25th SEA Games, Laos

Vientiane Mayor Sombath Yialiher has asked businesses not to hike up their prices during the SEA Games, given the practice has been declared illegal by the organising committee.

Mr Sombath said the Vientiane Administration Office issued an announcement last week to all businesses in Vientiane to control the price of goods and services in Vientiane during the 25th SEA Games next month.

“The announcement will control the price of things including products on sale at markets, hotels, guesthouses and restaurants because we do not want complaints from visitors that prices were too high during the games,” he said. A survey conducted by Vientiane press last weekend found that some businesses were planning to increase their prices by almost 50 percent.

The press then interviewed the Mayor, who said he could solve the problem with other involved sectors.

“We also heard reports from staff about the problem, which is bad news for us, so I ordered a special unit of our staff to go down to the market and check the prices. They found the information that had been given to us was true,” Mr Sombath said.

He added that some merchants had raised their prices, but not all of them.

“Another problem is that guesthouses will increase their prices so we should hurry to try and stop them.”

The Vientiane Administration Office has started to crack down on the problem, and has ordered a special unit to inspect prices before the games start next week.

A restaurant owner told press that they didn't intend to raise prices during the SEA Games, but would be forced to because the price of vegetables and other products would increase.

Some accommodation providers also said it would be a good opportunity to earn extra income because there would be plenty of people needing places to stay during the games.

Mr Sombath said if businesses kept raising their prices the government had measures in place to deal with them.

The Vientiane Mayor asked everyone to respect the announcement because it would affect the reputation of the country if prices were too high.

He said people needed accommodation and other services and if they were forced to pay too much they would complain about Laos when they got back home and hinder the growth of tourism in the future.

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

The newest market in Vientiane , Vangthong Night Plaza or the 450 Year Vientiane Market, officially opened yesterday to welcome guests and locals to the 25th SEA Games and mark the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos .

The market is located on a site of about 18,000 square metres in Thongkhankham village of Chanthabouly district, Vientiane . The area contains six two-storey buildings offering various kinds of local products and food, as well as a small garden and parking spaces.

The market's Managing Director, Mr Khamphay Somsana, said the market cost 25 billion kip to build and was targeted at visitors to Laos during the SEA Games in December and the city's anniversary celebrations in 2010.

“Shops at the market will offer organic products, souvenirs, jewellery, local handicrafts, clothes, bags and make-up. There will also be stalls selling various local and international foods. During special events we will organise daily cultural shows to promote Lao culture,” he said.

Mr Khamphay said the market will also display and sell products made by different ethnic groups across the country.

The market also includes a nice garden where people can rest after shopping. There is enough space for people to exercise or gather to chat with friends.

Vientiane Vice Mayor Bounchanh Sinthavong congratulated local investors on setting up a market for local and foreign people that was clean, secure and convenient.

“It's a good model for other businesses to follow in fulfilling the city's objectives of cleanliness, green spaces, lighting and security. This market will also assist with the socio-economic development of the country,” Mr Bounchanh said.

He urged the investors to continue to improve the market ahead of upcoming important events.

Construction of the Vangthong Night Plaza began in February 2008 in readiness for the SEA Games.

Mr Khamphay said the investors are pleased the market is ready in time for the games so visitors can have an enjoyable shopping experience.

Mr Bounchanh said the market will be a popular site with visitors to Vientiane , particularly during the SEA Games.



By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

(KPL) A new market, Vangthong Night Bazaar in Vientiane Capital will be opened early next month.

Next month the construction work will be 98 percent and it will be surely taken place at the same time while the construction was going on, Director of Vangthong Night Bazaar, Mr Phouvong Pamisith said.

The construction will be fully completed before the inauguration day of the 25th SEA Games.

?The Night Bazaar was constructed with the aim of welcoming the upcoming 25th SEA Games and the celebration of the 450th anniversary founding of Vientiane Capital in 2010,? he said.

The construction work started in May 2008 and now it completed 90 per cent of the plan, the director of night bazaar said.

Mr Phouvong added that the market would provide and serve the tourists and Vientiane residents for 24 hours.

Domestic and local products made in Laos such as souvenirs and Lao traditional textiles are available for sale.

The construction of night bazaar was a joint venture of local businessmen which was a total investment of 25 billion kip. The government gave a 40-year of land concession.

Night bazaar is located behind of the old Lao National Stadium in Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital.

Photo: Vientiane 's latest tourist attraction is under construction in the city centre

A new night plaza under construction in Vientiane could alleviate the city's hunger for parking spaces.

The plaza is now 80 percent complete with work set to be finished in September. It will have parking spaces for about 300 vehicles.

Authorities say they want to limit the number of vehicles parking on city streets to avoid traffic chaos, but cannot make changes at present because there are no alternative parking areas.

