From 14 to 16 April, Laos burst into a celebration as the country officially marked Pi Mai Laos—the Lao New Year. From alms-giving ceremonies and traditional processions to water splashing battles, the nation came together to usher in the new year.
Luang Prabang: Heart of Traditional Celebration
While Pi Mai was celebrated across the country, Luang Prabang, the UNESCO World Heritage city, stood out as the cultural highlight of the festivities. Known for preserving age-old customs, the city switched from traditional ceremonies to wild parties within hours, merging the spiritual and festive meanings of the event.
On 14 April, the celebration began with the Lolat Festival, a market fair held on Luang Prabang’s main avenue. From morning until mid-day, the streets buzzed with stalls showcasing agricultural goods, handmade crafts, clothes, woodwork, and products from across Laos.
In the afternoon, crowds made their way to Xaymoungkhoun Island in the Mekong River to take part in the age-old tradition of building sand stupas, believed to bring fortune and spiritual merit.
The next day, 15 April, was highlighted by the Miss Lao New Year procession, one of the city’s most anticipated events. Starting from Wat That Nong and concluding at Wat Xieng Thong, this year’s grand parade featured 35 processions and nearly 2,000 participants.
It began with young women holding banners bearing slogans, followed by flags of Laos and its ASEAN neighbors, and culminated in processions paying tribute to ancestors and the nation’s spiritual lineage.
On 16 April, a more spiritual tone returned as local families and provincial leaders gathered for a morning alms-giving ceremony in front of San Sukharam Temple. People also visited temples to cleanse Buddha statues, symbolically washing away past misfortunes. Families exchanged incense figurines for good luck and used the occasion to reconnect and bond.
Vientiane Turns Up the Volume with Full Blown Parties
While Luang Prabang led with tradition and parties here and there, Vientiane Capital offered a full-fledged entertainment-driven experience. The city pulsed with energy as it hosted several events, some of the major ones include the BeerLao Music Zone, the Heineken X Sabaidee Star Celebration party, and Sihom street casual party.
From 13 to 16 April, the Beerlao Music Zone took place along the Mekong riverbank, focusing on music and drinks. Local DJs kept the energy high as crowds danced, holding plastic cups of beer and water guns.
At the same time, the Heineken X Sabaidee Star Celebration brought a bigger festival vibe to the National Cultural Hall. The event featured international artists like Rave Republic, DJ Soda, DJ Wukong, and more, drawing large crowds each night.
Meanwhile, the Sihom Party on Sihom Road offered a street-fair atmosphere. Locals gathered to splash water, enjoy food and drinks from street booths, and listen to live music from a small stage.
Security and Safety Measures in Place
Amidst the lively atmosphere, authorities remained focused on ensuring public safety and order, with Vientiane Capital alone deploying 1,172 traffic police officers across 143 stations in the country during the Lao New Year celebrations to ensure safe road traffic from 11 to 17 April.
The Mobile Defense Forces, including Platoon I of Battalion 135 under the Ministry of Public Security, maintained a 24-hour patrol throughout Vientiane from 12–17 April. Using various vehicles, they monitored the city for disturbances and ensured peace during the festival.
On 16 April, during an inspection at the Si Keut checkpoint along the Laos-China Expressway, with officers enforcing strict regulations, including speed monitoring, alcohol testing, cargo checks, and mandatory helmet usage for motorcycle drivers and passengers.
Leadership Presence, International Engagement
Before the festivities began, President Thongloun Sisoulith extended warm wishes to all citizens, joining in the celebration with the Lao people.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone spent his Pi Mai days representing Laos on the international stage, attending the P4G Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Though Laos is not yet a P4G member, the Prime Minister participated in high-level discussions and exhibitions, highlighting Laos’s commitment to green growth.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sang-Khan-Procession-in-Luang-Prabang.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2025-04-29 09:22:062025-04-22 09:23:32Lao New Year Wrap: Tradition, Festivities, International Engagement
The Laos-China Railway has marked its second anniversary of cross-border operations, having transported 480,000 passengers from 112 countries since the service began.
