MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Members,
Last Wednesday 10th November, on behalf of AustCham, I attended the 18th Trade and Private Sector Working Group hosted by:
- His Excellency, Mr Khampeng Saisompheng, Minister for Industry and Commerce; - Her Excellency, Ms Ina Marcuiullionyte, the EU Ambassador; and - our very own Australian Ambassador, His Excellency, Paul Kelly.
Despite the hardships of COVID-19, I thought the Event succeeded as a positive kick-off for private sector advocacy throughout 2022 and in the lead up to the Lao Business Forum this year.
HE Mr Khampeng laid the foundations for a successful dialogue by sharing the importance to the Lao Government of a conducive framework for business and cited political willingness to further improve the environment for trade and the private sector more broadly, citing the PM’s decree 02 and 03, as well as actions taken by Laos to comply under WTO and ASEAN agreements. He acknowledged that the Government’s approach to strengthening the legal framework and introducing policies, is overshadowed by a far more pressing need to effectively understand technical aspects, enforce the right policies and take into account local context.
HE Paul Kelly built on the Minister’s opening with examples of good progress made when private side and public side have worked together, including work led by AustCham to promote a level-playing field through the Financial Services Working Group; the recently ratified Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; and the extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly in August where a national agenda sets the scene for a ceiling on commercial borrowing, an increase in foreign reserves, an increase in domestic production, and an increase in revenue collection. If Laos wants to become land-linked, it needs to address import tariffs, investment restrictions, customs delays, bureaucracy, red tape and corruption.
It was a good segue into World Bank’s presentation which suggested that Laos must prioritise addressing macro challenges, particularly the high debt burden, in order for other targeted changes to the business environment to be effective. [...]
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Please save the date for AustCham’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Thursday 9th December 2021 at 4pm. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will be virtual and hosted via Zoom.
Please note that nominations should be received by close of business (5pm) Friday 26 November 2021.
Please note this event is for members only. |
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AustCham Lao is launching a brand new Lao language mini course for business people wishing to learn basic lao sentences to use everyday at the office or in business meetings. The mini course is structured in three sessions of 90m minutes each. Every session will have a specific theme: - Introduction to the course, general and formal greetings, basic conversation sentences (What do you do? Where is your office? Etc.)
- Phrases and customs that apply to more formal business meetings
- Every day in the office: ask simple questions and assign simple tasks (can you print…? Can you please deliver the report by…? Etc)
Course Dates: Wednesday, November 24, 12:30-2PM Wednesday, December 1, 12:30-2PM Wednesday, December 8, 12:30-2PM |
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| Less than 20 days left to submit your application for the LAO CSR AWARDS – deadline is DECEMBER 1st.
Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in the Awards and showcase your business to the Lao business community. We are calling for applications under the theme of ‘Encouraging Environmental Excellence’ that show creativity, sensitivity and inclusivity. For more information or to submit applications please visit our website https://app.glueup.com/event/lao-csr-awards-44092/home.html or email austcham@austchamlao.org.
Be a trendsetter when it comes to environmental excellence and inspire others for a change!
Click on "read more" to visit the Award's website. |
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| JOINT CHAMBER BUSINESS SURVEY |
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As part of a joint initiative between the Australian Chamber of Commerce (Austcham Lao), the British Business Group Lao PDR (BBGL), the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lao PDR (ECCIL), the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lao PDR (JCCIL) and the Malaysian Business Council Laos (MBCL) we are pleased to bring you the first Joint Chamber Quarterly Business Survey.
This is the first in a series of quarterly surveys we will be asking your business to complete and has been designed to monitor foreign investor sentiment and show trends impacting international investments in Lao PDR. Gathering this information from our Members is key to strengthen the advocacy efforts by the Chambers to the Government of Lao PDR.
The survey is open until 26th November 2021, after which a summary report shall be compiled and made available to you towards the end of December. No specific business data will be shared and all information submitted shall be kept confidential.
The survey form is available in Lao, English and Japanese. Simply use the link for the language you prefer. If your business is a member of more than one Chamber, please only complete the survey once. |
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| PAST MATE TO MATE INTERVIEWS |
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Watch last month's episodes of MATE to MATE, AustCham's topical interview series on our members' Covid-19 emergency response. |
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Mate to Mate 'A Diverse Workplace' with Lauren McHardy, the newly appointed Australian Defence Attache’ to Lao PDR.
