City Markets Set Price Controls Over Pi Mai Lao
Markets in Vientiane have made extensive preparations to cope with the extra demand over the Pi Mai Lao holiday.
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Shopping
7- Eleven Launches 3rd Branch in Vientiane
A well-known convenience store chain 7-Eleven launched the Dongdok branch, the third of its kind in the Lao PDR
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Food Prices Continue to Affect Lao Households Despite Easing Inflation
High inflation in Laos has forced many families to cut spending on food, health and education to ensure their income keeps pace with the rising cost of living in the country.
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High Foreign Exchange Rate Driving Up Price of Eggs
With the increasing foreign exchange rates, the prices of eggs increase as well, as local producers can’t provide for the demand.
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Heineken Laos Creates Beer Star Cube
Heineken Laos and Wunderman Thompson Thailand celebrate beer with ice culture.
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7-Eleven Opens First Store in Laos
7 eleven’s first store in Laos is now open.
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Further Price Increase is Predicted Until the Year Ends
Experts expect to see price increase of all goods until the end of the year.
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Vientiane Eyes Reduced Imports Through Higher Domestic Output
City authorities aim to increase the availability of locally-made goods by reducing the reliance on imported goods.
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Construction of the City’s Tallest Building is 68% Complete
A five-star shopping mall and a hotel is set to open in time for the ASEAN Summit next year.
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Vientiane Authorities to Reorganize Night Market Ahead of ASEAN Summit
Vientiane authorities plan to rearrange the stalls at the popular night market in Chao Anouvong Park.
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Khuadin Market to Close for Redevelopment
The Khuadin Market in Vientiane will be undergoing renovation starting this April 2023.
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Sihom’s Walking Street Attracts Local and Foreign Tourists
A street in Sihom Village in Vientiane is getting more local and international tourist visits.
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ASEAN to Host 1st Regional Online Shopping Festival
ASEAN will host the first region-wide online shopping event in August 2023 to promote cross-border trade through e-commerce.
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Lao Government Backs the Use of Electric Vehicles to Conserve Energy Supplies
Lao Deputy Minister of Energy promote the use of electric vehicles to conserve energy that petrol-powered cars.
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Going Electric? Choosing An Electric Motorbike Or Scooter
A series of articles on things to consider when choosing an EV, what models are available and where.
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Shopping-D – Your Personal Concierge For Groceries
Shopping-D online grocery has over 6.000 items starting from fruits, vegetables, fresh meat, cleaning products and other items for your daily needs. Try – you will love it.
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Shopping Centres Reopen To Public
Many large shopping centres have resumed operations after being temporarily closed in line with the government’s orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
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Tesco Sells Businesses in Thailand, Malaysia for US$10.6b
Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, is selling its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to Thailand’s CP Group entities for an enterprise value of US$10.6bil.
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Best Places Where To Buy Wines And Liquors In Vientiane
If you love your liquor – the following shops in Vientiane are absolutely worth a visit.
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Lao Customs Department Extend Use Of Modern Clearance System
The Customs Department will extend the use of an automated customs management system to other main customs checkpoints
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Thailand Keen To Entice High-Income Lao Tourists
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will continue to push health and wellness tourism and shopping to draw high-income tourists from Laos.
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Thai Cracking Down On Borrowed Lao Vehicles
As from 1st January 2018, any vehicle crossing into Thailand from Laos that is driven by an individual who is not the vehicle’s owner must provide documentation authorizing use of the vehicle.
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The Rimping Difference – Vientiane’s Latest Supermarket
As of yesterday Vientiane has its first real supermarket – Rimping !
Rimping Supermarket, located at the View Mall (which itself is still under construction) is a “upper-end” supermarket, maybe best compared to “Jason Supermarket” in Singapore or “Foodland” in Thailand.
“We are a little different to other supermarkets” says Rimping and after visiting their new branch in ……
CP Laos To Intensify Pig Production This Year
CP LAOS, a subsidiary of Thailand’s listed Charoen Pokphand Foods, is set to increase pig-breeding stocks at commercial piggeries in Laos from some 7,000 to more than 12,000 this year in order to boost the number of piglets. The move reflects increasing demand in Vientiane.