The railway has significantly improved travel between Laos and China, offering a quicker and more convenient mode of transport, especially for tourists.
Cross-border services were officially launched on 13 April 2023. Since then, the railway has seen strong usage, including 37,500 group travelers journeying between the two countries, according to the Laos-China Railway Company.
Since the beginning of 2025, the railway has reached record-breaking levels of activity. It transported 4 million tons of goods, such as 8,000 tons of imported fruit, and handled 4.1 million passenger trips. This makes it the busiest period for the railway since it began operating.
Connecting key tourist destinations such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Xishuangbanna, and Kunming, the railway has boosted accessibility and supported the growth of tourism, hospitality, and related sectors along the route. It also has an important role in deepening cultural ties and enhancing trade and economic collaboration between Laos and China.
To celebrate both the two-year anniversary and the Lao New Year 2025, the railway organized an onboard celebration. Passengers were treated to traditional Lao music, dance, and songs, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere enjoyed by both local and international travelers.
Laos-China Railway Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary with traditional Lao music, dance, and songs, creating a festive. (The Laos-China Railway)
Regional Transportation Game-Changer
Since its inauguration in 2021, the Lao-China Railway has transformed regional connectivity by transporting over 54 million tons of goods and carrying more than 48.6 million passengers.
Construction of the 409-kilometer railway began in 2016 and was completed in two stages. The first phase linked Luang Namtha to Vientiane Capital, while the second stage extended the line by 17 kilometers from Vientiane Capital to Thanaleng.
The railway features 33 stations—12 for passengers and 20 for cargo—with five major stations designated as stops for express services. It includes 198 kilometers of tunnels and 62 kilometers of bridges, with trains operating at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
Regional travel between Laos and China has surged, particularly after the introduction of international passenger services in 2023.
On 13 April 2024, a passenger train began running from Vientiane to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. Since then, 172,023 passengers have used the service, according to Lao Deputy Minister of Tourism Darany Phommavongsa, who spoke to a group of ASEAN journalists visiting the railway in June.
The railway has also boosted regional trade. The Lancang-Mekong Express freight service now runs across 31 regions in China and 19 other countries, including Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, with 1,777 trains in operation. During the Spring Festival travel season alone, more than 40,000 passengers passed through the Mohan Railway Port in Yunnan.
One of the railway’s major milestones came in October 2024, when it completed its first international cold-chain shipment: 390 tons of Lao bananas arrived in Beijing. Also, Lao coffee beans reached Europe in just 15 days.
To meet growing demand, the railway plans to add a fifth EMU (electric multiple unit) train in the near future.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Vientiane-Railway-Station.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2025-04-28 09:19:562025-04-22 09:21:47Laos-China Railway Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary of Cross-Border Service with 480,000 Passengers
Luang Prabang awoke to the sounds of drums, chanting monks, and crowds of locals and visitors dressed in their finest traditional Lao clothing.
It’s 17 April, and one of the most revered moments of Pi Mai—the Lao New Year—is taking place: the sacred procession of the Prabang, the Buddha image for which Luang Prabang is named.
Monks and city leaders carried the statue from its shrine in the Ho Prabang, located within the former Royal Palace grounds, to Wat Mai Temple, where it will remain for three days.
During this time, people from across the country will come to pour water over the statue, a ritual known as song nam phra, to show respect and ask for blessings for the year ahead.
The Prabang, cast from a sacred mix of bronze, silver, and gold, stands 83 centimeters tall and weighs 43 kilograms. The Buddha is shown in the Abhayamudra, or “Dispelling Fear,” posture—hands raised, palms forward, offering peace and protection.
Though legend traces the statue’s origin to Sri Lanka, scholars believe it was made in the Khmer Empire.
Chronicles tell of its arrival in the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang in the 1350s, carried from Angkor in a grand procession led by the Khmer princess Keo Keng Nya, who had married King Fa Ngum.
The statue’s journey wasn’t smooth. Though it was meant for Xieng Thong (now Luang Prabang), it remained for a time in Vientiane, believed to be too heavy to carry further.