Click on "read more" to play the interview! |
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On Friday 29 October AustCham Laos hosted a webinar covering Trends and Opportunities in Laos on the Laos-China Railway. Thank you very much to the 80 attendees who joined us, our four expert speakers, and to our moderator Hannah Wurf, Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy. The event analysed different aspects of the railway, its operations, and opportunities for local and foreign businesses.
Dr Bounta Onnouvong, Director-General of the Transport Department, presented on regional transport agreements and how the railway fits in Laos’ broader connectivity agenda. Mr Sombath Southivong from the World Bank explained some railway specifics and put forward a number of policy reforms proposed by the World Bank. Mr Sakhone Philangam introduced us to the Thananleng Dry Port and how it will operate in relation to railway freight. Mr Kaz Patafta, Director of McDonald Patafta and Associates, covered the regulatory side and ‘soft infrastructure’ needed to develop a rail sector.
There were lots of questions asked in the Q&A , with a focus on the agriculture and tourism sectors. We look forward to more discussions as the railway starts operating.
Click on "read more" to play the recording. |
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On November 11, we hosted our Renewable Energies Sector Roadmap sponsored by Milsearch Ltd. and Dominion Lao. At the event, experts from the public and private sector discussed the future of renewable energy in Laos, progress made in the recent years, challenges the industry is facing and why it is an interesting opportunity for foreign investment.
MS Phoutthavanh, from the Renewable Energies Institute, gave a really interesting presentation on Renewable Energy Policy development in Lao PDR while Prof Thang Do presented the successful Vietnamese model and policy implications for other ASEAN countries. Matthieu Bommier, Director of the Solar Project NT2, described the new Nam Theun 2 Solar project aiming to be the biggest hybrid floating solar project in the world, with 1,070MW capacity. We also discussed with Phd Prakash Ghimire, from SNV, the various Biomass technologies available in Laos and how they can be utilised for cooking in Lao households.
Alan McKeown, country head of Laos Milsearch, explained how UXO clearance ties in with Renewable Energy projects and introduced their collaboration with the Asia Australia Power Link, a project that will bring electricity from Australia to Singapore through a sun-cable covering more than 4,000KM.
A special thanks to all speakers, attendees and to the moderator of the event Xoumaitri Panyanouvong, manager and government liaison of Dominion (Lao) and AustCham Lao Board Director.
Click on "read more" to replay the video. Passcode: +!vD%9NW |
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| TRAINING: ENGLISH FOR WRITING BETTER REPORT |
| This month we close our six weeks course on English to Write Better Reports with Jo Lidbetter. The programme focused on teaching attendees how to prepare a professional report, with tips on English grammar, with practical examples on do's and don’ts. During the course all students prepared their own reports following the guidance of Jo Lidbetter during the class. Each report was reviewed and graded by the trainer, class by class, to allow all students to improve their writing skills.
Thank you very much again to trainer Jo for leading such a successful course and to all 40+ attendees who participated with enthusiasm!
Testimonials:
“Thank you to trainer Jo and team for this training course! I feel my report writing skills have improved step by step. “ Student
“Thank you very much for your professional teaching. Your kindness and enthusiasm as a teacher brought a lot of energy and knowledge to the class” Student |
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| BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT & INFO |
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On October 21, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), with the support of the UNDP, launched the long-awaited Tourism Recovery Roadmap covering the period 2021-25.
Before 2020, tourism in Lao PDR was one of the largest sources of foreign exchange earnings, only behind mining and electricity. International tourism arrivals reached a peak in 2019 of 4.79 million visitors to Laos who spent $934 million dollars.
This made tourism spend 9.1% of total Lao economic income. It also created employment for 300,000 people in Lao PDR. COVID-19 has paralysed the tourism industry, with a decline of international tourism arrivals of 74% plus.
Tourism businesses experienced a huge drop in revenue of somewhere between 70 and 80%. Almost all workers in the tourism sector, both directly and indirectly, have been impacted through unpaid salaries, loss of income and increases in outstanding debt (water bills, electricity bills etc), plus the negative impact on household disposable income and domestic demand. The biggest challenge tourism businesses in Lao PDR face as a result of COVID-19 is the high risk of closure due to cashflow issues and lack of working capital.
At least 50% of tourism businesses have reported cashflow issues as a result of COVID-19, and up to 65% of formal businesses have reported a high risk of needing to close at least part of their operations. In interviews, as well as in the stakeholder consultation workshop, the private sector stressed that financial support to tourism businesses should be an immediate priority, to avoid sector collapse in the short to medium term.