The night plaza will be the first in Laos and will be known as the ‘Vientiane 450 Vangthong Night Plaza'. It will be open 24 hours a day and provide some night-time buzz for locals and visitors.

The plaza will consist of six 2-storey buildings containing restaurants, a health centre, barber shop and beauty salon, as well as shops selling handicrafts, jewellery, organic farm products and clothing.

Musical entertainment will also be offered so that tourists can experience Lao culture. Goods on sale will be zoned to make life easy for shoppers.

The project has been designed by Vientiane authorities, but is financed by local businesses with a 40-year concession period. Registered investment capital is 25 billion kip.

The plaza will be operational in time for the SEA Games in December and the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos next year.

Plaza Director Phouvong Phamisith said facilities on offer would be similar to those at plazas in Chiang Mai , Thailand .

“We will give priority to the sale of products made by villagers to encourage local productivity,” he said. “There will be a variety of food on sale, including dishes from Laos , Thailand and Europe .”

Mr Phouvong said he would arrange for Lao tour operators to bring tourists to the night plaza.

Market produce will not be sold here as the plaza is targeting the tourist trade.

Between 60 and 70 people will be employed at the plaza, with 3,000 to 4,000 people expected to visit every day, Mr Phouvong said.

“There is no night plaza in Vientiane at present so the authorities came to us and said they wanted to build one to give tourist s more choices. We agreed to take on the project as we want to help the country to promote tourism,” he said.

Half of the units in the six buildings have been reserved, with rents depending on size and location. The rental price of a 4m x 3m unit on the first floor is 1.4 million kip a month, but is 1.1 million kip on the second floor.

Other units are available for about 74,000 kip and 37,000 kip, or for 13,000 kip a day.

By Somsack Pongkhao
Vientianetimes

(KPL) The Hong Thong Development Project (or Night Bazaar)would be operational on a round the clock basis to serve the tourists, commencing from the later part of the year and the purpose of this kind of operational hours is to attract more tourists to Vientiane capital.

This project, presently under construction, is located in Chanthaboury district, in front of Lao National Stadium.

President of Hong Thong Development Project, Mr Khamphay Somsana said that when the project was first proposed it was meant to serve the tourists and to offer them round the clock service.

Construction started in May 2008 and now 30 per cent of the building had been completed., the president of the project said.

“The project is part of Vientiane’s plan to generate more income to the city, especially to the business operators,” he said.

He added that the project would be opened as early as the opening day of the 25th Sea Games.

Funding for this project was made by four local investors, whose combined total investment was 25 billion kip and the authorities granted them a lease of 40 years, Mr Khamphay commented.

“We decided to construct the Night Bazaar because we found that the majority of tourists who visited Vientiane would not spend much time in it and as a result some of the Lao money goes to foreign countries,” said the president of Hong Thong Development Project.

The Night Bazaar would have 10,700 square metres of land, seven two-storey buildings, one restaurant, a public park and parking lot area, he
said.

The restaurant would offer a whole range of Lao food and the prices would be affordable, he added.

The handicraft products, he said would be on sale in the Night Bazaar in order to introduce to the foreign tourists the traditional culture of Laos and the products can be gifts to them, he said.

The 2009 Southeast Asian Games Village Project, which is under construction in the Lao capital of Vientiane, is now 45% completed.

Work on the 25th SEA Games athletes’ village, which is being built by Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint-Stock Company (HAGL), began on August 1, using almost 700 workers, 95% of whom are from Vietnam.

HAGL is sponsoring the US$19 million 25th SEA Games Village Project with $4 million in nonrefundable aid and an interest free loan of $15 million, which will be repaid within three years.



The project, which will be handed over to Laos’ National University after the sports event, will have 992 rooms in eight four-story blocks, a 1,200-seat dining room, a central hall and functional rooms. The site will also have football fields and basketball facilities.

The athletes' village is on a 42,000sqm site at the Dongdok campus, National University of Laos. The village comprises 10 buildings and other auxiliary facilities. Eight four-storey buildings with international standard facilities will contain 1,000 rooms and accommodate 4,000 athletes. A single-storey building will house a canteen and a three-storey building will contain multi-purpose management offices.

Hongthong to be developed night market for SEA Games 2009


Photo: Famous night market in Luang Prabang, northern Laos

(KPL) Domestic and foreign investors are constructing a night market in Hong Thong, Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital.

“At present, only 20 per cent of the construction has been carried out but we believe it will complete before the opening of the Vientiane Games in 2009,” said this week Mr. Phouvong Phamisith, the project manager.

The construction is being carried out on an area of 17,720 sq m occupying the land of Ban Sailom and Ban Thong Khankham Tay, Chanthaboury district.

The development costs around 45 billion kip. The market would feature handicrafts, souvenir shops, beauty salons, traditional food restaurants and traditional music gigs.