Laotian Food Is The International Cuisine You've Been Missing

By:  Alison Spiegel, The Huffington Post , February 5 2015

Sticky rice, laap, papaya salad: this is Thai food, right? Not originally. These well-known Asian dishes that have traveled the globe to appear on Thai restaurant menus everywhere are actually Laotian in origin. You might not have known that, because compared to neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, Laos has a relatively low profile when it comes to cuisine. To overlook the food in this mountainous, landlocked, stunning country, however, would be a huge mistake. Spicy, bitter and incredibly fun to eat, Laotian cuisine is worth your full attention.

Photo Credit:  Getting Images via Huffington Post

Gorgeous Fly Over Vientiane

One of the best videos we've come across showing aerial footage of Vientiane taken with a remote controlled drone and a high resolution camera.  Enjoy the fly over Vientiane and watch...

Video Credit:  Bindoo Studio

Organic Farming and Quality Agricultural Investments in Laos

Video Credit:  The UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative.
Video Posted by:  Youtube user My Goals.

Fascinating Times: A Look at Lao Relations With USA, China, and Vietnam

By:  Laoconnection.com, November 6 2015

Next year's 27th ASEAN Summit in 2016 is about to get a whole lot more busier and, admittedly, a bit more exciting.  It was announced yesterday by White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes that President Obama would be in attendance next year in Vientiane for the summit.

American President Obama.
Photo Credit:  Associated Press, 2015

This comes on the heels of Rhodes' recent trip this year on October 16 to Laos where he and other American officials along with their Lao counterparts marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.  What's more, all of this follows the visit of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she visited back in 2012 which at the time made her the highest ranking American official to visit in 40 years.  To a lesser known extent, there was also a July visit this year by US Vice-President Joe Biden's wife, Dr. Jill Biden.

The posturing of American policy and its foray into Southeast Asia in recent years is a decisive one and decidedly poignant as it tries to balance its own interests in the region, as well as, assuaging allies, and attempting to counter the growing influence of China in the region.

Vientiane in a Cartoon Format

Throwback to 2008 - Nam Ngum 2 Dam

Aerial photo of the Nam Ngum 2 Dam being completed and still dry.
Photo Credit:  Phongthep, 2008. 

Related Languages - Lao, Pali, Sanskrit

If you've never seen this before, you'll be interested to see the progression that has brought us modern day written Lao language.