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Tag: Laos

  • President calls for sustainable Vietnamese business in Laos

    President calls for sustainable Vietnamese business in Laos

    President Vo Van Thuong has asked the Vietnamese community in Laos to set its sights on long-term sustainable business growth even though weathering current short-term difficulties will be complicated.

    During Tuesday’s meeting with the Vietnamese community in Laos, Thuong praised the patriotism and contributions made by Vietnamese people and enterprises in Laos.

    For their part, Vietnamese enterprises in Laos proposed that more measures should be taken to support investment, especially capital, to improve competitiveness and expand operations.

    The President said he had asked relevant agencies to provide appropriate solutions.

    About 100,000 Vietnamese live, work, or study in Laos, with nearly 40,000 located in the capital of Vientiane, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung.

    After his meetings in Vientiane, Thuong wrapped up his two-day visit to Laos and returned home from his first foreign trip since taking office last month.

    Vietnam and Laos established diplomatic relations in September 1962, and raised the label of their “traditional friendship” to “great friendship” in February 2019.

    Vietnam has currently invested some $4.7 billion in 219 projects in Laos, making it Laos’ third largest foreign investor after China and Thailand.

    Bilateral trade last year increased 25% to around $1.7 billion.

  • Starbucks expands Laos network with second Vientiane store

    Starbucks expands Laos network with second Vientiane store

    As part of its continued expansion in the market, Coffee Concepts (Laos) Limited, Starbucks operating licensee in Laos, today announced the opening of its second store in View Mall in the capital city, Vientiane. Following the opening of its first location in Parkson Laos just five months ago, customers can now also enjoy the Starbucks experience in the new store in View Mall.

    The new Starbucks store in View Mall, Laos, is designed to provide customers and partners an immersive and visually striking coffee experience. The colorful and vibrant underwater world inspires the design, featuring soft light blue and orange accent colors contrasting with black textured paint.

    This creates a joyful and magical oasis-like atmosphere inviting our customers and partners to connect over a cup of coffee. The sophisticated tube ceiling feature stretches over the ceiling from the entrance to the bar, and throughout the store, highlighting the bar as the store’s focal point that showcases coffee and connections.

    To celebrate the opening of the second store in Laos, the first 100 Starbucks customers to visit the store will receive a drinkware gift upon purchase of a Grande or Venti size handcrafted beverage, as a token of gratitude.

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  • Starbucks enters Laos with Maxim’s Caterers

    Starbucks enters Laos with Maxim’s Caterers

    US coffee chain Starbucks has expanded its footprint into Laos under the partnership with its licensee Coffee Concepts, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers.

    The Laos launch marks Starbucks’ 84th market globally, “reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to continued growth across Southeast Asia” the company said in a statement.

    Coffee Concepts already operates more than 900 stores across Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand.

    The store’s interior design was inspired by the layers and symmetry of traditional Laotian architecture. The ceiling features “Siren-scale” wood tiles, mimicking the brand’s signature Siren emblem and the historical housing architecture in Laos. Ceiling tiles feature botanical wood, inspired by the country’s coffee plants and natural scenery. A hand-painted artwork of Siren created by a local artist is displayed on the store’s most prominent wall.

    “We are committed to delivering the best experience to our new partners and customers in the market,” said Michael Wu, chairman and MD of Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.

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  • Thai energy firm BCPG signs Laos wind power sale with Vietnam

    Thai energy firm BCPG signs Laos wind power sale with Vietnam

    Thai renewable energy firm BCPG Pcl on Tuesday said that its consortium had signed a 25-year agreement to deliver wind energy from a 600-megawatt project in Laos to Vietnam.

    An agreement between Vietnam’s electricity firm EVN and Impact Energy Asia Development (IEAD), of which BCPG holds a 45 percent stake, will supply electricity through a 500-kilovolt transmission line from Laos to Quang Nam province in Vietnam.

    Impact Wind Investment, backed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, holds a 55 percent stake in IEAD.

    Construction on the Monsoon Wind Project will commence in 2022 with commercial operations targeted for 2025. It would be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ largest wind farm, BCPG said in a statement.

  • Laos to supply Vietnam power from Mitsubishi-built wind farm

    Laos to supply Vietnam power from Mitsubishi-built wind farm

    Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation will develop Southeast Asia’s largest wind farm in Laos to supply electricity to Vietnam, where demand is expected to grow continuously.

