Lao Voices

On August 12, 2008, Vientiane authorities started to build a sandbag wall against potential floods by Wat Sibounheuang. Three villages in Sikhotabong have been flooded already. An examination of the river bank the day before found possible breach spots in the most important areas of the city.
The Mekong River water level has been has [...]

I was talking to my relatives in Vientiane yesterday and they told me they were on high alert for possible flooding in their area in Sikhottabong district. Aunt Kian was called by the English school early in the evening to pick up my cousins because the administration decided to cancel class for fear of water [...]

A clip of Lao Olympians at the introduction of the Olympics in Bejing 2008. It is barely a minute but great to see the Lao team make an appearance on such an event
Sorry no video for now.

The last time I visited NYC was in September of 2006, first time I had gone back since 911, and one of the places that I visited was the old World Trade Center site, but due to our short visit, we saw ground zero at night.
So ground zero was first on my list.I really didn’t [...]

NGO Friends International has started a new initiative to alter the life of Vientiane street kids in a positive way. Through a project named Peuan Mit street kids get help in the form of prevention, reintegration, outreach and vocational training. Based on the support of up Mak Phet restaurant, former street children get a new [...]

Normally, I am not a big fan of conspiracy theories. I came across a documentary about one car, the electrical EV-1 of General Motors, that pulled me over to the conspiracy perspective. General Motors marketed the car in the mid 90s because Califonia’s law prescribed that 10% of its cars should be environmental friendly. The [...]

Video by NTDTV: In the remote area of Laos, de-mining team made up entirely of women… is working hard to help clear unexploded bombs. Let’s see how they do it.
The twelve-member group is one of two such teams operated by the British charity Mines Advisory Group (MAG). They’ve been working in Laos since 1994 to [...]

There is a new wind blowing through Laos and it feels like the wind of change. The old structures of Lao society have been set up more than three decades ago and the international environment around Laos is changing. Adoption of new developments is needed. Neighbors Vietnam and Cambodia are opening their markets at a [...]

The 29th Olympic Games will be coming to Beijing this August. I know China is a controversial place of choice for some people, especially with it’s take on human rights and the environment. But I think as China becomes more modernize and gain more knowledge (of the environment, social equality, etc), they will change for [...]

Updated on 7/6/2008, post of concert: Wat Lao Buddhavong July 4th, 2008 Concert Part I Jonny Olsen and Anna-Anhly Vorarath
It appears that it is going to be a morlam summer festival during the week of July 4th at Wat Lao Buddhavong of Catlett, VA; this will be a treat for those who love Morlam.

[LARGE IMAGE]
Plus [...]

A few weeks ago one Japanese NGO traveled to Champassak Province with their mobile clinic to provide free health services for those that were living too far from a hospital and also can’t afford certain procedures. There were two teams, one is a surgical team and another a dental team. The two teams visited several [...]

1000 Stories of Lao documentary show from Lao Star Channel. This episode starts off with the coverage of fishermen in southern Laos, looking for pa soy on Xekong or Sekong River. The later part of the clip is about the important of mushrooms as food source for people in Attapeu Province.

A video clip I found on Youtube from Lao Star Channel in Lao with news article from Vientiane Times, the official newspaper in Laos.

12 Hmong migrants return home to Luang Prabang
Three families consisting of 12 Hmong illegal migrants yesterday flew by helicopter to their hometowns in Luang Prabang province, after leaving temporary accommodation in [...]

Where in the World is Matt Lauer? Where else, Laos (click) [to watch slide show on right hand side], TODAY’s Matt Lauer takes a quick tour of Vientiane, the historic capital of Laos, the latest stop on his 2008 “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?” tour. One of my co-workers learned a thing or [...]

The U.S. Air Force wanted to use “nuclear weapons” against Vietnam in 1959 and 1968, and Laos in 1961, to obliterate communist guerrillas, according to newly declassified secret U.S. Air Force documents.
The 400-page document, titled, “The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The War in Northern Laos 1954-1973,” was written [...]