Lao Voices

 This article starts with;

“The Lao government has denied rumours that a huge property development project on the outskirts of Vientiane will become a sprawling Chinatown, home to 50,000 Chinese families, government sources said Tuesday…..”

Though the authorities deny it, most Lao that I spoke to, (who live in the area), all agree that the majority of residential and commercial land has been already been sold to Chinese individuals and companies.

Contruction is a big business now in Vientiane, there are new large private houses being built everywhere.

Is the influx of Chinese or other foreign nationals good or bad for Vientiane? Is a “Chinatown” taking it too far?

Buying land in Vientiane seems to be an investment nowadays, but can a profit be made?, or will the bubble burst and the land be left empty?

Will we see “Made in Laos” products, or will the large Chinese companies label their products “Made in China” when it is really made in factories in Vientiane?

“The township-cum-industrial estate will reportedly cover 1,600 hectares, 600 hectares of which will be turned into a water park. ”

A Water Park sounds like fun, but do we really think that Lao families will go, oh, sure, they will at the beginning, if the price is reasonable and they can afford it, then what? Sounds like a great idea, so did the Tang Frere Supermarket at the LAO-ITECC, which is virtually empty (when it IS open). (”Why go to an expensive Supermarket when you can buy everything cheaper at the Morning Market”, I hear locals say).