    The 600-megawatt onshore project, the first wind farm in Laos, will be located in the southern provinces of Sekong and Attapeu, the company said in a statement.

    By installing a dedicated transmission line to Vietnam, power from the wind farm, which is set to begin commercial operations by 2023, will be sold to national utility Vietnam Electricity for 25 years.

    It is expected that Vietnam’s growing economy will have high demand for power, especially during the dry season, when hydropower generation is limited.

    The onshore wind farm is being developed as part of a memorandum of understanding on power interchange signed between the Vietnamese and Lao governments in October 2016.

    It is expected to be the first cross-border electricity interchange from wind power generation in Southeast Asia.

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  • Vietnam to purchase more power from Laos

    Vietnam to purchase more power from Laos

    National utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has signed three memoranda to purchase power from Laotian companies amid expected energy shortages.

    EVN will buy power from two hydropower plants and one coal-fired power plant in neighboring country Laos starting 2024, according to the memorandums of understanding signed Sunday.

    The 84-megawatt Nam Yeuang hydropower plant and 300-megawatt Nam Phan coal-fired thermal power plant developed by Phongsubthavy Group are set to transmit electricity to Vietnam starting 2024 and 2025.

    Another hydropower plant, Nam Neun 1, with a capacity of 124-megawatt and developed by Kong Sup Hydro Development of Nam Neun 1 and Nam Neun 3, will also start delivering power to Vietnam in those two years.

    EVN in January signed five deals with two Laotian companies to purchase 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of power each year in 2021 and 2022.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade had earlier warned of power shortages of 3.7 billion kWh in 2021 and nearly 10 billion kWh the following year, as the construction of new thermal and gas-fired plants fall behind schedule.

    2023 will be the most stressful with the shortage expected to be around 15 billion kWh. From then on, it will decrease, with shortages expected to drop to 7 billion kWh and 3.5 billion kWh in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

    The ministry stated the only way out is to import more from Laos and China, although this is only a band-aid solution. In the long run, it would be necessary to speed up work on large power generation projects, it added.

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  • Starbucks to open its first coffee store in Laos

    Starbucks to open its first coffee store in Laos

    Starbucks is to make Laos debut next year with its first store opening in the capital city of Vientiane.

    Laos will become Starbucks’s 17th market in Asia, with the first store scheduled to open in the third quarter of next year.

    Starbucks Laos will be managed by Coffee Concepts (Laos) Limited, part of Maxim’s Caterers Limited, a part-owned subsidiary of Dairy Farm International. Through Coffee Concepts, Starbucks operates more than 800 stores across Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand.

    According to Starbucks US, the launch is part of its strategy to expand its network across the region.

    “We’re excited to bring the Starbucks Experience to Laos, which has a rich history of coffee production and thriving coffee culture,” said Michael Conway, executive VP at Starbucks International Licensed Stores.

    Michael Wu, chairman and MD at Maxim’s Caterers, added: “We look forward to continuing to deliver the unique Starbucks Experience to customers in the market to earn the trust and respect known by customers around the world.”

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  • Thailand’s CP All to launch 7-Eleven in Laos

    Thailand’s CP All to launch 7-Eleven in Laos

    Thailand’s CP Group is taking the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain into Laos after winning franchise rights for the country.

    The first 7-Eleven store in Laos will be opened in the capital city, Vientiane in 2022.

    “With its remarkable success in Thailand, I can think of no one better than CP All to bring the 7-Eleven brand to consumers in Laos,” said Joe DePinto, CEO at 7-Eleven. “This relationship promises to bring additional jobs and economic opportunities throughout the region.”

    Under the agreement, CP Group’s subsidiary CP All will oversee store construction and start to modernize the small-retail environment, according to the company. The 7-Eleven Laos network will offer international products, beverages, snacks, and consumables fresh foods with recipes developed for regional tastes.

    CP All now holds franchise rights for 7-Eleven in three Southeast Asian countries, with Laos following Thailand and Cambodia. Laos will be the 7-Eleven’s 20th international market.

    CP Group signed a master franchise agreement to operate the chain in Cambodia last year. In July, the company received reports of an unauthorized party representing itself as 7-Eleven’s master franchisee in the country and attempting to sell outlets.