Speaking at the launch, MICT and UNDP representatives provided an overview of the Recovery Roadmap, which concentrates on three core areas: - Economic relief to protect jobs and interventions to revive the tourism sector;
- Build confidence amongst travelers and strengthen the sector; and
- Upgrade, expand and diversify tourism products, services and markets
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JAKARTA, 3 November 2021 – As of 2 November 2021, the ASEAN Secretariat has received Instruments of Ratification/Acceptance from six ASEAN Member States – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam – as well as from four non-ASEAN signatory States – Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand.
As provided by the Agreement, the RCEP will enter into force sixty days after the date at which the minimum number of Instrument of Ratification (IOR) is achieved. This means that the RCEP Agreement shall enter into force on 1 January 2022.
“The expeditious ratification process by signatory States is a true reflection of our strong commitment to a fair and open multilateral trading system for the benefit of the people in the region and the world. The implementation of the RCEP Agreement starting 1 January next year will give tremendous boost to the post COVID-19 economic recovery efforts,” the Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi stated yesterday.
Meanwhile, the preparatory work for the entry into force of RCEP will continue. The preparatory work undertaken by signatory States aims to lay a solid ground for the full and effective implementation of the Agreement through finalisation of the technical and institutional aspects of the Agreement. |
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October 21 - This Regional Economic Outlook draws on two studies focused on the imperatives for a strong and durable recovery. Chapter 3 examines the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts and quantifies the effects of vaccinations on health and economic outcomes. It shows that vaccine deployment is driven primarily by the pandemic’s severity in 2020, procurement strategies, the extent of local production, vaccine acceptance, and the quality of the health infrastructure. The chapter provides new empirical evidence that swift and broad administration of vaccines can offer a significant boost in economic activity, with the effect increasing over time and when a larger share of population gets vaccinated. Health benefits from vaccination are even more salient when a country is in the middle of a significant outbreak and containment measures are in place. Vaccine spillovers, quantified in the chapter, imply that no country can recover fully until all countries have broad access to vaccines. [...] |
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| Our Gold Sponsor, ANZ, recently hosted its fourth annual Finance & Treasury Forum virtually, attracting global speakers including former Australian Prime Minister - Hon. Julia Gillard AC, Mark Carney - UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and Ian Bremmer – Founder and President Eurasia and GZERO Media and attendees from over 25 countries. To hear about key themes discussed, including geopolitics, sustainability, technology, disruption, the future workplace, leadership - and reasons for optimism in 2022. |
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| CROWNE PLAZA'S GM, PATRIA PUYAT, RECOGNIZED WITH ASIAN PACIFIC RISING STARS FOR LEADING WITH KINDNESS |
| In this year’s Kindness & Leadership Asia Pacific 50 Leading Lights initiative, Patria Puyat, the General Manager of Crowne Plaza Vientiane is recognized as one of the Asia Pacific Rising Stars for leading with kindness. In a period of uncertainty and rapid change, leaders come under pressure to be strong and to do ‘what is needed’. Kindness build trust, confidence and loyalty. This initiative aim to place a spotlight on phenomenal leaders who are harnessing the power of kindness to make a significant impact and to effect positive change, and collectively place kindness at the centre of the leadership debate. Congratulations to Patria for this great achievement!
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| It is a great pleasure to announce that Vientiane GEOMATIC Services has just won two ASEAN Business Awards in 2021. VGS is striving for a better future in high-quality Survey & Mapping.
Mr. Paul Simcock, company Manager, and his partner Mrs. Somchan Simcock, company Director, are celebrating this amazing result together with their 25 employees.
This represent a great outcome for Vientiane GEOMATIC Services (VGS) and proves their value even in the challenging business environment created by Covid-19. VGS is also proud to flag that they have been a member of AustCham Laos since 2005.
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| BFL brings you an easier, faster, and more secure way of making payments BFL PAY. You can now simply scan to pay all your essentials through BFL Connect app and access your money safer and easily without touching cash!
An easy instant fund transfer service that allows you to make payment and receive funds with a FREE of charge.
Download and activate your BFL Connect now:
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Lao Land Rover hosted a very exclusive private event for the New Range Rover Global Reveal for their VVIP customers who were the first to see The New Range Rover and watch live streaming from the Opera House, London, UK at the Crowne Plaza hotel.
The launch of the New Range Rover Global in Vientiane was attended by the Automotive Managing Director of Lao Ford City, Mr Wayne MacIntosh; and General Manager of Jaguar Land Rover Laos , Mr Biju Narayanan.
Jaguar Land Rover Lao is the Sole Authorized importer and distributor under RMA Laos.
