Vice President Viengthong Siphandone visits booths showcasing local products during the end of Buddhist Lent and Boat Racing Festivals in Khammuan province on October 26.

Vice President visits exhibition in Khammuan

Vice President Viengthong Siphandone visited 296 booths at an exhibition in Khammuan province on Monday that was organised to promote locally-made products and expand market opportunities.
The exhibition took place during festivities to mark the end of Buddhist Lent and the annual Boat Racing Festival.
It featured a wide range of products, including handicrafts, agricultural produce, processed foods and other locally made goods, giving producers and business operators the chance to advertise their products, reach new customers and increase sales.
The event aimed to stimulate domestic trade, create jobs and boost the incomes of local businesses. It also encouraged producers to improve product quality, packaging and design to meet market standards, strengthen competitiveness, and contribute to the local economy.
On the morning of October 26, Vice President Viengthong and her delegation also participated in an alms-giving ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, known locally as Boun Ork Phansa.
Large, beautifully decorated boats were the main feature of the festivities, as well as numerous small candle-lit “boats” made of banana leaves and set afloat on the river, adding to the festive atmosphere and serving to preserve age-old customs.
The festival programme included a Lao-Thai friendship boat race between Khammuan and Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom province on October 27.
During her visit to Khammuan on October 25, Vice President Viengthong inspected the construction of a 230-kilovolt transmission line and electricity substation in Mahaxay district, owned by Electricite du Laos. The transmission line is 26.5 percent complete, while the substation is now half built. Once finished, these installations will transmit electricity to industrial parks in central and southern Laos.
The Vice President also visited an ethnic school under construction at a cost of 183.2 billion dong, with 179.7 billion dong provided by the Vietnamese government and 3.4 billion dong by the Lao government. The school is scheduled for completion in August 2028.
The delegation also inspected improvements to National Road No. 12, which runs for 147.5 kilometres between Thakhaek district and the Naphao International Border Checkpoint.
The road upgrade is funded by a low-interest loan and grant aid under Thailand’s NEDA scheme, worth 1.83 billion baht. Work began in July 2025 and is scheduled for completion in January 2028. Construction was 34.73 percent complete at the time of the visit.
The Vice President and her delegation were welcomed by the Secretary of the Khammuan Provincial Party Committee, Mr Xaysana Khotphouthone, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Mr Phosay Sayasone, and provincial officials.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update October 28, 2026)