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  • Lao Rugby Kicks of 2020 by Hosting the DHL Vientiane 10s

    Lao Rugby Kicks of 2020 by Hosting the DHL Vientiane 10s

    This story about the Vientiane 10s has been kindly provided by the Lao Rugby Federation Later this month rugby players and enthusiasts from Lao PDR, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, UK, and Australia will come together in Hanoi and Vientiane for the second consecutive DHL sponsored rugby 10s series.

    Formerly known as the Vientiane International Rugby Championship, the DHL Vientiane 10s is the LRF’s flagship competition. In 2019 the Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) partnered with neighboring Hanoi 10s to create a multi-tournament series spanning two weeks in January.4/

    The second year of the series will kick off in 2020 with a single-day tournament in Hanoi on 18 January and a multi-day tournament in Vientiane on 25-26 January. More than 20 local and international teams will compete in Men’s, Women’s, and U18 Girls and Boys contact competitions, as well as U13 tag rugby.

    In the largest year of the Hanoi 10s competition, 12 senior teams will participate in the men’s and women’s divisions joined by 8 U18s boys’ and girls’ teams from Vietnam’s newly-formed rugby clubs including Coui Ha Club, Hop Dong Club, Thong Tien Club, Nuong Dam Club, Kim Truy Club, and Du Sang Club. In the senior divisions, DAC Weredragons will be returning to the DHL Hanoi 10s to defend their Cup Championship.

    The Kim Boi Wild Cats, DAC Rejectors and Hanoi Dragons will also be returning in this year’s men’s division joined by tournament newcomers, Raw Dogs and Hanoi Ghost Dragons. In the women’s division, the Kim Boi Wild Cats will return for the second year of the tournament joined by five teams making their first appearance at the DHL Hanoi 10s including DAC Weredragons, Hanoi Barbarians, NUS Singapore and Alexandre Yersin.

    Three visiting international teams from DAC Weredragons will travel to Hanoi prior to the tournament in order to learn about and support the development of rugby in the country through participating in some activities with Vietnamese ChildFund Pass It Back teams.

    The ChildFund Pass It Back curriculum, which was piloted in rural Laos from 2012-2014, endeavors to help young people build knowledge and skills through rugby in topics like leadership, gender equity, future planning, safety and health.

    Today, more than 3,000 young players are registered and actively participating in the curriculum in Laos and over 1,000 in Vietnam.

    In addition to the action on the pitch, the Kim Boi Wild Cats from Hoa Binh Province in Northern Vietnam will be supporting most of the DHL Hanoi 10s tournament management.

    In the first year of the competition in Hanoi, the LRF was proud to send Lao staff to support in lead management roles for the largest 10s international competition held in Vietnam to date.

    This year, the LRF’s Vietnamese colleagues will be building on the skills they learned in 2019 and taking the reigns as match officials in the U18s competition and as senior first aid and technical leads in the senior competition.

    The LRF has been partnering with ChildFund Vietnam since 2015 to support rugby development in the country. Over the 5 years of the partnership, Lao Coaches have supported many exciting developments from the first international tag competition in 2017 through to the first women’s 15s match in 2019 where the Kim Boi Wild Cats faced off against the DAC Lao Nagas in a historic match in Hanoi.

    The Kim Boi Wild Cats are current or former ChildFund Pass It Back Coaches who have been developing their skills in rugby administration and leadership roles in their local community since 2015.

    This group of young Vietnamese leaders has recently registered their clubs with the Vietnamese government and now be applying their skills on the international stage as the DHL Hanoi 10s prepares for this record-breaking year.

    Following the excitement in Hanoi, the LRF will welcome 32 teams for the 14th year of the DHL Vientiane 10s on 25-26 January.

    Twelve men’s teams in the senior elite division will be bolstered by returning 2019 DHL Vientiane 10s Men’s Cup Champions, Royal Thai Police and include series competitors DAC Weredragons, Hanoi Dragons and Raw Dogs. The Lao Barbarians and Vientiane Buffalos will represent Laos in the men’s top division joined by the Royal Thai Navy, Bangkok Southerners, Bangkok Warriors, Changzhou Giants, DAC Rejectors and Regency.

    2019 DHL Vientiane 10s Women’s Cup Champions, the Vientiane Lions will return in the women’s senior division alongside the Vientiane Buffalettes and Xieng Khoung RFC from Laos.

    The returning Banger Belles will be joined by DAC Weredragons, Made in China and MSU Pretty Crabs, all of which will be competing in Vientiane for the first time in what promises to be an exciting women’s senior competition. Additionally, 8 U18s boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in the U18s division including Lao teams from the LRF’s newest clubs: the Vientiane Province Gold Crabs and the Kham District Golden Elephants.

