners of the world.

In parallel with the invasion of tourists the town also sees floods of external investment. All these could put the heritage town at risk of damaging its ancestor’s traditional way of life and value, and ancient architectural heritage if no measure is taken to control development activities to a proper extent.
...................
The text from www.kpl.net, Thanks... Read more!

Luang prabang in top 10 travel destinations for 2008

Monday, January 21, 2008
As the world gets wise to warming and brave new travelers embrace low impact lifestyles, green travel has become one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry.

Despite its rap as a collection of chic spas for wealthy, guilt-addled liberals who shell out $4,000 to commune with gorillas, green travel isn’t about giving a tour operator a month’s salary for some Disney-like attraction or consumer experience.

Traveling green is about finding and supporting destinations that have seen the light, and are already working to green-up their tourist offerings.

Seeking out green places to travel isn’t all that hard. Even New York City offers the possibility of an ecologically responsible vacation. Many travelers can get to New York by train, removing the need for a high-impact airplane ride. A tiny hotel room in SoHo uses less electricity than a deluxe suite in Aspen.

Plus, New York is a city built for walking, with solid public transport to boot. Time Out recently named New York the perfect place to “be green without doing crap.”

Here are 5 more eco-friendly destinations to put on your travel radar:



Luang Prabang, Laos

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has made it their mission to bring this Southeast Asian country (which is landlocked by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) to the forefront of tourism. It’s working - Laos was #1 on the New York Times’ list of places to go in 2008.

However, the Lao government is aiming to increase tourism sustainably so as to protect their native wildlife, lush land and clean rivers, and preserve their two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Ancient City of Luang Prabang and pre-Angkorian Vat Phou Temple Complex. Another Heritage Site-to-be is the Plain of Jars in the highlands of north-central Laos.

The Lao National Tourism Administration has a dozen award-winning eco-tourism projects currently in development, spreading country wide to encourage smaller provinces to set up sustainable tourism, help protect over-exposed areas, and begin programs such as homestays, eco-treks, and local art exhibitions.

What’s Lao for “rocking it?”

Mjølfjell, Norway

Norway is so eco-conscious it balks when a marketer calls a Prius or Tesla green.

While other European countries have aimed to cut their carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, Norway has upped the ante to 30%. Norway is also helping China come up with ways to combat climate change.

Get out of Oslo and head into the mountains and you’ll see a lot of sustainable housing, including the Mjolfjell Inn and Youth Hostel .

A destination in and of itself, the inn offers the standard outdoor fare (skiing, horseback riding, even a wildlife survival course) and also produces its own electricity.

Not bad for the world’s #5 oil exporter.

Belize City, Belize

Home to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, Belize is deeply committed to eco-tourism. Offshore, Belize boasts a number of cayes, some of which have been turned into eco-resorts, but others that remain pristine homes for birds, lizards and marine life.

Whale watching is a popular attraction here, as is mountain biking, horseback riding, and cave tubing. Go outside of the sandy city into the Mountain Pine Ridge Area and Maya Mountains, which have amazingly-preserved Mayan ruins. You’ll also find plenty of local artists and artisans to support in town.

While the Caribbean and Latin America are full of eco-tours and spas, you can also appreciate their beauty and natural preservation by traveling independently. Be sure to check out the preservations in Tobago (Trinidad’s less commercialized sister), the diverse terrain of Guadeloupe, and the stunning rainforests of Costa Rica.

Zurich, Switzerland

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

The city’s public transportation works like clockwork (no pun intended) to the point where very few residents own cars. There is also a large local foods industry, including cheeses that will make your deli’s Swiss cheese taste like plastic.

The world’s first four chocolate makers were also all Swiss, so you can take comfort in knowing you’re supporting local growers with those truffles and hot chocolates.

I single out Zurich here, but the rest of Switzerland is great for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint while still traveling Europe. Not only do you get the Alps and clean living, you can explore areas heavily influenced by the Germans, French, and Italians.

Thenmala, India

Surprised?

Even though India has some of the most polluted cities in the world, there are some areas that are working to green their environment. While other regions try to slap an “eco-tourism” label on what is really just nature tourism (“Over there is a rare flower,” “Look up there at the tree,” “Check out the elephant,” and back on the bus), Thenmala is taking green travel to heart.

The local Thenmala government, tourism office, and irrigation department are teaming up with residents to to make green tourism a coordinated effort. The best part? You’ll not only get to visit the Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary (part rainforest, part deciduous forest), but the tour guides are local youths who are trained in sustainable tourism. Now that’s something to feel good about.

Of course, there’s more than just this Fab Five. In fact, you can find plenty of eco-friendly destinations (from the transportation to lodgings to the cocktail hour) on every continent.

Source: http://travelreviewonline.com/2008/01/21/5-green-travel-destinations-for-2008/

Vai www.tourlaos.blogspot.com/

Read more!