May 26, 2016

National Best Students Exams Awards 2016

Original Article Title:  Best Student Reaps Rewards
By:  Vientiane Times, May 18, 2016

To be among the eight top winners of the National Best Students Exams at secondary school is not only about getting awards and some prize money but it also displays a student's successful efforts and dedicated study.
Photo Credit:  Vientiane Times

Ms Phoudthida Souk-aloun is 17 years old and a student in Grade 7 of the school for gifted and ethnic students in Xaythany district, Vientiane, who won the literature prize in the national exams for 2015-2016.

Pepsi Singing Contest: Winner Proud of the Title

By Visith Teppalath, Vientiane Times, April 30 2016

Kiengkai Bandasack Pepsi Singer Winner 2016
Photo Credit:  Vientiane Times
Mr Kiengkai Bandasack is the winner of the Pepsi Singing Contest 2016; he is very happy to be the winner and proud of the title because it is not easy to win such prizes.

This is his second time to compete on this stage and trying his very best caused him to emerge as the overall winner this year.

Mr Kiengkai's first time was in 2013 but he could not pass the audition round. However, he did not stop and tried again this year, practicing hard in all steps and finally becoming the winner.

May 24, 2016

Teacher's Manual Primary School Garden / ຄູ່ມືຄູສໍາລັບ ການເຮັດສວນຄົວໂຮງຮຽນຊັ້ນປະຖົມສຶກສາ

Title:  Teacher's Manual Primary School Garden / ຄູ່ມືຄູສໍາລັບ ການເຮັດສວນຄົວໂຮງຮຽນຊັ້ນປະຖົມສຶກສາ
By:  Mary Oakley Strasser, Florian Obermeier, Pasith Seng Amphone
Illustrations by: Kongngern Sengdee
Publisher / Year:  Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden - Luang Prabang, 2013
Cost:  Free Download
Lao book cover of Teacher's Manual Primary School GardenEnglish book cover of Teacher's Manual Primary School Garden

May 23, 2016

A Sea of Umbrellas

Umbrellas line the banks of the Mekong River in
Vientiane as watchers prepare to cheer during the Boat Racing Festival.
Photo Credit: Vithaya, www.facebook.com/lifeinlaos

May 17, 2016

The Laos e-health pioneers

By Barry Bracken, UNICEF,  May 9, 2016

Sing District in the North West corner of Laos is the very unlikely scene of a technological revolution. An office in Nakham village is full of community workers, health volunteers and local Village Chiefs. One-by-one each participant introduces themselves and their smartphones, and are then each given an SD card. We are witnessing an innovative new UNICEF pilot programme take its first steps in Laos.

Photo Credit:  Barry Bracken

Chinese partners contributing to poverty reduction goals in Laos

By:  Xinhua News (China), May 03,2016

VIENTIANE, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The people of China and its South-East Asian neighbor Laos have enjoyed the benefits of amicable diplomatic and cultural relations, as well as healthy trade and exchange across a shared frontier for many aeons.


May 12, 2016

The Mighty Khone Falls of Laos

By:  Luc Forsyth and Gareth Bright, The Diplomat, April 20, 2016

Shortly after crossing into Laos, we arrived at the pounding waters of the Khone falls. Beyond being an awe-inspiring natural formation, the falls have both stymied the efforts to turn the Mekong into a trade highway and preserved the health of the local ecosystem.

Image Credit:  Gareth Bright

An elevated section of the Khone Phapheng waterfalls (Khone Falls). The Khone Falls stretch the breadth of the Mekong river and prevent it from acting as a commercially viable transportation route. Photo by Luc Forsyth.

A River's Tale: Khone Falls

Beautifully filmed Khone Falls in southern Laos.

Video Credit:  A River's Tale

May 11, 2016

Art of Lao Papercutting

Title:  ວິທີຕັດເຈັ້ຍສິລະປະພວງມະໄລ / Art of Lao Papercutting
By:  Unknown
Publisher / Year:  Unknown


May 10, 2016

May 04, 2016

Deadly heat wave is shattering all-time records in Southeast Asia and India

By:  Tyler Essary and Andrew Freedman, Mashable, April 29 2016

Southeast Asia and India are currently enduring a historic and brutal heat wave that has already been blamed for more than 150 deaths and shows few signs of relenting.

 Photo Credit:  This image released by NASA's Earth Observatory Team from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), an instrument on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, shows the land surface temperature as observed by MODIS in Asia between April 15 to April 23, 2016. Yellow shows the warmest temperatures.  (Reto Stockli/NASA Earth Observatory Team/MODIS Land Science Team/AP)

Water diplomacy by China offers drought relief

By:  The Nation (Thai), March 19 2016

China has embarked on an unprecedented "water diplomacy" mission to alleviate the ongoing drought in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam by discharging massive quantities of fresh water downstream from one of its dams in its southern region.

The emergency water supply from the Chinese Jinghong hydropower station will last one month from March 15 until April 10, marking the first time China has informed downstream countries in advance of its water-discharge schedule, said Nuanla-or Wongpinitwarodom, director of the Mekong River resources management office at the Department of Water Resources.

Laos gets tough with foreigners entering nation

By:  Jeerasak Wongkhamjanm, The Nation (Thai), March 6, 2016

The Laotian government has issued an urgent order for officials to get stricter on foreigners entering the country.

Everyone entering Laos from tomorrow must have complete documents, said a source at the 1st Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint yesterday.

The move followed several recent incidents of armed robbers assaulting and killing people and the arrest of 20 people for possessing war-grade weapons and drugs in November. Among those arrested are nine Thais, according to the source.

May 03, 2016

Introduction to Lao Land Issues

Title:  ຄໍາແນະນໍາກ່ຽວກັບປະເດັນທີ່ດິນຢູ່ໃນລາວ - ການຄຸ້ມຄອງ ທີ່ດິນ, ປ່າໄມ້ ແລະ ຊັບພະຍາກອນທໍາມະຊາດ /  Introduction to Lao Land Issues - Managing Land, Forest and Natural Resources
By:  Land Issues Working Group (LIWG), 2012
Cost:  FREE download