Sep
14
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Lao dancers display talent in regional spotlight
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Young Lao dancer C-Lil recently made a big splash in the regional break dance scene when he won the Airtrack competition in the Challenge Cup Final 2012 in Taiwan.
Phayviboune Silimoung-khoun, known as C-Lil, along with Paseuth Lousengsy, or Joker O’Tee, and Tommy Ditthavong, known as Tomizuka, who are both from the Lao Bangfai dance troupe represented Laos at the regional dance event.
The competition took place from August 18-19, and the Bangfai duo were competing with 200 other dancers from Taiwan, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, the United States and Malaysia.
“Since break dancing is my passion I was very happy to win this event as it is our dream to show off our ability on stage,” C-Lil said.
“Even though we haven’t had many opportunities to compete at the regional level before, I think we have a good background and try to enjoy the challenge instead of worrying about our performance or the other competitors. We weren’t nervous because we were well-prepared from other events,” C-Lil said.
He said this was second time that Lao dancers have been in Taiwan for dance competitions; the first one was in June this year for the R16 Southeast Asia Final. This was the first year of the Challenge Cup Final and the Lao Brewery Company was able to sponsor the Lao Bangfai dancers to attend the event.
Tomizuka said the Challenge Cup Final 2012 included several competitions such as solo battles, crew battles, tricks and combo battles as well as seven to smoke power moves.
He said C-Lil won the Airtrack contest with 51 rounds, defeating a dancer named RM from Taiwan who did 39 rounds. Airtrack is a move using only your hands and hopping from hand to hand in a circular motion.
C-Lil also reached second place in the seven to smoke powermoves competition and tied with dancer Gred from Taiwan with 4 points while the winner of the event was famous South Korean dancer Kill.
“C-Lil was a highlight of the event because of his high level of technical dancing skill and has confirmed an invitation to next year’s event from B-boy Choco. After this event, C-Lil has become more famous and more people know about the capacity of Lao break dancers,” Tomizuka said.
After this significant achievement for Lao break dancers, C-Lil is headed to join the Red Bull BC ONE Asia Pacific Qualifier that will take place September 1, 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand. Red Bull BC ONE is one of the biggest solo B-boy battles worldwide.
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Sep
14
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Mayor apologises for road repair delays
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Vientiane Mayor Mr Soukanh Mahalath yesterday asked Vientiane residents to sympathise with the difficulty of simultaneously managing widescale road building and repairs and the resulting traffic delays.
“We hoped the roads we're working on in Vientiane would be finished by October, but there have been some delays. We apologise for the inconvenience. However, we will attempt to make things better,” Mr Soukanh said.
Vientiane Mayor Mr Soukanh Mahalath.
One example is the road from That Luang market to Nakhuay village linking to the 450 Year Road, which was expected to be finished a year ago.
The road will now be finished after the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in November, the mayor said.
Prior to the 7th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP7) in Vientiane next month and the ASEM meeting in November, the dirt road will be temporarily surfaced with large stones, and later with smaller ones.
This will help drivers on this road, who are used to negotiating potholes and dust, until the paving begins.
Currently, the road between That Luang market and Nakhuay village is muddy when it rains and dusty when it's dry.
Mr Soukanh told the press that most road works are on schedule, and some are nearly complete. He said Vientiane residents can expect to be travelling on a number of new roads by next month.
He singled out the construction of a concrete road that starts at the junction outside Lao National Television, to Nongnieng village and through to the National Convention Centre, which will be finished by the end of September.
Vientiane authorities are working to clean and tidy up roads and public parks in order to beautify the capital in the lead up to the ASEM Summit.
To transform Vientiane into a permanent clean and green city – not just for ASEP7 and ASEM – the Vientiane authorities are encouraging locals to assist with the beautification process.
“We believe that everyone can contribute to making the city clean and garbage free, in a bid to not only impress ASEM delegates and visitors with a beautiful and healthy city, but to provide a pleasant and healthy environment for residents and visitors alike,” Mr Soukanh said.
Residents have been asked to repaint and repair their houses if they are old or in disrepair. It is not mandatory, as authorities understand that not all families can afford the repairs, but they are still encouraged to keep their houses as clean as possible.
Authorities are also encouraging households to plant shrubs, fruit trees or flowers around their houses.
They're also campaigning for Vientiane residents to separate their household rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclable garbage. This is an important step in making Vientiane a sustainable city.
During the ASEP7 and ASEM meetings, the Vientiane authorities will plant flowering shrubs along sidewalks, and install special lighting, as well as hanging up the flags of the countries attending the meetings.
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Sep
14
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Dien Bien hosts Vietnam-Lao tourism and trade fair
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(KPL) - The 2012 Vietnam-Lao tourism and trade fair opened in the north-western province of Dien Bien on September 10, VOV report.
Involved in the week-long event are 150 businesses with a total of more than 200 booths showcasing their latest products, mostly on garment and textile, footwear, electronics, home appliances, cement, timber, cosmetics, beverage, handicrafts, rice, coffee, tea, coffee, and various kinds of food.
The fair aims to create a good opportunity for local businesses to strengthen cooperation with Lao counterparts, especially those from northern provinces such as Phongsaly, Luangprabang, Oudomxay, Bokeo, Luangnamtha and Xayabouri.
Le Thanh Do, Deputy Chairman of the Dien Bien provincial People's Committee, said that Dien Bien has many advantages to boost trade and tourism cooperation with Lao localities. The province is co-ordinating with Lao neighbouring localities to organize numerous activities during two countries� friendship year 2012.
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Human remains found at Cambodian pagoda
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14/09/2012 10:01:02
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TOURS & DETOUR: Voluntourism opportunities this fall and winter
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14/09/2012 09:51:25
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International tourism expo opens in Ho Chi Minh2
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14/09/2012 09:49:24
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Two international standard amusement parks for Da Nang
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14/09/2012 09:46:23
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City beefs up waterway transit system
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14/09/2012 09:42:08
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Vietnam proposes Southeast Asian heritage network
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14/09/2012 09:39:35
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Arthouse Vietnam to bring local works to Art Expo Malaysia
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14/09/2012 09:38:14
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Sofitel Saigon hosts Indian Food Festival
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14/09/2012 09:36:28
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Top chef Pascal Pochon at Sheraton Saigon
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14/09/2012 09:33:46
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