Top posts
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A life in Indochina (1904-1937) - The Noblot's collection
if you find yourself idling and overwhelmed by the passing days, how about browsing the past, and immersing in the 1930s Indochina? How the French lived, but also our people. Some 1200 pictures to scroll through the instantanees of the Collection of Delphine...
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Fritz Benson Laotian Slide Collection
Photos Frederic C. Benson (Collection at the University of Wisconsin) I am grateful of foreigners like Fritz Benson who have documented the life of Lao people when they were working in Laos. I wonder how much we would remember the past if they have not...
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1960s Betel Set
In the 60s, Judith was a foreign American student who was hosted by my grandfather "Pho Gnai". She stayed for two months in the grand house in the Bouasavanh neighborhood the middle of Vientiane, participated to the royal wedding of princess Savivanh....
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Oradesign, fine Lao textiles
Anou Thammavong established Oradesign, a fine textile company based in Vientiane. He inherited his love for textiles from his grandmother gna mae Orady Souvannavong (she is my grand auntie too:)). His level of artistry is probably the same as Carol Cassidy....
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60-year story of love and resilience
They have inspired the story of my book “A Lao Wedding” and have inspired many things in my life too. It is a sad and happy story interwoven with our country’s history. I don’t know if this is sad because our world has disappeared or because they have...
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Fashionable wedding costumes
In the region, it is difficult to match the creativity of Lao weavers, in particular when it comes to wedding costumes. The quality of the silk, from China, the golden threads and the marriage of colors make them very unique. No wonder why there are so...
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The art of paper folding by Wirin Chaowana
In case you are blase with real flowers, why not decorate your wedding with paper decoration by Wirin Chaowana, who elevates paper folding/cutting to works of art. The photos shown here are ceremonial trays and offerings we do with banana leaves and fresh...
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Paintings from the colonies - Quai Branly (Paris)
If you pass by Paris this year of 2018, do not miss to visit the Museum of Quai Branly. The museum is showing 200 paintings from its colonial past with a few from Laos and Cambodia. I particularly enjoyed looking at how Lao women dressed in the early...
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Meet Julia Brennan, Caring for Textiles
There are always these wonderful encounters in life that bring you the warmth of a sunny day and friendship for life. Julia is one of these people. She cares as much for people as she cares for old and damaged textiles, the expertise for which she is...
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Lao Designer Nithaya Somsanith
It's rare to have designs of Lao costumes for men ! Discover the Winter collection 2016-2917 of Lao costumes with a twist of Marquis de Sade by Nithaya Somsanith. The collection was launched at the Lao National Museum in Vientiane on August 21, 2016....
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Marc Leguay, the painter of Laos and art on stamps
Much has been written about Marc Leguay with a complete compendium of his works gathered by Francis Benteux, "Marc Leguay, le Peintre du Laos" (Maisonneuve and Larose, Paris, 2001). Leguay arrived in Laos in 1936 and felt in love with the country and...
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Wedding photographer Josh Jones, New York City
A fine photographer is someone who captures the moment, the happiness, the doubts, the overwhelming joy of the wedding ceremony. when you live overseas like the USA, Australia or France, it must be a challenge to find someone who understands our customs...
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A few $100,000 of flowers for your wedding?
The trend of weddings in Vientiane is to have these fancy flower decorations that can amount hundred thousands dollars. Not too far from home, I have admired (on the internet) the most jaw-dropping decoration from India or Thailand. Among the florists,...
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Book Launch: Un Mariage Lao
Buy now Exceptional e-Book on a Lao Wedding Ceremony. 250 pages, 245 illustrations - $20. In French and Lao only - English Version in 2017 ----- Récit d'une cérémonie de mariage du Laos. Voyagez dans la culture du Laos à travers ce récit imaginaire et...
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Buying silk on Facebook
Even if you don't want to buy, connect to the several facebook stores that sell Lao costumes online. It is a good pulse of the creativity of Lao weavers and store owners who are ordering the costumes. They post by bunch of 30 or 50 photos. It can be the...
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Laos Thai collectibles
If you are in love with old stuff from Laos, you have to follow on facebook the page " Laos Thai Galerie Collectibles". I have no clue if the owner has virtual gallery or a physical one - there are so many in River City Mall though. On the FB page, we...
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Wedding photographer, Chai Bouphaphanh
When you start working on a wedding book rituals, the first thing you look for are good images that can convey or illustrate your text. My book A Lao Wedding sets the scene in the 70s. Without the photographs of that period, no much would have been left...
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Aurore: most beautiful Lao wedding video
This is the most beautiful video of a contemporary Lao Wedding I have seen in years: the wedding of Maryka and Gregoire (by Estelle Beauvais, "Le Coeur de l'Homme"). The title of the video is "Aurore" in French which means in English "Dawn". Congrats...
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Wedding photos of Tiao Souphanouvong Bouavong with Tiao Chanthone Rasmy - Coll. Joel Halpern
Anthropologist Joel Halpern will never know how we treasure his works and how powerful his photos and testimonials of Laos are. He lived in Laos in 1957, 1959 and 1969. In an idling afternoon, I am scrolling through his collection at the University of...
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The story of a 1964 wedding dress - sin kindong
Siphrachanh and Bousambhon wed on 21 April 1964 in Vientiane. The wedding dress was woven by Somdy Pathammavong using the finest silk threads (China?) and golden threads from Lyons, France. The wedding skirt, sin kindong, is red and golden, as was the...
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A declassified cable about a Lao Royal Wedding
A declassified cable reveals that back in January 1974, John Gunther Dean, chargé d'Affaires of the US embassy sent a cable to Ambassador Richard Helm (Director of Central Intelligence until February 2, 1973 and then ambassador to Iran from 1973-1977)....
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Where to find the silk dresses?
If you ask where to find the best silk dresses for wedding, many will say "mae Nouay" Souvannavong whose workshop is in KM3, Vat Nak in Vientiane. It has been for two or three generations already, starting with Oufonh Souvannavong and all the grand families...
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Wedding of Tiao Savivanh Savang
Film footage of the wedding of Princess Savivanh Savang Manivong (daughter of King Savang Vatthana and Queen Khamphoui, 1933-2007). The footage shows school children and others in the procession to the palace; visiting digitaries arriving; the candlelit...
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Horasat, are you compatible to wed?
In my book, A Lao Wedding, I mention that a monk or someone who understands the horasat (Astrology) studies if the groom and bride are compatible and when is a good day to marry. A text (in French) from the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient (The French...
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Video - Wedding of Visana & Pavina
A video of Visana Sihabandith & Pa Sisouvong's wedding on 29 October 2020. The video is nicely done but I particularly enjoy the beautiful costumes and paraphernalia of the wedding. Very traditional, from the outfits to the jewelry, the silverware, the...