Tri-national cultural village planned for Laos

A cultural village reflecting the national characteristics of Laos , Thailand and Vietnam is expected to start construction in Borikhamxay province in 2009, the Borikhamxay Information and Culture Department Director said yesterday.

Mr Thongseum Balykham said provincial authorities were currently preparing plans for the development. Project partners will be the eight provinces that jointly use Road No 8B, which traverses Borikhamxay province and is a major land route for trade and tourism.


Vietnamese traditional house

The provinces will build houses with symbolic features in the style used by the different ethnic groups who live in the region. Local villagers will demonstrate traditional lifestyles, exhibiting their individual cultures and lifestyles and producing traditional handicrafts for sale.

The eight provinces are Borikhamxay and Khammuan in Laos , Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom in Thailand , and Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh in Vietnam .

Thai traditional house

Borikhamxay province has more than 30 ethnic groups and local authorities will select a number of participants to represent the province in the cultural village.

Mr Thongseum said officials from the three countries would meet from August 31 to September 2 to discuss collaboration, construction contracts and methods, bidding for land and models of housing for each country. The meeting will be held in Thailand 's Sakon Nakhon province.

“Our province already has 197 hectares of land in Phayath village at Km20 to build the village on,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The project was agreed to in 2006.

By KHAMPHONE SYVONGXAY