It was a great honour to host our 2023 Burns Supper at Crowne Plaza Vientiane to celebrate the life and works of Scotland’s famous bard. More than 120 BBGL members, friends and guests came together for an incredible evening of poetry, song, dance, sumptuous food … and plenty of whisky. Thanks to our generous event sponsors ANZ Bank Laos, Jaguar Land Rover Laos, Isuzu Lao Services and Whessoe Lao and all who participated for making the night such a success.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, LNCCI and sponsors from the World Bank, Australia Aid, US Aid and Irish Aid initiated the Lao Government’s ‘Inventory of Business Licenses’ at an event held at the Lao Plaza Hotel at 2:00 pm on 25 January 2023. Chairman John Cockcroft and Executive Secretary, Seng Xayphrakassa attended the event on behalf of the BBGL membership.
The attendees were informed of an online, one-stop-shop facility whereby new companies could find out about and register their businesses and existing companies could renew their licenses by using www.bned.moic.gov.la. There was no additional cost for using the facility.
The audience were informed that most businesses in Lao are SMEs. With ambitions to improve the ease of doing business the Lao Government had followed ASEAN and WTO guidelines to make improvements, remove obstacles, improve competitiveness and help foreign investors. The full presentation on the platform, including user guides, can be downloaded here.
The National Enterprise Database had involved 17 Lao ministries, and numerous Vientiane and provincial business associations. In setting up the system, objectives were to lower the risk in high risk sectors, improve transparency and trust, widely publicise the facility, streamline and facilitate the registration process and provide on-line business services.
BBGL recommends its members visit the website to investigate the information and facilities provided.
From the winning at a BBGL event of a voucher for a test drive in the sleek Jaguar E-Pace – offered by Jaguar Land Rover Laos – was born the idea of a road trip to Vang Vieng in style, which would show off the beauty of Laos and of the ease of modern travel along the new road to Vang Vieng.
Leaving from the iconic That Luang in Vientiane with the famed Lao designer, Viengkham Nanthavongdouangsy, robed in the finest Lao silk, then experiencing the 115 km of driving pleasure along the new Laos-China expressway from Vientiane to Vang Vieng with its high-quality road and engineering features such as the tunnel and embankment cuttings, the red Jaguar takes to the edge of the Nam Song River running through the beautiful scenery of the town of Vang Vieng. And still in style… a Champagne reception is awaiting by the riverside and one of its charming bridges, poured with the backdrop of the towering karstic mountains that line the river.
Then it is off for a tour of the spectacular natural scenery across the river from Vang Vieng – the splendor of the mountains, the beauty of the typical Lao rural life with the planting of rice in the paddy fields, and finally witnessing the setting sun over the valley, with the farmers still working resolutely on preparing their rice fields.
Finally, the day trip is over, and it is time to return, back along the expressway – with the silhouettes of mountains and the reflections of the sunset in the river – until it fades into the shadows of the mountains and the approaching night … making this delightful trip yet another unforgettable memory of our love for Laos.
ຈາກການຊະນະລາງວັນເປັນບັດສຳມະນາຄຸນສຳລັບການທົດລອງຂັບລົດ Jaguar E-Pace ທີ່ສະໜັບສະໜຸນໂດຍ ຈາກົວ ແລນໂຣເວີ ລາວ, ເກີດເປັນແນວຄິດໃນການຂັບລົດທ່ຽວວັງວຽງແບບມີສະໄຕລ ເຊິ່ງຈະໃຫ້ເຫັນທິວທັດຄວາມງົດງາມຂອງລາວ ແລະ ຄວາມສະດວກສະບາຍໃນການເດີນທາງແບບທັນສະໄໝຖາມຖະໜົນເສັ້ນໃໝ່ໄປວັງວຽງ.