It was finally brought north in 1502 by King Visoun and placed first in Vat Manorom, then in Vat Visoun, built especially for it.
Over the centuries, the Prabang was moved, captured, and returned—including two periods of exile in Bangkok—before it was finally reinstalled in Laos in 1867.
It has been housed in the Ho Prabang shrine since 2013, but is brought out only once a year, for Pi Mai.
Local men preceding the Prabang statue in the annual sacred procession from the Ho Prabang shrine to Wat Mai in Luang Prabang on 17 April. (Photo: Oulayvanh Sisounonth)
Why 2025 Is Also 2568 and 1387
While much of the world celebrates the new year on 1 January, Lao New Year follows a different system—one that’s based on more than one calendar.
Pi Mai usually takes place from 14-16 April, but its meaning runs deeper than just those three days. It marks a spiritual transition from the old year to the new, observed with cleansing rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations across the country.
This year, the internationally used Gregorian calendar calls it 2025. But Laos observes two distinct calendars: the Chula Sakkharat and the Buddhist Era (B.E.) calendar, each marking the New Year on different dates and based on different astronomical principles.
The Chula Sakkharat calendar begins from the year 638 CE. This is a solar calendar that determines the New Year when the Sun enters Aries, typically around 16 April. This date marks the beginning of the solar year and is based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Historically, this calendar was also used in Thailand until it was replaced by the Buddhist Era calendar in 1889. By that count, this year is 1387.
In contrast, the Buddhist Era calendar is a lunisolar system that incorporates both lunar cycles and the solar year. The New Year in this calendar falls on the full moon day in May, aligning with the Visakha month. This date commemorates significant events in the life of the Buddha, including his birth, enlightenment, and death.
The Buddhist calendar conventionally begins in 543 BC, which is believed to be the year the Buddha passed away. According to this system, 2025 is the year 2568.
Depending on which calendar is being used, the Lao New Year in 2025 can be called either the year 1387 (Chula Sakkharat) or 2568 (Buddhist calendar).
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0300-2048x1365-1.jpeg13652048Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2025-04-27 09:16:542025-04-22 09:19:27Three Calendars, One Celebration: Luang Prabang Enters New Year with Sacred Prabang Buddha Procession
Lao New Year Wrap: Tradition, Festivities, International Engagement
From 14 to 16 April, Laos burst into a celebration as the country officially marked Pi Mai Laos—the Lao New Year. From alms-giving ceremonies and traditional processions to water splashing battles, the nation came together to usher in the new year.
Luang Prabang: Heart of Traditional Celebration
While Pi Mai was celebrated across the country, Luang Prabang, the UNESCO World Heritage city, stood out as the cultural highlight of the festivities. Known for preserving age-old customs, the city switched from traditional ceremonies to wild parties within hours, merging the spiritual and festive meanings of the event.
On 14 April, the celebration began with the Lolat Festival, a market fair held on Luang Prabang’s main avenue. From morning until mid-day, the streets buzzed with stalls showcasing agricultural goods, handmade crafts, clothes, woodwork, and products from across Laos.
In the afternoon, crowds made their way to Xaymoungkhoun Island in the Mekong River to take part in the age-old tradition of building sand stupas, believed to bring fortune and spiritual merit.
The next day, 15 April, was highlighted by the Miss Lao New Year procession, one of the city’s most anticipated events. Starting from Wat That Nong and concluding at Wat Xieng Thong, this year’s grand parade featured 35 processions and nearly 2,000 participants.
It began with young women holding banners bearing slogans, followed by flags of Laos and its ASEAN neighbors, and culminated in processions paying tribute to ancestors and the nation’s spiritual lineage.
On 16 April, a more spiritual tone returned as local families and provincial leaders gathered for a morning alms-giving ceremony in front of San Sukharam Temple. People also visited temples to cleanse Buddha statues, symbolically washing away past misfortunes. Families exchanged incense figurines for good luck and used the occasion to reconnect and bond.
Vientiane Turns Up the Volume with Full Blown Parties
While Luang Prabang led with tradition and parties here and there, Vientiane Capital offered a full-fledged entertainment-driven experience. The city pulsed with energy as it hosted several events, some of the major ones include the BeerLao Music Zone, the Heineken X Sabaidee Star Celebration party, and Sihom street casual party.