This expansion should see the number of piglets born increasing from 160,000 to ….
Major Platinum To Open New Cinema At Vientiane Center
Major Cineplex Group is launching their 2nd out of country branch in Laos, with the first being an extremely successful project in Cambodia, which has become the market leader. This new world-class theatre in Vientiane will have “Huawei” as a naming sponsor and be called “Major Platinum Cineplex by Huawei”.
The Laos project will contain about 1,150 seats in five halls and offer the best and brightest 3D available. “We will screen Hollywood movies with both English and Thai soundtracks and the many popular Thai and Laos movies, all with …..
Work On Nongchan Mall Postponed Until Year End
Construction of the planned Nongchan Shopping Mall in central Vientiane, which was expected to begin this month, will be postponed until the end of this year, the developer has announced.
Krittaphong Group Co., Ltd. said officials in chargea of the project only recently finished negotiations with shop owners at the existing Nongchan market where the shopping mall is to be built, in which merchants agreed to move to make way for the project.
For this reason, the start of construction had been …….
Vientiane Centre Adds To Capital’s Shopping Options
Shoppers will no longer have to cross the border to buy brand-name products after a new high-profile shopping centre opened in Vientiane on Saturday.
The four-storey Vientiane Centre is one part of the three-phase project, which is being developed on a 5.3 hectare site on Nongchan marsh in Xaysettha district.
Many brand-name products are on display at the shopping centre including Zara, Gucci, Longines, Omega and ….
Couleur d’Asie – Store, Restaurant, Tea House and Art Gallery
Couleur d’Asie has been open in it’s current form since mid-2014 and while many people we have spoken to have heard of the French influenced venue there seem to be very few who have actually visited.
The owner of the store, Vivian Inthavong, has called Vientiane her home for many years and her range of experience in style and interior design are clear from the moment you enter. Officially promoted as a ‘concept store’, Couleur d’Asie has a lot to offer: ….
Vientiane New World Offers Retail Units For Purchase
CAMCE Investment (Lao) Co., Ltd. is now offering retail units for purchase at Vientiane New World Plaza, with construction of the development well under way.
The plaza containing 100 shop lots and one shopping mall is located along Mekong riverbank on Fa Ngum Road, which is one of Vientiane’s top locations. Sale prices of the retail units start at …..
J&C Services’ 6th Anniversary Special Promotion “Whiz Bang”
During the months of September and October J&C Services is celebrating its 6th anniversary with special promotions and offers for our clients and readers.
In partnership with Gecko Wines we are proud to present our latest promotion, targeting the wine lovers among our clients and readers: Whiz Bang Barossa Shiraz
The grapes for this wine were sourced from selected premium vineyards in the Barossa Valley. Picked at night to make sure that they were as cool as possible, they were crushed and allowed to ….
Vientiane To Build The Biggest Shopping Market In Laos
Lao World Public Company (Lao World) plans to build the biggest ever market in Laos with the project announced on Saturday as the company’s showpiece development.
The project, named ITECC Market, will comprise a supermarket, duty free shop, sports stores, grand convention halls, business and entertainment venues, health and beauty centres, financial services, and restaurants.
ITECC Market is the second phase of the Lao ITECC project. It will be nine storeys high and is being built on a ….
I-Furniture – Vientiane’s Biggest Furniture Showroom
I-Furniture Sole, a subsidiary company of Kolao Group, unveiled its showroom in Vientiane Capital offering a new focus for customers in the country.
The showroom, the biggest of its kind in Laos, has been built on a total area of 18,000 square metres at KM8 on Thadeua Road, Somvang Tai village, Hadsayfong District.
I-Furniture Sole Company will operate its business in the country under the slogan ‘All about furniture’ in collaboration with global companies such as ‘IKEA’ and ‘Livart Furniture”, a Korea’s top general furniture company specialising in
7-Eleven To Expand Into Laos
CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, will expand into Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam as it seeks to benefit from an integrated Asean market from Dec 2015. CP All has submitted a proposal to 7-Eleven’s parent company in the US to open stores in four of Thailand’s neighbouring countries.
