Mr Daovone Phachanthavong joins a group photo at the Lao Food Festival.

Lao Food Festival boosts spending, tourism

At least 6 billion kip is expected to change hands during the annual Lao Food Festival taking place in Vientiane from January 23-27, a leading businesswoman has said.
Open daily from 9am to 10pm at Chao Anouvong Park, the food fair is drawing a large number of locals and foreigners daily, who come to browse the tempting displays of snacks and produce, and of course eat and buy the wonderful home-made and home-grown food products.
The festival is taking place during the Visit Laos Year 2024 tourism promotion campaign and the Asean Tourism Forum being hosted by Laos from January 22-27.

Minister of Industry and Commerce Malaythong Kommasith (centre), Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay and Mr Daovone Phachanthavong at the Lao Food Festival.

President of the Business Women’s Association, Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay, said the event is designed to strengthen the capacity of food producers, encouraging them to produce high-quality food products that are accepted internationally.
“The festival not only aims to create jobs for local people but also to help entrepreneurs create and promote their brand to both Lao and foreign buyers,” she said.  
“It also serves to improve women’s food preparation skills and the quality of their products, especially in terms of hygiene and presentation, so that they appeal to more customers and raise the profile of Lao food as a unique brand in the international market,” she added.
Several small businesses have created attractive food products but have not registered them so that they are protected by copyright.
Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Daovone Phachanthavong, said “The food festival is one of our national chamber’s strategies as it provides a high-profile opportunity for small businesses to promote local dishes to wider groups of buyers.”
“Delicious and hygienic food is needed by most people across the world. One of the aims of the food festival is to promote food for health and encourage entrepreneurs to produce high-quality food for consumption by Lao people and foreigners.”
Mr Daovone said the Lao Food Festival was part of activities to mark Visit Laos Year 2024 and was a great opportunity for foreign visitors to sample the wide variety of cooking styles that exist across Laos.
The food fair, which opened to the public on Tuesday, features 180 stalls, including 165 offering various types of Lao food from regional specialties to traditional dishes and desserts, and 15 stalls selling handicrafts.
Also on the programme are live performances, demonstrations of Lao sweet making, a talk on small business management and marketing, a fruit carving contest, and a Lao dessert sale.
The first two days of the festival have been a great success, with large numbers of people turning up to shop and eat.
Vientiane resident Mr Sipha Nonglath said “What I like the most about this event is that we can sample different foods from different provinces all at one location. This annual festival is a wonderful opportunity for food producers and restaurant owners to display and sell their products.”
Since the first Lao Food Festival, food producers have improved the quality of their products while also demonstrating their cooking and food preparation skills, and growing their businesses in order to generate more income for their families.
The food fair serves not only to generate income but also to publicise the Lao way of life, in which food takes centre stage. Slowly but surely, the piquant flavours of Lao cuisine are becoming more well known in other countries, which in turn will help to boost tourism and Laos’ economy as a whole.

Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay and state leaders make a brief visit to the booths arranged at the Lao Food Festival.	Lao Food Festival provides a great opportunity for foreign visitors to sample the wide variety of food that exist across Laos.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update January 25, 2024)