    “Year after year the competition draws top University and Club teams from across the region for a weekend of rugby,” comments LRF President Mr. Virayouth Rathikoun. “This is set to be the biggest 10s series in the region to date and competition will be fierce.

    The LRF is proud to play a role in supporting not only a budding club scene in Laos, but also strong tournament administration and rugby development beyond our borders.”

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  • Uniqlo to quadruple SE Asia retail store network

    Uniqlo to quadruple SE Asia retail store network

    Japanese casual wear retailer Uniqlo plans a four-fold increase in its Southeast Asian store count during the next decade.

    Tadashi Yanai, chairman, and CEO of the firm’s parent company Fast Retailing said in an interview with Nikkei that Uniqlo is seeking a much faster rate of expansion than it took to build its 800-strong network of stores in greater China.

    “Asia, from China to India with 4 billion people, is the world’s only region that is showing steady growth,” said Yanai.

    He said that for the time being, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are not being considered as potential markets for the brand because there are too many opportunities outside those countries.

    Next month the Japanese retailer will open its first store in Vietnam. Located in Ho Chi Minh City, the store will be its largest in Southeast Asia and located across the road from Zara’s two-year-old Vietnam flagship and a rival H&M’s store.

    Uniqlo operates around 2200 outlets internationally.

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  • Laos, Cambodia imports can threaten Vietnam auto industry

    Laos, Cambodia imports can threaten Vietnam auto industry

    Even weaker economies with less developed industries can threaten Vietnam’s auto industry due to its low localization rate, the Trade Ministry said.

    While the domestic auto industry is already facing fierce competition from car imports, mostly from Thailand and Indonesia, other ASEAN economies are emerging threats, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a recent report to the National Assembly.

    From January to September, sales of imported cars rose 150 percent year-on-year to nearly 93,600, while that of locally-assembled vehicles dropped 13 percent to 136,800 units, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA).

    “Auto imports will continue to rise because of surging domestic demand, severely affecting domestic auto manufacturing and our trade balance,” the ministry reported.

    As Vietnam has scrapped imports tariffs on cars made in ASEAN countries with a localization rate of at least 40 percent since last year, the domestic market will have to deal with additional competition from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

    Vietnam’s car businesses have only participated in low-value segment of the supply chain and has not mastered core technology in producing engines and transmission systems, it noted further.

    The lack of material suppliers and large-scale parts producers leads to higher prices compared to imported cars, the ministry added.

    Cars with nine seaters or under have a localization rate of only 7-10 percent, compared to a 60 percent target that had been set for 2010. In ASEAN countries, the rate is around 65-70 percent, and in Thailand it is 80 percent.

    “Without a solution to increase localization rate, domestic manufacturers will face challenges in competing with the region.”

    Policies related to the auto industry are slow in coming, compared to other countries in the region, and Vietnam loses opportunities to attract investment as a result. The policies are also not stable and synchronized, therefore the industry is yet to make a breakthrough, it said.

    With rising competition from ASEAN and the E.U. because of trade pacts that Vietnam has signed, the ministry is considering scrapping special consumption tax on auto parts produced locally for 5-10 years.

    It also suggested tax incentives for electric cars, for both manufacturers and buyers.

    There are about 40 auto businesses in the country with the capacity of assembling and producing 680,000 vehicles a year. Production of 9-seater or under cars is growing by 20-30 percent annually.

    The trade ministry forecasts that Vietnam will surpass the Philippines in manufacturing and sales figures next year.

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  • Unitel introduces eSIMs to Laos market

    Unitel introduces eSIMs to Laos market

    Vietnamese military-owned operator Viettel has announced that its subsidiary in Laos Unitel has become the first mobile operator in the market to launch eSIM technology.

    The Unitel eSIM service was introduced at the beginning of March, and Unitel is aiming to encourage at least 10,000 customers to exchange their physical SIMs for eSIMs by the end of 2020.

    With the launch, Laos became the seventh of the 10 ASEAN member states to introduce eSIM technology.

    It is also the fourth market in Southeast Asia that Viettel has introduced eSIMs to. The company and its subsidiaries were the first mobile operators to offer the technology in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

    Meanwhile another Viettel mobile brand in Laos, Metfone, has become the first operator in the market to launch mobile credit top ups using QR code scanning rather than scratch cards.