From 13 to 16 April, the Beerlao Music Zone took place along the Mekong riverbank, focusing on music and drinks. Local DJs kept the energy high as crowds danced, holding plastic cups of beer and water guns.
At the same time, the Heineken X Sabaidee Star Celebration brought a bigger festival vibe to the National Cultural Hall. The event featured international artists like Rave Republic, DJ Soda, DJ Wukong, and more, drawing large crowds each night.
Meanwhile, the Sihom Party on Sihom Road offered a street-fair atmosphere. Locals gathered to splash water, enjoy food and drinks from street booths, and listen to live music from a small stage.
Security and Safety Measures in Place
Amidst the lively atmosphere, authorities remained focused on ensuring public safety and order, with Vientiane Capital alone deploying 1,172 traffic police officers across 143 stations in the country during the Lao New Year celebrations to ensure safe road traffic from 11 to 17 April.
The Mobile Defense Forces, including Platoon I of Battalion 135 under the Ministry of Public Security, maintained a 24-hour patrol throughout Vientiane from 12–17 April. Using various vehicles, they monitored the city for disturbances and ensured peace during the festival.
On 16 April, during an inspection at the Si Keut checkpoint along the Laos-China Expressway, with officers enforcing strict regulations, including speed monitoring, alcohol testing, cargo checks, and mandatory helmet usage for motorcycle drivers and passengers.
Leadership Presence, International Engagement
Before the festivities began, President Thongloun Sisoulith extended warm wishes to all citizens, joining in the celebration with the Lao people.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone spent his Pi Mai days representing Laos on the international stage, attending the P4G Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Though Laos is not yet a P4G member, the Prime Minister participated in high-level discussions and exhibitions, highlighting Laos’s commitment to green growth.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/04/18/lao-new-year-wrap-tradition-festivities-international-engagement/
Laos-China Railway Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary of Cross-Border Service with 480,000 Passengers
The Laos-China Railway has marked its second anniversary of cross-border operations, having transported 480,000 passengers from 112 countries since the service began.
The railway has significantly improved travel between Laos and China, offering a quicker and more convenient mode of transport, especially for tourists.
Cross-border services were officially launched on 13 April 2023. Since then, the railway has seen strong usage, including 37,500 group travelers journeying between the two countries, according to the Laos-China Railway Company.
Since the beginning of 2025, the railway has reached record-breaking levels of activity. It transported 4 million tons of goods, such as 8,000 tons of imported fruit, and handled 4.1 million passenger trips. This makes it the busiest period for the railway since it began operating.
Connecting key tourist destinations such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Xishuangbanna, and Kunming, the railway has boosted accessibility and supported the growth of tourism, hospitality, and related sectors along the route. It also has an important role in deepening cultural ties and enhancing trade and economic collaboration between Laos and China.
To celebrate both the two-year anniversary and the Lao New Year 2025, the railway organized an onboard celebration. Passengers were treated to traditional Lao music, dance, and songs, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere enjoyed by both local and international travelers.
Regional Transportation Game-Changer
Since its inauguration in 2021, the Lao-China Railway has transformed regional connectivity by transporting over 54 million tons of goods and carrying more than 48.6 million passengers.
Construction of the 409-kilometer railway began in 2016 and was completed in two stages. The first phase linked Luang Namtha to Vientiane Capital, while the second stage extended the line by 17 kilometers from Vientiane Capital to Thanaleng.
The railway features 33 stations—12 for passengers and 20 for cargo—with five major stations designated as stops for express services. It includes 198 kilometers of tunnels and 62 kilometers of bridges, with trains operating at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
Regional travel between Laos and China has surged, particularly after the introduction of international passenger services in 2023.
On 13 April 2024, a passenger train began running from Vientiane to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. Since then, 172,023 passengers have used the service, according to Lao Deputy Minister of Tourism Darany Phommavongsa, who spoke to a group of ASEAN journalists visiting the railway in June.
