(KPL) UNESCO's heritage town Luang Prabang held a trade fair and boat racing festival in coincidence with the celebration of the traditional festival"Boun Horkhao Padabdin".

The organising committee for the Boun Horkhao Padabdin festival and boat racing festival held a trade fair before the boat racing festival, as previous years.

The opening ceremony of the trade fair was held on Tuesday, September7.

On sale at the trade fair were clothes, textiles and handicrafts made by local people, non-timber forest products, food and finished products.

Attending the opening ceremony were Deputy Party Secretary of Luang Prabang province Khamkhanh Chanthavisouk, Luang Prabang s Vice-Governor Saysamone Khomthavong, Chief of Luang Prabang district Singkham Phommalath, and relevant officials.

Falling on the 14th waning day of the eighth lunar month,"Boun Horkhao Padabdin" - literally the festival to put food offerings on the ground, Lao people put their food offerings on the gate or wall of their houses for their dead ancestors and spirits whose relatives did not make any merits or give no offerings for them. Placing of the offerings thus must be done very early of the day before the first light of the day arrives. According to traditional beliefs, spirits would be released to take the generous offerings dedicated not only to the ancestors of the merit makers but also relativeless spirits.
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Source: KPL Lao News Agency

(KPL) Upgrading work is being carried out on the Luang Prabang International Airport so that it could get the huge Airbus 320 to taxi on its runway.
China CAMC Engineering Company has won the tender for this project and commenced work on October 22 2007.
The work is scheduled for completion 45 months later, in late 2011.A stone laying ceremony for the expansion project was held on 29 May. Governor of Luang Prabang, Mr. Bounheuang Duangphachanh, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Sithong Thongkeo, China’s ambassador to Laos, Ms. Bu Jiangua, and relevant officials from the two sides attended this ceremony, held at the airport of this northern province.
The government of China funds this upgrading work with a loan of US$ 86.42 million.
On completion, the runway will be extended to 2,900 metres in length and widened to 45 metres and with an enlarged parking area for aircraft.

The Luang Prabang Film Festival is set for December 4 to 11 with plans to present more than 30 films from Southeast Asia.

Marking the 35th anniversary of the Lao PDR and Luang Prabang's 15th year on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the free screenings will take place in two outdoor venues in the old royal capital of Laos.

After the festival, four films will tour other provinces in Laos, with screenings held over two-night stops in each city.

Project goals include encouraging and celebrating filmmaking in Southeast Asia, stimulating a film industry in Laos, educating Laotians about the art of film and also media literacy, inspire young Laotians to enter the film industry and support the local economy through tourism.

Check the website LPFilmFest.org over the coming months for more about the films.
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The text from: http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/07/luang-prabang-film-festival-set-for.html

Lao New Year Festival 2553 or 2010 in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Luang Prabang is rich in cultural traditions, and is a very popular destination for both international and domestic tourists for this time of year.

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Nang Sangkane 2553, the Luang Prabang traditional beauty pageant came to the conclusion last night, and this year a student at Santiphap High School was crowned the title holder.

Puy, Phoyphailine Sombathchalearn, she's 16 year old, representing Khoy village become the new Nang Sangkane LuangPrabang.

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Settha Palace hotel in Vientiane is also developed by Belmont Hotel Investments (Laos) Ltd

(KPL) Luang Prabang province and the Belmont Hotel Investments (Laos) Ltd signed last Friday in the province an agreement on a 50-year land concession for the company to develop a hotel on Mount Makba at Phanom village, Luang Prabang district.

The signatories to the document were Mr. Bounkhong Phothitay, Deputy Head of Luang Prabang Provincial Land Management Authority, and Mr. Billy Theodas, President of the Belmont Hotel Investments ( Laos). Relevant officials of both sides witnessed the signing.
The construction is expected to be over within three years on Mount Makba on over seven hectares of land to accommodate the expected flow of tourists into the province.

According to the agreement, the investor will develop and operate its hotel for 50 years as of 2010 and could extend the agreement for another 25-year term with the payment of an annual rent of US$17,655 to the province.

News text from KP, Thanks...

Lao New Year 2553 or 2010 will fall on Wednesday 14th to Friday 16th of April, next month.

This year, the first day of Lao New Year is Wednesday so Miss Sangkane will be the fourth princess of Kabinlaphome, according to the history she will ride on the donkey.

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Bpee Mai is the most widely celebrated festival in Laos. The festival is also celebrated by Laotians in the United States of America, Canada, France, and Australia. When the Lao people first emigrated from southern China, New Year was celebrated on the first day of January. Since settling in mainland Southeast Asia the Lao have adopted the new year's traditions of the Khmer and Mon-Burmese people, based on the Indian calendar and traditions. New Year takes place in April, the hottest time of the year in Laos, which is also the start of the monsoon season in Laos when their crops grow. Lao New Year takes place at roughly the same time as Songkran in Thailand and Chaul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia which are like the same thing.
English text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_New_Year

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(KPL) Luang Prabang is preparing ahead for the 9th National Games in December 2011. The main stadium of the province has been renovated completely and the construction of other facilities is underway.


The province is allocating venues to be used for the competition. Twenty three roads are also under improvement as well as other basic facilities such as water supply systems and electricity.

Last year, the Lao National Sports Committee undertook major renovations to the main stadium which now has 80,000 seats. This year they want to build seven more competition venues.

Head of the Provincial Sports Service, Mr Chandy Bounnhong, said that they were asking the government to provide more than 138 billion kip for constructing new facilities and improving the existing ones.

Construction of the additional sport fields has already started and in general around 30 per cent of the work is carried out. Mr Chandy said companies will use their own resources to build the venues and the government will repay them later.

The new competition venues to be built and is being built include the stadiums of basketball, petanque, tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball, swimming pool and shooting range.

There are twenty-one sports to be competed at the 9th National Games namely petanque, basketball, football, sepak takraw, volleyball and beach volleyball, muay lao, boxing, badminton, cycling, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, golf, shooting, bowling, judo, karatedo, top spinning, crossbow, pencak silat, and track and field.

The Luang Prabang provincial Sports Department is asking six districts to host selection competitions for the games in football, petanque, taekwondo, badminton, top spinning and crossbow.

Mr Chandy said they needed funding for athlete preparation and training as well as administration of the games.

Luang Prabang province last hosted the National Games twice so far 1996 and 2007