Free booths for ODOP products at boat racing festival
Free booths for ODOP products at boat racing festival
Vientiane Industry and Commerce Department plans to promote local produce by allowing One District One Product (ODOP) vendors to set up exhibition booths free-of-charge during the Vientiane boat racing festival.
The festival will be organised in around two weeks time, from October 6 to 9 in Chanthabouly district. The actual boat races will take place on October 9 following the last day of Buddhist Lent but the festival will get underway on October 6 as market stalls and makeshift snack stands fill the riverside streets.
A Vientiane Industry and Commerce Department official, who is also on the board committee for the event, said this year will be different from previous years because there will be an area for local product booths at the centre of the event area.
“There will be 50 booths for local products, including about 20 booths for ODOP products,” she said.
“The ODOP booths will be free of charge; and the rest of the 30 booths will be on offer for about 20 to 30 percent off the original price.”
The cost of the remaining booths will be 2.5 million kip to 3 million kip, depending on their location.
However the committee was unable to put a figure on the exact number of booths to be exhibited.
This year, there are four companies with a concession over the festival area that will be responsible for equipment, decorations and reservations.
“The concession cost is 1 billio n kip that we paid to the Vientiane administration office,” said a local company owned by Mr Khamseng Soundala, which has a concession to sell vending spaces for the street fair on Fa Ngum Road.
He said there may be almost 1,000 booth s altogether this year and his company will own more than 200 booths to facilitate the venders.
“So far most of the booths are booked, about 80 percent,” he said, adding that his 200 booths will include some of the booths for local products.
A representative of another company with a concession said his firm also owns about 200 booths and the booking service starts now.
There will be various souvenirs, textiles, foods and snacks and other products available at the festival.
Hundreds of food stalls will line the streets along the Mekong River offering something simple to a full meal with dining tables set up for the customers. The most popular items for the festival attendees are no other than Khao Laam (sticky rice in bamboo) and Ping Kai (grilled chicken on a stick.)
There were plenty of food vendors selling the tasty fried bugs and insects for those that prefer to have such snack.
It is t he biggest and the most significant boat racing festival in Laos. Held at the end of Buddhist lent ( Ork Phansa ) in Vientiane, on the Mekong River, the Vientiane Boat Racing Festival is held every year, starting from the 15th day of the 11th month according to the lunar calendar.
vientiane times
