By Beatrice Siviero/AFP – The Lao capital Vientiane has an uncharacteristic buzz lately, bedecked with flags and T-shirt vendors ahead of commemorations of 50 years of Laos on 2 December, but for many young people, history carries little weight.
Pathet Lao established the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) on 2 December 1975, following a decades-long civil war.
Laos became a one-party state, King Savang Vatthana died in captivity, and centralized planning was imposed on the economy as landlocked Laos, always remote, became increasingly isolated.
It later opened up and embraced market reforms, but remains among Asia’s least developed countries.
Thousands of troops and state personnel will take part in a military parade on Tuesday to mark the anniversary, in keeping with other key dates in September in ideologically aligned neighbors China and Vietnam.
But the past does not resonate with many young Laotians.
“Of course, we do learn history in school, but we don’t talk about it much,” said Thiradeth Khamhoung, 19, an economics student in Thailand who co-founded PrepPath, a platform helping Lao high school students explore careers and plan their futures.
“We don’t let political circumstances get in our way when we’re building something,” he told AFP.
“My suggestion for many youth would be just start it, don’t let politics, which we can’t control, hold you back.”
People joke that the abbreviation Lao PDR means “Lao Please Don’t Rush”.
But Bart insists: “Please don’t rush, it doesn’t mean we can’t develop. It’s about finding our strengths, working on what we’re good at, and building from there.
“Laos will change in the next 50 years just as it has since its independence: slowly, but steadily.”
TikTok Window
Social media is one of the drivers of change, he added, even affecting language.
“Some of the words my grandpa used were in French, and I didn’t even know what he was talking about,” he said.
“Now, a lot of those French words are being replaced by Thai words. Media and social media are a big reason for that.”
Tony, a 21-year-old university student in Vientiane, said many young people get their fashion trends, ideas, and global outlook from TikTok.
“It’s like a window to the world,” he said.
Migration to Thailand for work is commonplace, and thousands of Lao students head overseas each year, drawn by international education and better job prospects.
“Compared to my grandparents, it’s easy for us now,” said one Lao master’s student in Australia. “You just go on Google, and you can learn what you want.
“In the next 10 or 20 years, people will be speaking up more and have more freedoms.”
Trump Tariffs
China is Laos’ dominant economic partner through infrastructure investments, including a railway linking Vientiane and Kunming, in Yunnan province, and a wider economic corridor.
In recent years, hydropower exports have been a key economic driver, while garment factories, electronics assemblers, and other light-manufacturing firms have relied on the American market.
But expansion is slowing, and inflation is rising while GDP per capita remains around USD 2,100 according to the World Bank’s most recent figures, and it now faces Trump tariffs of 40 percent, one of the highest rates in the world.
Those pressures mean the mindset of the younger generation is changing, “especially when comparing my grandparents’ political and economic views to my own”, said communications officer Namfon Sirithirath, 30.
“It’s good that youth engagement is currently being promoted,” she said.
“It would be much better if it were promoted more, and if policymakers listened more to their concerns or issues, so that in the future, policies could be put in place that are more appropriate for the current era.”
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AFP__20251201__86JK69E__v2__HighRes__TopshotLaosPoliticsSocialHistory-1920x1280-1.jpg12801920Soutsada Xaphouvonghttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSoutsada Xaphouvong2025-12-02 14:19:422025-12-05 14:22:56Young Lao Push for Change 50 Years After Party Victory
Authorities in Savannakhet Province said preparations for the annual That Ing Hang Temple Festival, scheduled for 30 November to 5 December, are now almost complete, with this year’s edition set to be larger and livelier than previous years as the province pushes to boost tourism.
The festival is held each December to honor Buddhism and pay respect to those who built Pha That Ing Hang, one of the most revered stupas in Savannakhet Province and across central Laos.
Each year, thousands of devotees, from both the north and south of Laos, as well as neighboring Thailand, travel to the site to take part in religious rituals and cultural celebrations.
Somphone Vilayvong, Deputy Director of the Savannakhet Department of Culture and Tourism, told local media that the organising sub-committee has finalised parking arrangements, transport routes to the temple grounds, security planning, and the installation of decorative lighting. Exhibition zones and vendor stalls have also been arranged to ensure a smooth visitor experience.
He said the festival will feature a wide range of cultural performances from communities across the province’s 14 districts and Kaysone Phomvihane City, showcasing local arts, literature, and traditions.