RMA Group is the partner of choice for leading automotive, equipment, services and food brands in Southeast Asia and beyond. The headquarters of RMA group is in Bangkok Thailand.
In Laos, a full-service Land Rover distributorship began operating in 2009 with a knowledgeable team of experts to advise and offer support, with Jaguar being added into the mix in 2013.
The uptake in the Lao market has been very promising, as testified by the number of their vehicles on Lao roads. Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles dominate the premium vehicle market segment. RMA have sold over 1500 vehicles so far and expect to capture even more premium market share in the future. |
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Vientiane, November 12th, 2021. Toyota Laos Co, Ltd, Authorized Toyota Distributor in Laos, Toyota is the leading automobile car manufacturer. This day Toyota Laos launched a new technology “TOYOTA Hybrid EV” car ‘Corolla Cross” in Laos. Toyota Laos marked another milestone by introducing the very first hybrid EV crossover, with the new Corolla Cross.
Toyota Hybrid EV technology: • Toyota Hybrid EV technology balances petrol and electric power with maximum efficiency. When the vehicle is stationary, all power systems are automatically shut down. When starting off, the electric motor delivers a smooth start. • At low speeds, the high output electric motor optimizes output to enhance fuel efficiency. When accelerating, the petrol engine powers the vehicle to deliver powerful acceleration. At cruising speed, the engine drives the vehicle and charges the batteries at the same time, ensuring maximum performance. • At high speed, the petrol engine and electric motor work in combination to deliver hybrid responsive acceleration. • When decelerating, the motor also acts as a high output generator, allowing deceleration energy to be used to recharge the battery. • Since 1997, Toyota hybrid vehicles have saved more than 120 million tons of CO2 worldwide. This is your Next Way of Driving for earth. |
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| STUDENTS AT THE CENTER. WELLBEING AT THE CORE. |
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At VIS, they continue to inspire, challenge, and empower their students to develop their unique potential in today's rapidly changing world.
During the lockdown period in Vientiane, they have developed and strengthened a successful online learning program that keeps learners at the centre, and well-being at the core. As a result, their students and families have received personalised attention to unleash their potential.
Since 2020, they have demonstrated world-class, research-based COVID-19 safeguarding protocols to protect their community and minimise risk. Likewise, they have adapted their campus and classrooms to meet hygiene, physical distancing, ventilation, and overall safety requirements.
VIS are fully prepared to re-open the school safely in a staggered manner whenever the Lao PDR's authorities approve final guidelines to resume school attendance and confirm that they meet the requirements.
They are committed to continuing to support the government's efforts to protect community members and the citizens of Vientiane. VIS are lifelong learners. The learning continues wherever they are. Please reach out to them to learn more about their innovative learning program and how to join their diverse community.
Telephone: +856 21 31 8100 Fax: +856 21 31 8101 |
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On October 29, 2021, at National Blood Transfusion Center-Lao Red Cross.
Phongsavanh Insurance (APA) Co., Ltd (“Phongsavanh Insurance”) and National Blood Transfusion Center-Lao Red Cross signed a memorandum of cooperation to provide free Personal Accident Insurance to voluntary blood donors who donate blood at the National blood transfusion centre-Lao Red Cross. This began 1st November 2021, and continues until it reaches 1,000 donors. This personal accident insurance provides free coverage 24/7 to individuals and reimburses them for medical costs caused by accidents, maximum coverage LAK 5,000,000 for a one year period.
The purpose of this support is to care for the communities in which PSV (APA) Insurance operates their business and to encourage people to donate blood. Those kind people who donate blood will receive free Personal Accident insurance from Phongsavanh Insurance.
The Memorandum of Cooperation was honorably signed by Dean Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of Phongsavanh Insurance (APA) Co., Ltd and Dr. Chanthala souksakhone, Director of the National Blood Transfusion Centre - Lao Red Cross. Also ttending was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phouthone Muongpak, President of Lao Red Cross, along with Mme. Sengdao Bouphakonekham, Chair - APA Board of Directors, and the management team of both parties. |
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| Phongsavanh Insurance (APA) is collaborating with LOCA on providing LOCA Bike insurance including driver, passenger and third party in order to travel safely and securely with LOCA Bike and Phongsavanh Insurance (APA).
🎯With Insurance coverage during the trip up to LAK 500 million.
Phongsavanh Insurance (APA) is pleased to partner with and provide insurance services to LOCA customers which is the first company in Laos to provide 24-hour online taxi service through the application.
You can download Loca application to use Loca Bike and other services from Loca by click "Read More" |
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