A charity event celebrating the 10 th anniversary of Khop Chai Deu restaurant featured traditional Lao dancers, a drumming show and a performance by pop-star Aluna on Saturday night.
A drum master from Vientiane Music School shows his drumming skills while the rain falls. Profits from the event will go to three Vientiane primary schools; one in Nalao village in Sikhottabong district, one in Thakhai village in Xaythany district and one in Dongsavath village in Sisattanak district. The money will be used to build libraries, repaint classrooms and provide sporting and educational materials.
Restaurant owner, Mr Inthy Deuansavanh, said he hoped the charity event would be the first of many.
“This is the first time that we have organised a charity event to support schools since we established our restaurant 10 years ago, but we hope to hold more charity events to give back to society in the future,” he said.
The event commenced with a performance of traditional dancing by a troupe from the Children's Cultural Centre in Vientiane . The routines were enjoyed by the crowd despite the onset of rain.
A drum master from a Vientiane Music School then demonstrated his skills on a variety of drums, while being drenched by rain.
The downpour continued during the highlight of the event, a performance by pop star Aluna, who showcased her amazing talent with an impressive singing routine complemented by a superb performance by her accompanying dancers.
The excitement of the night was added to by a series of lucky draw prizes including, t-shirts, merchandise, a mountain-bike and an LCD TV.
Mr Inthy thanked his guests and the people who had donated money for the work at local schools.
Khop Chai Deu Restaurant was established in 1998 with only six staff and 12 tables, in a French era building built in 1923.
“During our 10 years we have made many improvements in areas such as food, service and environment in order to become one of the most famous restaurants in Vientiane, as we try to live up to our slogan of being the meeting point for people from around the world,” Mr Inthy said.
As well as running the business in Vientiane , he has extended operations to Vangvieng district, Vientiane province, by taking a share in the operation and administration of the Xaiyo Restaurant and Ban Sabai Resort. Khop Chai Deu is also the birthplace of Green Discovery, a well known eco-tourism travel company that organises tours and adventures across Laos .
“Ten years have passed very fast and I know there are both good and bad impressions from those who use our service,” he said.
“We have been listening to our patrons and working hard in our quest to be one of the best choices for customers.”
The event was organised with the support of Malaysia Tourism, Lao Telecom Company, The Spa, Green Discovery and Intra Hotel.
By PHOONSAB THEVONSA (Latest Update July 22, 2008)
