Darany Phommavongsa (eighth from right), Amphay Kindavong (ninth from right) and Japanese guests on cutting the ribbon to open the Lao Festival in Japan on May 24, 2025. - VT
TOKYO: The colourful two-day Lao Festival opened at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday (May 24) to showcase the Lao unique culture and traditions, as well as offering a tempting array of Lao foods, to inspire festival-goers to visit Laos.
The opening ceremony was led by Laos’ Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Darany Phommavongsa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hisashi Matsumoto; the Lao, Ambassador to Japan, Amphay Kindavong; Chairperson of the Japan-Laos Parliamentary Friendship Association, Shinako Tsuchiya; and other Lao and Japanese officials and visitors.
The festival was a unique opportunity to foster mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Laos and Japan, with visitors able to get a glimpse of Laos’ rich cultural traditions through parades and performances, a handicraft exhibition, and numerous food offerings.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Darany Phommavongsa said the Lao Festival in Japan had been a great success in the past, so the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism had repeated the event, with year’s festival being especially meaningful as Laos and Japan are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The festival showcases the fruits of years of cooperation between the two countries, which has led to wider understanding of Laos’ culture and tourism opportunities by the Japanese people, Darany said.
It is also a way to build trust and understanding between the Lao and Japanese people as well as advertising Laos’ many tourist attractions and way of life so the Japanese have a more accurate and in-depth perception of Laos.
Laos has a lot of stunning scenery, along with numerous ethnic groups whose customs are educational and endlessly fascinating for the visitor, the Deputy Minister said.
Among the country’s greatest attractions are its ornate temples and places with strong historical links such as can be found in the town of Luang Prabang, where the old quarter has been inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.
The ruins of Vat Phou Champassak, another World Heritage Site in the south of Laos and the enigmatic Plain of Jars, the World Heritage Site in Xieng Khuang province in the north are equally intriguing and offer many opportunities for reflection about the people of a bygone era.
Vangvieng and Meuangfeuang districts in Vientiane province are popular holiday hotspots thanks to their riverside locations and bucolic landscape amid towering rocky outcrops, with a range of leisure activities on offer to entertain visitors.
There is also a wide range of tasty food to be sampled, such as the ubiquitous meat salad (laap sin), fish salad (laap pa), or lam (a spicy beef and vegetable stew), bamboo soup, piquant fish sauce, grilled chicken, Lao-style sausages, and soup pak. Eating these foods with sticky rice is a daily ritual that has remained unchanged for thousands of years.
There are so many intriguing places around the country just waiting to be discovered and explored, whether in the mountains of the north of Laos or the islands in the Mekong in the south.
Darany concluded by saying “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you and invite everyone to visit Laos, which I firmly believe you will find an impressive and rewarding experience.” - Vientiane Times/ANN