    Viettel deputy general director Tao Duc Thang said the introduction of eSIM technology marks the beginning stages of Viettel’s goal of digitally transforming the global telecommunications landscape, and becoming a pioneer in IoT technologies.

    “Viettel has well-prepared platforms and infrastructure and has made digital transformations in its fields such as telecommunications and information technology,” he said.

    “This includes application of the latest technologies in the world for a more convenient life.”

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  • Vietnamese consumers embrace digital payments as a new way

    Vietnamese consumers embrace digital payments as a new way

    Vietnamese consumers are embracing digital payments as a faster and more convenient way to pay, with consumers using their credit and debit cards more often for in store and online purchases, according to figures released by Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments. The figures, which show year-on-year growth in consumer use of Visa products over the 2017 to 2018 calendar years, indicate a number of positive trends in the growth of digital payments.

    The total value of purchases made by Vietnamese consumers on their Visa credit and debit cards was up 37 per cent, while the number of transactions was up by 25 per cent. eCommerce in particular saw strong growth with the total value of purchases up by 40 per cent.

    “As the Vietnamese economy grows and becomes increasingly internationalised, commerce here will require ever faster, more efficient ways of paying.

    These recent figures from our network demonstrate clearly the fact that digital payments are now truly a part of day-to-day life for many Vietnamese consumers – regardless of whether they’re buying from an online retailer on the other side of the world, or simply paying for their groceries,” Dang Tuyet Dung, country manager for Visa Vietnam and Laos.

    This data is supported by findings from the 2018 Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study, which further reveals the extent to which digital payments are becoming a part of everyday life for Vietnamese consumers.

    The report, which specifically looked into consumer sentiment towards different forms of payment, found that Vietnamese consumers are carrying less cash, and half are using card and mobile payments at least two-to-three times a week.

    Seventy-three per cent of respondents are using credit and debit cards, up on 59 per cent from the year prior, while 82 per cent have tried making transactions on mobile phones.

    The research also found that the use of new payment technologies is picking up traction, with 44 per cent of the respondents indicating that they are now making payments in apps, while 32 per cent are using “contactless” payment technologies that allow to simply tap your card on the terminal to pay.

    Additionally, 19 per cent have used QR payments, where you use your phone to scan a unique merchant code that will transact money to the merchant’s account.

    “While digital payments are still in their relative youth in Vietnam, it’s been incredibly positive to see how consumers are embracing new payment technologies – it augurs well for these technologies in particular, and for digital payments more broadly,” Dung added.

  • Axiata buys 80% stake in Laos firm

    Axiata buys 80% stake in Laos firm

    Axiata Group Bhd’s 63%-owned subsidiary edotco Investments (Labuan) Ltd (edotco Labuan) is acquiring an 80% stake in Laos’s Mekong Tower Company Ltd (MTCL) for LAK12.8 billion (RM6.08 million) cash. Axiata said in a filing with the stock exchange that edotco Labuan had entered into a share subscription agreement (SSA) with Viphet Sihachakr (VS) and MTCL for the purchase.

    The SSA is subject to, amongst other, procurement of operating licence or other form of authorisation from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Government of Laos to MTCL for the provision of infrastructure solutions for telecommunications and network operators in Laos; registration of MTCL with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Government of Laos; and procurement by VS of viable business including relevant concessions and/or incentives in Laos.

    Unless waived by the parties, the conditions must be satisfied not later than six months from the date of the SSA.

    “The proposed subscription provides opportunities for edotco group to expand into a new market and grow organically via build-to-suits and inorganically with sizeable sale-and-leaseback prospects,“ Axiata said.

    The Laos tower market is expected to undergo intense growth in tandem with a national drive towards 4G adoption, with an estimated demand of no less than 5,000 towers over the next three years, underscoring the need for an independent tower player to meet the requisite capital expenditure and cost optimisation burdens incumbent on local mobile network operators.

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  • Lotte donates $100,000 to Laos disaster relief effort

    Lotte donates $100,000 to Laos disaster relief effort

    Lotte said on Tuesday it has donated $100,000 to relief and reconstruction efforts following the Laos dam disaster in Attapeu.

    Oh Sung-yup, head of communications at Lotte Corporation, delivered the fund to Community Chest of Korea, a non-profit charity organization based in central Seoul, on Tuesday. The fund will be used to supply necessities to victims who lost their homes and to help rebuild villages.

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