An average of 1,234 customers visit each 7-Eleven store in Thailand daily, compared with 1,052 in Japan and 920 in the US….
Which Is The Best Mobile Phone Operator in Laos ?
When providing our Relocation / Welcome Service, one of the first questions asked by our clients is: “Which mobile phone operator should I choose ?”
A tricky question to answer. It usually depends where in Laos someone spends most of their time and what requirements they have. The main operators are Lao Telecom, ETL, Beeline (ex Tigo) and Unitel. Each provider has different grades & priorities of coverage, but I think it’s fair to say that ……
Mega Mall Halted
Plans for Laos’s largest shopping complex are put on hold; Construction of a mega mall that was set to be Laos’s largest shopping complex has been suspended after the project’s international developer ran out of funds despite having collected advance rent from retailers.
The planned U.S. $50 million Regal Mega Mall was touted as a landmark center for commerce and entertainment when construction on the seven-storey shopping plaza began last year in the Lao capital Vientiane’s Sikhottabong district. But now its developer, Regal Global Investment Development Group, a Singapore company, has halted the project while it looks for another investor to take over.
Store merchants who paid to reserve their spots have not been informed of how, or whether, they will get their money back….
WTC – Biggest And Most Luxurious Shopping Centre In Town
Nongchanh is on the way to being turned into the biggest and most luxurious shopping centre in town. The WTC will comprise an international shopping centre, a commercial street, integrated food and beverage venues, apartments, office buildings, and other facilities to serve both foreigners and local people.
The total project will not just become a new image for ….
Guru Shop – Sharing Technological Wisdom
Driving along Samsenthai road, the black building with white letters reading “Guru Shop” immediately caught my eye. Don’t tell me they opened a spiritual center, I joked to myself. Curious as I am, I turned around and entered the “temple of wisdom”, which turned out to be the latest Apple shop in Vientiane.
“Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to new technologies and gadgets, and teach them how the gadgets can make their daily lives easier”, explains Eddie Savankham, the owner of Guru Shop.
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Central Plaza Udon – Expect The Ultra
Currently Robinsons, reborn as Central Plaza, is undergoing major building work to make this shopping mall the biggest in the Isaan region. Once finalized, the shopping mall area will be 30,000 square meters, making it bigger than the Central Plaza complex in Khon Kaen. I was told that the renovations are due to be finished in March 2012, although given the the current progress it seems it may take a bit longer.
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Wine 95 A Good Drop in Vientiane
Wine 95 is the newest wine bar in Vientiane and has opened up between Jazzy Brick and Jules Classic Bike Rentals. Coincidence? Not at all. Wine 95 is the latest creation of those behind Phimphone Market and Benoni Cafe as well as Vansom Wine Shop. The name is in celebration of the year that the owner first started his wine import business: 1995. Everything these guys do, they do well, and Wine 95 is no exception.
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Art Supplies in Vientiane and Bangkok
Where can you get quality art supplies in Vientiane? Almost nowhere, apparently, according to one art gallery owner who I spoke with. There are two notable and convenient places to shop for art and craft supplies in Bangkok, however. The first is at the top floor of the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall Department Store. You can find a large range of most items, however it tends to focus more on stationery than arts and crafts.
Read MoreEmpty Talat Sao Mall Officially Opens
When reading in the local newspaper that the Morning Market Talat Sao mall 2 was officially opened on Friday, 11 November 2011, I was curious to see for myself if the new mall would meet everybody’s high expectations.
Visiting the mall this Saturday, I was rather disappointed, as only a few stores on the first and second level of the mall are occupied; everything else is still vacant or under construction. The “official opening of a shopping mall still under construction” would have been more appropriate as a headline.
However, looking at it from a more positive angle, once the mall is complete and functional (meaning all stores are occupied and open to the public) it will definitely be “the” place to visit in Vientiane
D*Mart: Your Vientiane Shopping Destination
A new shopping destination is set to open tomorrow right in the heart of Vientiane’s commercial shopping strip: Dongpalan Rd. D*Mart, the latest installment from the owners of the already successful Home Ideal, will bring together a supermarket and a fresh market in the same location for the first time. The site will also include a food court, souvenir stores, electrical appliance stores and retail fashion and cosmetic outlets.