A highlight will be the grand bee-wax procession and competition on 4 December, bringing together villages from across Savannakhet for one of the festival’s most traditional celebrations.
The festival will also host exhibitions and sales of handicrafts, textiles, and local food products, alongside an expanded program of entertainment.
Visitors can take part in lamvong yong ngok, join evening gatherings, sample regional dishes, watch traditional lam phaya performances, and attend cultural shows.
The That Ing Hang Temple Festival remains one of the province’s most important cultural events, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Savannakhet-Sets-Stage-for-Biggest-Ever-That-Ing-Hang-Festival.jpg6271200Soutsada Xaphouvonghttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSoutsada Xaphouvong2025-11-27 09:10:002025-11-25 11:12:41Savannakhet Sets Stage for Biggest-Ever That Ing Hang Festival
On 25 November, Laos celebrated UNESCO’s recognition of Hin Nam No National Protected Area as the country’s first Natural World Heritage Site.
Vanxay Phongsavanh, Governor of Khammouane Province, said during the ceremony that Hin Nam No was approved as a transboundary World Heritage Site together with Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park at UNESCO’s 47th World Heritage Committee session in Paris.
To mark the occasion, a parade carried the World Heritage certificate from Wattay International Airport to Patuxay.
Hin Nam No is known for its limestone karst landscapes, 173 caves including the Xe Bang Fai underground river, and habitats for rare species such as the Yellow-collared Laughingthrush, Lao Rock Rat, and Southern White-cheeked Gibbon.
The park, covering 94,121 hectares in Khammouane Province, was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 13 July. The designation links it with Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, forming the world’s largest contiguous limestone karst area.
Its rugged cliffs and remote valleys, shaped over 300 million years, are home to rare and endangered species including the Red-Shanked Douc Langur, Sunda Pangolin, Lao Rock Rat, and Giant Huntsman Spider.
The park is part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, hosting over 1,500 plant species and 536 vertebrates.
Hin Nam No also preserves cultural heritage, with ethnic minority communities maintaining their traditions and way of life. The transboundary site shows the value of international collaboration and highlights the ecological and cultural importance of the Central Annamite Mountains.
Today, Hin Nam No stands as a symbol of Laos’ natural treasures and its role in global conservation.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/586581585_1451975150264222_2511844832445925558_n-1920x1079-1.jpg10791920Soutsada Xaphouvonghttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSoutsada Xaphouvong2025-11-26 10:06:002025-11-25 11:10:05Laos Celebrates Hin Nam No as First Natural World Heritage Site
Young Lao Push for Change 50 Years After Party Victory
By Beatrice Siviero/AFP – The Lao capital Vientiane has an uncharacteristic buzz lately, bedecked with flags and T-shirt vendors ahead of commemorations of 50 years of Laos on 2 December, but for many young people, history carries little weight.
Pathet Lao established the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) on 2 December 1975, following a decades-long civil war.
Laos became a one-party state, King Savang Vatthana died in captivity, and centralized planning was imposed on the economy as landlocked Laos, always remote, became increasingly isolated.
It later opened up and embraced market reforms, but remains among Asia’s least developed countries.
Thousands of troops and state personnel will take part in a military parade on Tuesday to mark the anniversary, in keeping with other key dates in September in ideologically aligned neighbors China and Vietnam.
But the past does not resonate with many young Laotians.
“Of course, we do learn history in school, but we don’t talk about it much,” said Thiradeth Khamhoung, 19, an economics student in Thailand who co-founded PrepPath, a platform helping Lao high school students explore careers and plan their futures.
“We don’t let political circumstances get in our way when we’re building something,” he told AFP.
“My suggestion for many youth would be just start it, don’t let politics, which we can’t control, hold you back.”
People joke that the abbreviation Lao PDR means “Lao Please Don’t Rush”.
But Bart insists: “Please don’t rush, it doesn’t mean we can’t develop. It’s about finding our strengths, working on what we’re good at, and building from there.
“Laos will change in the next 50 years just as it has since its independence: slowly, but steadily.”
TikTok Window
Social media is one of the drivers of change, he added, even affecting language.
“Some of the words my grandpa used were in French, and I didn’t even know what he was talking about,” he said.
“Now, a lot of those French words are being replaced by Thai words. Media and social media are a big reason for that.”
Tony, a 21-year-old university student in Vientiane, said many young people get their fashion trends, ideas, and global outlook from TikTok.
“It’s like a window to the world,” he said.
Migration to Thailand for work is commonplace, and thousands of Lao students head overseas each year, drawn by international education and better job prospects.
