Lovely Lao Ladies

The end of the year and indeed the decade is upon us. Everybody's promotional calendars are being distributed, including Beer Lao, the national beer of Laos.

Here's a link to Beer Lao calendars of the past below. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Beer Lao Calendars thoughout the Decade

Thailand and Viet Nam still Hoping for More Tourists

Both Thailand and Viet Nam are facing a decline in tourist arrivals this year. Both of these articles label the global economic situation as the main reason that tourists are staying away.

First, the story from Thailand:

Inbound tourism is expected to decline 34 per cent this high season, due mainly to the economic crisis.

The article goes on to state:

"Another important factor is that our political problems and the ongoing chaos now disturb tourists," Sa-ngium Ekachot, vice president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents.

Next, Viet Nam:

Many representative offices of foreign tourism companies in Ho Chi Minh City have closed over the past year because of declining arrivals.

But with the global economic slump taking its toll on the local tourism industry, the number of representative offices has decreased gradually. Last month, there were just 16 left in the city and only half of them could be contacted.

Overall arrivals in the first 11 months were recorded at 3.4 million, down 12.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration. There were sharp declines in many markets, with South Korea down 21.4 percent, China 19.4 percent and Japan 8.9 percent.

But, the question is what other factors (in addition to the political problems ond ongoing chaos mentioned in the article from Thailand) are having an effect on the tourism industry?

This probably isn't helping:

Luxury beach resort in Thailand using picture of Scottish beach to promote area

Viet Nam Wins, Sai Gon Roars

Football (a.k.a. soccer) is big in Asia just like the rest of the world. So, the Gold Medal for football is the highlight of the Southeast Asia Games. Tonight Viet Nam defeated Singapore 4 - 1 to advance to the final match where they will meet the team from Malaysia.

Vietnam crush Singapore in a heart-breaking game

After the victory, the streets were filled with people celebrating, most on motorbikes. Click below for a short video clip. You might want to decrease the volume level first though.



Strangely enough, a heavy highly unseasonal rain storm occured later on at around midnight.

Happenings in Southeast Asia

Anybody who is travelling to Thailand thesedays should be sure to keep an eye on the political situation for the rest of this month and into the new year. The next wave of demonstrations/rallies has begun.

Thousands stage new rally in Bangkok

Also, tourists are still having trouble with King Power Duty Free Shops. This time it's in Phukket, a resort island in Southern Thailand.

"There have been several allegations of a scam operating out of King Power shops at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. In what also became worldwide news reports, the shoppers, all tourists, were accused of shoplifting, then forced to ‘negotiate’ a settlement in order to catch their departing flights."

Alleged Aussie perfume thieves out on bail in Phuket




Also, don't forget that the SEA Games have started in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. As a result the town is full of athletes and vistitors, so you may have trouble finding a room, quiet place to eat, etc, if you're visiting there. The Sea Games will end on December 18th.


The SEA Games open in Laos

The Official SEA Games in Laos website

Long Live the King

Today, December 5th, the birthday of HM King Bhumipol Adulyadej, Rama IX is celebrated throughout Thailand. The day is also celebrated as Father's Day. The world's longest-reigning monarch, the King was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the United States on December 5, 1927 and has witnessed 15 coups, 16 constitutions, and 27 changes of prime ministers during his reign.

His Majesty's birthday address

Thai King urges peace on birthday

Laos on the Move

It's a bit of a strange title for a headline, but the following article has some good info about the current development in Laos.

Not so Pathetic Laos

Adapting Vietnamese Culture to Foreign Audiences

Thanh Nien News, Viet Nam


Cultural exchange and understanding is an important part of globalisation, a process that is continually happening whether we like it or not as a result of improvements in technology and transportation. There are two main approaches to handling cultural hybridity, the mingling of cultures. Purists would have us preserve culture, somewhat in the manner of embalming a corpse. Of course, what you end up with is a fossil in a museum that is rarely visited by anyone other than crusty old scholars. Innovators are more interested in keeping culture alive, which usually means adapting and changing the details and the meaning of culture. Neither approach is completely satisfactory, especially when it comes to the relationship between culture and tourism.

This story from Hanoi provides an example of successfully coping with the difficulties in keeping tradition alive and at the same time maintaining its integrity.

Hanoi troupe brings local culture to foreign audiences by staging Vietnamese plays in English

Air Asia opens Saigon, Viet Nam to Phuket, Thailand route & US-ASEAN Relations

Phuket [pronounced "poo-ket"] is Thailand's largest island and one of its premier tourist destinations. Air Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is Southeast Asia's biggest budget airline. They're expanding rapidly and have opened a new route between the resort island of Phuket and Ho Chi Minh City [Sai Gon], Viet Nam's largest urban area.

Air Asia opens HCMC - Phuket Route
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I'm not sure how accurate the following report is. But if it's true, it reflects the growing importance of the unified Southeast Asia region.

President Barack Obama plans to invite all 10 Asean leaders to the United States next year in a move to further strengthen Asean-US relations

Good News from Thailand

Thai people are currently enjoying the good news regarding the health of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX. The King has recently recovered and is expected to leave the hospital soon.