ເລີ່ມອອກເດີນທາງຈາກພະທາດຫຼວງທີ່ມີເອກະລັກໃນວຽງຈັນກັບນັກອອກແບບຄົນລາວຊື່ດັງ, ວຽງຄຳ ນັນທະວົງດວງສີິ ໂດຍການນຸ່ງຊຸດຜ້າໄໝລາວຊັ້ນເລີດ ຈາກນັ້ນສຳພັດກັບປະສົບການການຂັບລົດໄລຍະທາງ 115 ກິໂລແມັດ ເທິງຖະໜົນຄຸນນະພາບສູງ ແລະ ດ້ານວິສະວະກຳຜ່ານອຸໂມງ ແລະ ເຂື່ອນກັ້ນນ້ຳຂອງທາງດ່ວນສາຍໃໝ່ ລາວ-ຈີນຈາກວຽງຈັນໄປວັງວຽງ, ລົດຈາກົວສີແດງແລ່ນໄປຕາມແຄມແມ່ນ້ຳຊອງທີ່ໄຫຼຜ່ານທິວທັດອັນສວຍງາມຂອງເມືອງວັງວຽງໂດຍຍັງຄົງຄວາມມີສະໄຕລ… ການຕ້ອນຮັບດ້ວຍແຊມເປນແມ່ນກຳລັງລໍຖ້າຢູ່ແຄມນ້ຳ ແລະ ໜຶ່ງໃນຂົວທີ່ມີສະເໜ່ ເຊິ່ງສາກຫຼັງມີພູທີ່ສູງສະຫງ່າລຽງຍາວໄປຕາມແມ່ນ້ຳ.
ຈາກນັ້ນຈຶ່ງອອກເດີນທາງເພື່ອຊົມທິວທັດທຳມະຊາດອັນໜ້າອັດສະຈັນຂອງແມ່ນ້ຳຈາກວັງວຽງ, ຄວາມງົດງາມຂອງພູເຂົາ ແລະ ວິຖີຊີວິດຊາວຊົນນະບົດຂອງລາວດ້ວຍການປູກເຂົ້າໃນນາ ແລະ ປິດທ້າຍດ້ວຍການຊົມຕາເວັນຕົກດິນພ້ອມກັນກັບຊາວນາທີ່ຍັງຄົງເຮັດວຽກຢ່າງໜັກເພື່ອກຽມນາຂອງຕົນ.
ສຸດທ້າຍນີ້, ການເດີນທາງຂອງພວກເຮົາກໍສິ້ນສຸດລົງ ແລະ ໄດ້ເວລາກັບໄປຕາມທາງດ່ວນທີ່ອ້ອມຮອບໄປດ້ວຍພູ ແລະ ເງົາສະທ້ອນຂອງດວງຕາເວັນສ່ອງລົງໃນນ້ຳ ຈົນກວ່າເງົາຂອງພູຈະຈາງຫາຍ ແລະ ຄ້ອຍຄ່ຳຍາມແລງທີ່ຄືບຄານໃກ້ເຂົ້າມາ ເຮັດໃຫ້ການເດີນທາງທີ່ໜ້າປະທັບໃຈນີ້ເປັນອີກໜຶ່ງຄວາມຊົງຈຳທີ່ບໍ່ອາດລືມຂອງຄວາມຮັກທີ່ມີຕໍ່ລາວ.
On 17th November 2022, our Gold Sponsor Jaguar Land Rover Laos launched its latest high-flyer piece of automobile engineering – the Range Rover Sport.
The unveiling event was a spectacular show that incorporated highly evocative descriptions of the qualities and performance of the new vehicle… as well as an impressive dance sequence, drummers and the final appearance amongst spotlights and a veiling smoke…
We thank Mr. Wayne McIntosh, Automotive Managing Director, and Biju Narayanan, JLR General Manager, for the cordial welcome afforded to BBGL.
It is with great sadness that the British Business Group in Lao PDR informs its members about the untimely and unexpected passing of Dickerson Manampan, the highly regarded Laos Country Manager of Unilever, and BBGL bronze sponsor. Though born in the Philippines, he had made his home in Cambodia, and after spending the last 5 years based here in Laos, Dickerson was known affectionately to his colleagues in Unilever as Big Bro’. He was a highly respected and much loved colleague at Unilever and among friends and business associates alike in Laos for his wise, gentle but firm handling of all matters that he dealt with as employer and businessman. Dickerson leaves his wife, also from the Philippines and a medical doctor, and two children, one a student in the United Kingdom, to whom BBGL sends its heartfelt condolences.
Our Chairman, John Cockcroft, and Executive Secretary, Sengthavisay Xayphrakassa, represented the British Business Group in Lao PDR at the Chinese Foundation in Vientiane where they met Doy Concha, Unilever General Manager (Myanmar, Cambodia & Laos) and Sakun Ky, Unilever Head of Customer Development – Laos to whom BBGL committed its support to Unilever in Laos during this difficult time, and in the future.
