An ancient Buddhist relic believed to be 700 years old was found floating in the middle of the Mekong River and has drawn a large number of tourists from Laos and Thailand.
The Thaiger reports that people in Nong Khai Province have been riding down the Mekong river in droves to visit the Phra That Lah Nong Pagoda which is believed to be over 700 years old and has resurfaced with the river’s water levels decreasing in the dry season.
Many were seen visiting the stupa over the weekend making merits, providing offerings, and asking for blessings.
The stupa emerges from time to time during low water levels in the river near the Hat Kham subdistrict in Nong Khai and Hatxayfong district in Vientiane Capital. According to Thailand Tourism Directory, the complete pagoda which was located on the banks of the Mekong was destroyed in 1766 and some ruins fell into the river in 1766.
The touchable area of the stupa is 12.20 meters tall, and the base of the relic at the lowest level is 15.80 meters wide.
In Vientiane Capital, the stupa can be seen from Tha Deua village, Hatsayfong district where the Leelavadee Saiykong Restaurant offers a cruise ride of one hour to the stupa with LAK 500,000 or around USD 29.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/People-from-Thailand-and-Laos-visit-the-pagoda-in-the-middle-of-the-Mekong-River-.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2023-03-22 01:32:002023-03-17 11:38:45Tourists from Laos, Thailand Flock to See Buddhist Stupa in Mekong River
To make use of this new connectivity, tourism agencies in Laos and Vietnam will be organizing tour programs on this route for visitors from Laos who want to visit Danang, according to a spokesperson from Lao Airlines.
The airlines and tour operators organized a workshop earlier this month in Da Nang to prepare the flights and discuss ways to promote tourism between the two countries.
Viet Nam Newsreports that Danang’s tourism department said the direct flight would help boost tourism connections among world heritage sites in central Vietnam and destinations in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
Lao Airlines announced last month that it would be restarting direct flights between Vientiane and Danang on Thursdays and Sundays every week starting on 30 March.
The airlines flew to Danang on a Vientiane-Savannakhet-Pakse-Danang route earlier, but the service was suspended because of low demand in 2012, and plans to resume service in 2020 were canceled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/My-khe-beach-in-Da-Nang-Vietnam.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2023-03-21 01:26:002023-03-17 11:28:54Lao Airlines Ready to Restart Direct Flights to Danang
Lao and Cambodian officials met on Monday in Vientiane to sign an MoU, aimed at improving the standards of tourism personnel and attracting more investments to increase bilateral tourism between the two nations.
The event was attended by the Director General of the Tourism Marketing Department of Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Khom Douangchantha along with Director General of Tourism Development and International Cooperation, Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Thong Rathasak. Also present was Laos’ Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket and Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Dr Thong Khon.
During the event, Mrs. Suanesavanh spoke about Laos’ willingness to increase tourism and strengthen cooperation in the development of natural resources in the tourism sector.
Both ministries agreed to initiate a promotional campaign titled, “Two Countries, One Destination” to aid in their efforts.
As part of the plans laid out by the respective travel ministries, more flights to popular tourist destinations between both countries will be encouraged to increase connectivity and ease of travel. The two countries will attempt to streamline land-border crossings so that they are a convenient option for tourists and less time-consuming.
The possibility of linking tourist destinations by conducting Mekong River cruises will be explored as well, reports Vientiane Times. A Cambodia-Laos Cycling Rally, and other running events, are also on the cards as part of the 66th anniversary of Cambodia-Laos diplomatic relations.
Additionally, Laos and Cambodia are looking at doing a joint promotion of community-based and culinary tourism by hosting food festivals in each country.
The Cambodian delegation was on an official visit to Vientiane between March 12-15 after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s two-day trip in February during which he discussed increasing cooperation in the area of tourism with Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone.
Tourists from Laos, Thailand Flock to See Buddhist Stupa in Mekong River
An ancient Buddhist relic believed to be 700 years old was found floating in the middle of the Mekong River and has drawn a large number of tourists from Laos and Thailand.
The Thaiger reports that people in Nong Khai Province have been riding down the Mekong river in droves to visit the Phra That Lah Nong Pagoda which is believed to be over 700 years old and has resurfaced with the river’s water levels decreasing in the dry season.
Many were seen visiting the stupa over the weekend making merits, providing offerings, and asking for blessings.
The stupa emerges from time to time during low water levels in the river near the Hat Kham subdistrict in Nong Khai and Hatxayfong district in Vientiane Capital. According to Thailand Tourism Directory, the complete pagoda which was located on the banks of the Mekong was destroyed in 1766 and some ruins fell into the river in 1766.
The touchable area of the stupa is 12.20 meters tall, and the base of the relic at the lowest level is 15.80 meters wide.
In Vientiane Capital, the stupa can be seen from Tha Deua village, Hatsayfong district where the Leelavadee Saiykong Restaurant offers a cruise ride of one hour to the stupa with LAK 500,000 or around USD 29.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2023/03/17/tourists-from-laos-thailand-flock-to-see-buddhist-stupa-in-mekong-river/
Lao Airlines Ready to Restart Direct Flights to Danang
To make use of this new connectivity, tourism agencies in Laos and Vietnam will be organizing tour programs on this route for visitors from Laos who want to visit Danang, according to a spokesperson from Lao Airlines.
The airlines and tour operators organized a workshop earlier this month in Da Nang to prepare the flights and discuss ways to promote tourism between the two countries.
Viet Nam News reports that Danang’s tourism department said the direct flight would help boost tourism connections among world heritage sites in central Vietnam and destinations in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
Lao Airlines announced last month that it would be restarting direct flights between Vientiane and Danang on Thursdays and Sundays every week starting on 30 March.
The airlines flew to Danang on a Vientiane-Savannakhet-Pakse-Danang route earlier, but the service was suspended because of low demand in 2012, and plans to resume service in 2020 were canceled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2023/03/16/laos-airlines-ready-to-restart-direct-flights-to-da-nang/
Cambodian Delegation Visits Laos to Boost Bilateral Tourism
Lao and Cambodian officials met on Monday in Vientiane to sign an MoU, aimed at improving the standards of tourism personnel and attracting more investments to increase bilateral tourism between the two nations.
The event was attended by the Director General of the Tourism Marketing Department of Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Khom Douangchantha along with Director General of Tourism Development and International Cooperation, Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Thong Rathasak. Also present was Laos’ Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Suanesavanh Vignaket and Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Dr Thong Khon.
During the event, Mrs. Suanesavanh spoke about Laos’ willingness to increase tourism and strengthen cooperation in the development of natural resources in the tourism sector.
Both ministries agreed to initiate a promotional campaign titled, “Two Countries, One Destination” to aid in their efforts.
As part of the plans laid out by the respective travel ministries, more flights to popular tourist destinations between both countries will be encouraged to increase connectivity and ease of travel. The two countries will attempt to streamline land-border crossings so that they are a convenient option for tourists and less time-consuming.
The possibility of linking tourist destinations by conducting Mekong River cruises will be explored as well, reports Vientiane Times. A Cambodia-Laos Cycling Rally, and other running events, are also on the cards as part of the 66th anniversary of Cambodia-Laos diplomatic relations.
Additionally, Laos and Cambodia are looking at doing a joint promotion of community-based and culinary tourism by hosting food festivals in each country.
The Cambodian delegation was on an official visit to Vientiane between March 12-15 after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s two-day trip in February during which he discussed increasing cooperation in the area of tourism with Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2023/03/15/cambodian-delegation-in-laos-to-boost-bilateral-tourism/