Read MoreRegal To Build Largest 5-Star Hotel In Laos
The US$100 million hotel is a joint investment between the Ministry of National Defense, which will hold a 25 percent shareholding and the Regal Global Investment Development Group. The project contract is for a period of 99 years and the hotel will replace the existing Rasavong Hotel at km5 area in Xaysettha district.
According to the group, the hotel will consist of 350 rooms, including 20 VIP rooms and 30 suite rooms, on a total area of 120,000 square meters.
The hotel will also contain a shopping complex, as well as restaurants, entertainment facilities and a cinema.
ME SHOP
ME SHOP specialises in trendy electronics, so it doesn’t sell TVs or toasters, but rather iphones, ipads, Playstations, Xboxes and more. It’s set up so that people can walk in and just hang out if they want to, and during my visit many were. Some customres played Playstation whilst others listened to ipods at special listening stations. There is a counter at the front staffed by the shop assistants who give free advice or accept broken devices for repair. ME Shop is even licensed to repair Apple products.
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Makro Cash and Carry
It is always cheaper to purchase goods in Thailand if you have the chance to get across the border. If you are part of a large family and stock a lot of food in your home, or you just don’t like shopping frequently, one of the best places to do grocery shopping is Makro. This is a ‘cash-n-carry’ chain that originates in Holland and sells everything from foodstuffs, groceries, cleaning products to electrical goods and office supplies.
Read MoreSpice Up Your Life
Do you love South Asian food? If so, you can always indulge yourself at one of the many Indian restaurants dotted around Laos, but if you ever thought of actually cooking Butter Chicken or Tikka Massala at home, you may be hard pressed to find ingredients such as cardamom pods, ghee or tomato passata at ordinary minimarts in Vientiane. So, where to find specialised South Asian spices
Read MorePremium Outlet
Premium Outlet is a new semi-covered shopping complex which has opened in Udon Thani that features direct factory outlet shops for many clothing brands including Adidas, Nike, Lacoste, Levi’s, True Religion, Guy Laroche, Lee, Roxy, Echo and more.
Prices are heavily discounted; some items up to 70% less than the ordinary retail price.
Best Minimarts
Whilst many Vientiane residents eagerly await the proposed supermarket soon to open at the new morning market shopping mall, many will likely continue to frequent the various minimarts dotted around the city that stock imported goods catering to foreign tastes. Most expats soon get a feel for where to buy what, but there are a number of other minimarts which are fairly unassuming from the outside which actually stock a fair amount of imported goods. So which are the best?
Read MoreThe Book Store Speaking Your Language
Although there’s still no English language library in Vientiane, at this small, second-hand book store, located at the “Black Stupa”, near to the US Embassy you can find books in English, French, German, Dutch, Lao and many other languages. Buy as many as you want, and once you’re finished reading them you can always take them back and exchange them for new ones at 50% of the price
Read MoreBig Savings at Big C
Many expats enjoy a day in Udon Thani combined with a shopping trip. The town offers a plethora of supermarket shopping venues with everything from corner stores to hypermarts but one venue often overlooked and undervalued is Big C. This Thai owned chain that now also operates in Vietnam has an outlet in Udon Thani quite unfortunately hidden behind an overpass. Neverthless, for the discerning shopper, Big C can turn out to be quite a good destination.
Read MoreLawn Mowers:
Many rental homes include a nice lush lawn that really brightens up the yard and is great for kids to play in. But after a few months this can grow into a messy jungle if not properly maintained. What you need is a good lawn mower.
Read MoreMore Furniture Choices For Vientiane
Options for furniture purchase have increased with the opening of two new furniture outlets in Vientiane. For those wanting more comfortable furniture in your homes, look no further than the Index and Winner Showroom by LP Furniture Centre in Nonghai Village on Kamphengmuang Road. All purchases can be home delivered for free.
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