Thai king will leave hospital soon

Also, today's edition of The Independent, one of the United Kingdom's biggest newspapers, includes a comprehensive guide to travelling to the islands and beaches of Thailand:

Traveller's Guide: Thailand's islands & beaches

Laos: Raking It In

Laos: Landlocked and dependent

The Lao People's Democratic Republic is considered to be one of the world's poorest countries and also one of the least populated. As a result, it is highly dependent on its neighbors for help, both technologically and financially.

This year the amount of help has increased dramatically:

Foreign investment in Laos jumps nearly fourfold this year

On the surface this looks quite good. The Lao people will be able to enjoy a higher standard of living. But, at the same time, these investment projects come with a price tag, especially in terms of the environment, agriculture and traditional culture. Hopefully, the Lao government will tread carefully and consider wisely both the advantages and drawbacks of massive foreign investment.

ASEAN Meeting in Thailand Finally Occurs

Flag of the Association of Sotheeast Asian Nations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN] includes the 10 major countries of the region: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. East Timor is currently an guest observer. ASEAN just met this weekend in the beach resort town of Hua Hin in Thailand [one of my favorite places] along with represntatives from China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

Some highlights from the meeting include:

"Japan's proposal for a so-called East Asian community will be up for further discussion, after Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said the region should have the aspiration that East Asia is going to lead the world."

"Asia has made a more rapid recovery from the global economic crisis than the United States and other western countries and sees itself in a position to boost its international influence."

"ASEAN called for free and fair elections in Myanmar in 2010 but failed to call for the release of the 64-year-old Suu Kyi."

"Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein told his counterparts that the regime could relax the conditions of her house arrest, which was extended by 18 months in August."

"The launch of what ASEAN said was a "historic" rights commission on Friday was meanwhile overshadowed by the barring of several leading campaigners from a meeting with the region's leaders to discuss the new body."

Border disputes between some of the countries, namely India and China and Thailand and Cambodia, also weaken the unity of the region.

Read the full article here:

Asian leaders to pledge commitment to EU-style bloc

Have you ever been hit in the head with a soft rock?

First time in HCMC: Air Supply performed two nights at Hoa Binh Theater last weekend.

OK. I'm defintely NOT a fan of Air Supply, but again it's nice to see international cultural events taking place in Viet Nam. The best part of this article is the reminiscences of the writer, Le Huynh Le:

"I got my first Air Supply album when I was in 11th grade. My friend’s elder brother was a sailor and he brought home the cassette from Singapore.

"Our group passed the tape around for weeks from person to person, each anxious to hear it soon and none of us anxious to let it out of our hands. We had no photocopy machines, so we had to rewrite the lyrics by hand. The Air Supply tape was possibly the most valuable thing we owned. We never thought that one day we would enjoy a live Air Supply show in our home city."

Air Supply "rocks" Ho Chi Minh City

Viet Nam and Laos: Still Emerging

People watch the New York Philharmonic on a large screen outside Hanoi Opera House

I certainly don't claim to be a big classical music fan, but it sure is nice to see when special events like this occur in Viet Nam. Any opportunity to break out of the everyday monotony is welcome by both locals and expats alike.

Gowns and helmets at first NY Philharmonic show in Vietnam

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Daovy Vongnarath points to the small country of Laos on the world map.

This article below from a newspaper Canada briefly tells the story of two refugees from Laos and introduces some basic facts about the country.

Laotians have made a new life in Central Plains

Some Good News

After Thursday's depressing headlines in Thailand...

Thai market jittery over King’s health

Markets reflect fears on health of Thai king

SET plunges for second day in a row

Baht depreciates after stock sell-offs

...things look at least a bit better today:

'No cause for concern'

Share prices rebound as foreign investors return

Also, in TOURISM RELATED NEWS:



Lao tourism service providers won six awards at the 2009 Tourism Alliance Awards at the 2009 International Travel Expo held in Vietnam 's Ho Chi Minh City recently.



The opening of three more border gates between Viet Nam and Cambodia earlier this month will create more opportunities for trade and tourism between the two countries.

The SEA Games are Coming Soon

The South-East Asian Games [SEA Games] is an Olympic-type international sporting event that involves the 10 countries of The Association of Souteast Asian Nations and also the small country of East Timor. The SEA Games are held every two years and this year, for the first time, they will be held in Laos from December 9 - 18, less than two moonths away.

Competitions for these sports and games will be included:

Arnis, Archery, Aquatics, Athletics,
Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Billiards and Snooker, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Bowling
Canoe/Kayak, Cycling, Dancesport, Equestrian
Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics
Handball, Hockey, Judo, Karate, Lawn bowls,
Muay Thai [Thai Boxing]
Pencak Silat, Pétanque, Polo, Rowing, Rugby
Sailing, Sepak Takraw, Shooting, Softball, Squash
Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Traditional Boat Racing, Triathlon
Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling & Wushu.

This article from The New York Times attempts to outline how the Laos are financing the event with a little help from their friends:

Laos Stumbles on Path to Sporting Glory

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You can get more info about the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic at these links:

Lao SEA Games Organizing Committee

The 25th SEA Games Blog

Cafe Indochina Back Online

Hi Everybody -

After receiving a few "where's your blog, dude"-type messages, I've decided to bring Cafe Indochina back.

I'd like to start with a story about my all-time favorite Thai Rock Band: MODERN DOG.

Modern Dog recently celebrated their 15th Anniversary. read about it here:

Pups no more: Modern Dog Celebrates 15 Years of Rocking Out

WOW! I really wish I could have been there.