“Compared to my grandparents, it’s easy for us now,” said one Lao master’s student in Australia. “You just go on Google, and you can learn what you want.
“In the next 10 or 20 years, people will be speaking up more and have more freedoms.”
Trump Tariffs
China is Laos’ dominant economic partner through infrastructure investments, including a railway linking Vientiane and Kunming, in Yunnan province, and a wider economic corridor.
In recent years, hydropower exports have been a key economic driver, while garment factories, electronics assemblers, and other light-manufacturing firms have relied on the American market.
But expansion is slowing, and inflation is rising while GDP per capita remains around USD 2,100 according to the World Bank’s most recent figures, and it now faces Trump tariffs of 40 percent, one of the highest rates in the world.
Those pressures mean the mindset of the younger generation is changing, “especially when comparing my grandparents’ political and economic views to my own”, said communications officer Namfon Sirithirath, 30.
“It’s good that youth engagement is currently being promoted,” she said.
“It would be much better if it were promoted more, and if policymakers listened more to their concerns or issues, so that in the future, policies could be put in place that are more appropriate for the current era.”
source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/12/01/young-lao-push-for-change-50-years-after-party-victory/
Savannakhet Sets Stage for Biggest-Ever That Ing Hang Festival
Authorities in Savannakhet Province said preparations for the annual That Ing Hang Temple Festival, scheduled for 30 November to 5 December, are now almost complete, with this year’s edition set to be larger and livelier than previous years as the province pushes to boost tourism.
The festival is held each December to honor Buddhism and pay respect to those who built Pha That Ing Hang, one of the most revered stupas in Savannakhet Province and across central Laos.
Each year, thousands of devotees, from both the north and south of Laos, as well as neighboring Thailand, travel to the site to take part in religious rituals and cultural celebrations.
Somphone Vilayvong, Deputy Director of the Savannakhet Department of Culture and Tourism, told local media that the organising sub-committee has finalised parking arrangements, transport routes to the temple grounds, security planning, and the installation of decorative lighting. Exhibition zones and vendor stalls have also been arranged to ensure a smooth visitor experience.
He said the festival will feature a wide range of cultural performances from communities across the province’s 14 districts and Kaysone Phomvihane City, showcasing local arts, literature, and traditions.
A highlight will be the grand bee-wax procession and competition on 4 December, bringing together villages from across Savannakhet for one of the festival’s most traditional celebrations.
The festival will also host exhibitions and sales of handicrafts, textiles, and local food products, alongside an expanded program of entertainment.
Visitors can take part in lamvong yong ngok, join evening gatherings, sample regional dishes, watch traditional lam phaya performances, and attend cultural shows.
The That Ing Hang Temple Festival remains one of the province’s most important cultural events, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/11/25/savannakhet-sets-stage-for-biggest-ever-that-ing-hang-festival/
Laos Celebrates Hin Nam No as First Natural World Heritage Site
On 25 November, Laos celebrated UNESCO’s recognition of Hin Nam No National Protected Area as the country’s first Natural World Heritage Site.
Vanxay Phongsavanh, Governor of Khammouane Province, said during the ceremony that Hin Nam No was approved as a transboundary World Heritage Site together with Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park at UNESCO’s 47th World Heritage Committee session in Paris.
To mark the occasion, a parade carried the World Heritage certificate from Wattay International Airport to Patuxay.
Hin Nam No is known for its limestone karst landscapes, 173 caves including the Xe Bang Fai underground river, and habitats for rare species such as the Yellow-collared Laughingthrush, Lao Rock Rat, and Southern White-cheeked Gibbon.
The park, covering 94,121 hectares in Khammouane Province, was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 13 July. The designation links it with Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, forming the world’s largest contiguous limestone karst area.
Its rugged cliffs and remote valleys, shaped over 300 million years, are home to rare and endangered species including the Red-Shanked Douc Langur, Sunda Pangolin, Lao Rock Rat, and Giant Huntsman Spider.
The park is part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, hosting over 1,500 plant species and 536 vertebrates.
Hin Nam No also preserves cultural heritage, with ethnic minority communities maintaining their traditions and way of life. The transboundary site shows the value of international collaboration and highlights the ecological and cultural importance of the Central Annamite Mountains.
Today, Hin Nam No stands as a symbol of Laos’ natural treasures and its role in global conservation.
source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/11/24/laos-celebrates-hin-nam-no-as-first-natural-world-heritage-site/