The railway has also boosted regional trade. The Lancang-Mekong Express freight service now runs across 31 regions in China and 19 other countries, including Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, with 1,777 trains in operation. During the Spring Festival travel season alone, more than 40,000 passengers passed through the Mohan Railway Port in Yunnan.
One of the railway’s major milestones came in October 2024, when it completed its first international cold-chain shipment: 390 tons of Lao bananas arrived in Beijing. Also, Lao coffee beans reached Europe in just 15 days.
To meet growing demand, the railway plans to add a fifth EMU (electric multiple unit) train in the near future.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/04/18/laos-china-railway-celebrates-two-year-anniversary-of-cross-border-service-with-480000-passengers/
Three Calendars, One Celebration: Luang Prabang Enters New Year with Sacred Prabang Buddha Procession
Luang Prabang awoke to the sounds of drums, chanting monks, and crowds of locals and visitors dressed in their finest traditional Lao clothing.
It’s 17 April, and one of the most revered moments of Pi Mai—the Lao New Year—is taking place: the sacred procession of the Prabang, the Buddha image for which Luang Prabang is named.
Monks and city leaders carried the statue from its shrine in the Ho Prabang, located within the former Royal Palace grounds, to Wat Mai Temple, where it will remain for three days.
During this time, people from across the country will come to pour water over the statue, a ritual known as song nam phra, to show respect and ask for blessings for the year ahead.
The Prabang, cast from a sacred mix of bronze, silver, and gold, stands 83 centimeters tall and weighs 43 kilograms. The Buddha is shown in the Abhayamudra, or “Dispelling Fear,” posture—hands raised, palms forward, offering peace and protection.
Though legend traces the statue’s origin to Sri Lanka, scholars believe it was made in the Khmer Empire.
Chronicles tell of its arrival in the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang in the 1350s, carried from Angkor in a grand procession led by the Khmer princess Keo Keng Nya, who had married King Fa Ngum.
The statue’s journey wasn’t smooth. Though it was meant for Xieng Thong (now Luang Prabang), it remained for a time in Vientiane, believed to be too heavy to carry further.
It was finally brought north in 1502 by King Visoun and placed first in Vat Manorom, then in Vat Visoun, built especially for it.
Over the centuries, the Prabang was moved, captured, and returned—including two periods of exile in Bangkok—before it was finally reinstalled in Laos in 1867.
It has been housed in the Ho Prabang shrine since 2013, but is brought out only once a year, for Pi Mai.
Why 2025 Is Also 2568 and 1387
While much of the world celebrates the new year on 1 January, Lao New Year follows a different system—one that’s based on more than one calendar.
Pi Mai usually takes place from 14-16 April, but its meaning runs deeper than just those three days. It marks a spiritual transition from the old year to the new, observed with cleansing rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations across the country.
This year, the internationally used Gregorian calendar calls it 2025. But Laos observes two distinct calendars: the Chula Sakkharat and the Buddhist Era (B.E.) calendar, each marking the New Year on different dates and based on different astronomical principles.
The Chula Sakkharat calendar begins from the year 638 CE. This is a solar calendar that determines the New Year when the Sun enters Aries, typically around 16 April. This date marks the beginning of the solar year and is based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Historically, this calendar was also used in Thailand until it was replaced by the Buddhist Era calendar in 1889. By that count, this year is 1387.
In contrast, the Buddhist Era calendar is a lunisolar system that incorporates both lunar cycles and the solar year. The New Year in this calendar falls on the full moon day in May, aligning with the Visakha month. This date commemorates significant events in the life of the Buddha, including his birth, enlightenment, and death.
The Buddhist calendar conventionally begins in 543 BC, which is believed to be the year the Buddha passed away. According to this system, 2025 is the year 2568.
Depending on which calendar is being used, the Lao New Year in 2025 can be called either the year 1387 (Chula Sakkharat) or 2568 (Buddhist calendar).
Happy Pi Mai Lao 2568—or 1387!
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2025/04/17/three-calendars-one-celebration-luang-prabang-enters-new-year-with-sacred-prabang-buddha-procession/