With the theme ‘kin-you-hienhouvithilao’, the annual festival aims to promote and preserve Lao traditional cuisine and lifestyle.
The event features 120 booths from domestic and foreign exhibitors, including Lao food vendors from nationwide, as well as their counterparts from embassies in Laos. 120 booths include food displays and handicrafts, agricultural products, souvenirs and products of various embassies in Laos.
It aims to promote Lao culture through the variety of unique traditional cuisine, promoting organic food consumption, and also promoting Lao women’s business.
The festival also intends to promote restaurants in Vientiane and the provinces by allowing them to exhibit and sell their goods.
Attended the opening ceremony were LaoWomen’s Union President, Dr Inlavanh Keobounphan, officials, representatives of foreign embassies, and sponsors.
In her opening speech, the President of the Lao Businesswomen’s Association who presides over the Lao Food Festival 2021, Mrs Chanthachone Vongsay said “This year the festival aims to remind people to preserve and promote Lao traditions and culture and lifestyle such as Lao traditional cuisine, Lao produce and also Lao traditional dress.”
“It also aims to support businesswomen and promote their production as well as giving a chance to female producers including agricultural crops, livestock, products processing, restaurants, hotel and others services from Vientiane other provinces to display and sell their products,” Mrs Chanthachone said.
“The event promotes opportunities for women entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and learn how to improve their products and supply market demand at the
present, as well as generate revenue for the women and their households.”
“It’s encouraging women entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products to local and international customers.”
“Especially, this year, we also campaigned to reduce plastic use and urge exhibitors to dress in traditional styles to promote the ‘Lao Visit Lao’ scheme.”
“The Lao Food Festival has been held annually since 2006 to promote Lao traditional cuisine and food. However, the event features less exhibiting booths than last year due to prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic and we urge the participants to follow the prevention procedures of the Covid-19 rules.”
As in last year, the five-day event will feature many activities such as organic food exhibitions free food tasting, business talk, product promotion, shows, traditional music, and performances.
Especially there is also beautiful booth decorations in traditional style competitions and free health checks by the Lao Inter Clinic who will offer 35 programmes of checking every day at the event.
The event is organised by the Lao Businesswomen’s Association in cooperation with the Lao Women’s Union and supported by many businesses.
The festival opens daily from 8am to 10pm and the organising committee invites members of the public to visit and take part in the event, taste and buy Lao traditional food, and local and foreign products.