Upgrading Ban Nayang’s Tourist Homestay Appeal

  Contributed by Luang Prabang Handle with Care Ban Nayang is a great new destination for travelers looking for an authentic village homestay experience in Luang Prabang Province. Just a two-hour drive from Luang Prabang town, Ban Nayang has been hosting a small stream of tourists for a while. They are attracted to the tranquility … Read more

Luang Prabang Film Festival Seeks Applications for 2018 Tribeca Talent Lab

  Source: The Nation The Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) is now inviting applications for its 2018 Talent Lab, led by Tribeca Film Institute (TFI). The Lab, which will train Southeast Asian filmmakers on grant writing and project pitching, will be held during the opening weekend of the ninth annual festival, which will take place from … Read more

Laos Launches Traditional Food and Farming Website

Lao restaurants and businesses can now tap into Laos’s rich food and farming culture, with last week’s launch of the Pha Khao Lao website dedicated to preserving traditional recipes and agricultural practices. The website highlights Laotian products like forest honey and river weed that is pressed into sheets and dried to make a crispy snack, … Read more

Ma Té Sai to Open “Pop-Up” Craft Shop in Vientiane

  Ma TĂ© Sai is opening a Pop-Up Shop at the ICAT Gallery in Vientiane from Thursday, 13 September until Sunday, 16 September. The Luang Prabang-based Ma TĂ© Sai will be showcasing a hand-picked selection of modern designs crafted by Lao artisans between 11:00-19:00. Up for sale are living and kitchen decor, contemporary textiles, bedding, … Read more

Southern Laos Makes the Grade

  Grade 11 students at Vientiane Pattana School taking the Cambridge AS and A Level “Travel and Tourism” course will find an interesting surprise on page 131 of their text book, where Case Study 11 stars: “Southern Laos launches tourism destination brand”, a three-year-old press release. This should please Lao tourism stakeholders on two fronts: … Read more

Sanctuary Hotels & Resort Update: “Destination Pakbeng” and More

The Sanctuary Pakbeng Lodge is focusing on the “Destination Pakbeng” campaign in September, while naming a new manager for their Mekong Elephant Park. From 18-20, the Sanctuary Team will be welcoming We Are Lao’s editor, to share all the highlights of Destination Pakbeng. Local tourism stake holders aim to transform the Mekong port from an … Read more

Train Training in Vientiane

  Laos and China signed a feasibility-study agreement to establish a college for training personnel to work as ticket sellers, station operators and provide various passenger services for the upcoming Laos-China railway. Graduates would have the opportunity to work on the railway, which is set for completion in 2021. According to the Ministry of Education … Read more

Lao Rainforests Becoming Laboratory for Cancer Drugs

The emerging field of ethnopharmocology is pinpointing exciting new possibilities in Laos to fight the deadliest cancers. Djaja D. Soejarto has been trekking through the rain forests of Laos and Vietnam for over two decades in search of cytotoxic molecules—the anticancer drugs of the future. It’s a quest—a biological prospecting—that depends on carefully-crafted partnerships with … Read more

Lao Bartenders Mix Well at ASEAN Championship

  The top two Lao bartenders at this year’s Bartender of the Year 2018 Competition at June’s Lao Food Expo faced the best mixologists from the region at the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHRA) Bartenders Championship held in Singapore on 28 and 29 August 2018. According to Wine & Dine Magazine SG, “It was … Read more

Tiger Trail Preps Luang Prabang Treks

The Tiger Trail staff in Luang Prabang recently spent time clearing the tracks to prepare for the upcoming high season, and topping the list is the one-day, 17-km “Trekking the Longhut Trail”. This tour (FT-1BM) is for fit travelers looking for a challenging trek, featuring great scenery and visits to remote Hmong and Khmu hill … Read more