🇱🇦 My 8 hrs inside the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone 

Thank you for watching always🙏😊

Thank you 😊 🙏

Thank you. I'm glad to hear that

Thank you😊

Yes, so different. I didn't feel like I was in Laos at all.

Thanks for the greeting. I love Thailand and the food. Cheers😊

Thank you🙂🙏

Thank you for the greeting, Sawaddeee Krup😊 I like Thailand and Thai food a lot, I've been to Bangkok many times and up north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Beautiful places. Thanks for watching my videos krup🙏😊

I got panic a bit, but was trying to stay cool 😎

I was amazed that it only took 17 years to build this whole city up from the scratch. And with the fact that the construction was put on hold for two years due to the Covid, and look at it now.

So impressive that they house criminal and criminal activities.

@@andyangchannel Sure everyone is a criminal, too bad they are not saints like in every other country. Go back to your CNN 😂

Quite beautiful 😊

That's how I felt walking around. It's like a country within a country. It's good to see it😊

Sabaidee, thanks for the greeting. It is sad really, but for the sake of progress and development, we have to accept it this way as we can't afford to do it ourselves. Let's hope for the best

Very clean city

I think what you say is correct, but we must also consider the harmful effects and political desires of China. China invests not for charity, they want profit and influence. Take a look at the casinos and online scams in Cambodia, most of which are Chinese. China's public projects in Sri Lanka caused the country to default on its debt. Chinese public projects in Vietnam either triple their capital or stop operating. I agree that Western media exaggerates about China, we can't trust them 100%, but we also shouldn't trust China's media.

Thank you, too. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It is interesting to see both sides of the coin. I hope everyone is safe.

Wow, I wish I saw it back then.

Not just Laos, Cambodian... china people & business are everywhere !! Here in the US theirs a Chinatown like in almost every state.

Laos and Cambodia two most heavily bombed countries in history of any World Wars by the US. Between 14 December 1964 and 29 March 1973 Us dropped 260 millions bombs on Laos. One would imagine the yanks would come back, clean up the place, invest and rebuild these countries. Well, 51 years gone by still no sign of restitution. Btw, the place looks so clean! Was expecting litters every where.

I've been to Sihanoukville and that is true. The Chinese in southeast Asia doesn't want to learn lao, only take over.

Thank you for spreading kind words😊

these countries were heavily bombed by the us so dont talk about western norms

Yes, in Laos but not Laos at the same time. Kind of weird to be in there but it was good to experience it

Hi Chris, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. As a foreigner you have to register at the checkpoint where i showed my passport. I'm not sure though if that's also including getting your passport detained while you're in the zone. And besides before you arrive in Ton Pheung there are two police checkpoints that the van has to stop and the authority will come inspect the van, if any foreigner inside they will ask for your passport and some other question like what's the purpose of going there, where you stay and for how long...etc

@@natnomad all right. Thanks for sharing these information. 🙏

Thank you. I love Thailand and Thai food too, Bangkok is my street food heaven 😍😍🙏🙏

Seems alright now. I saw some foreigners went there. You just have to show the passport to the authorities when they come check the van. And some questions to answer such as what's your purpose of visit, where and how long you stay. You will have to register at the checkpoint before you enter their zone. To be fair, there's not much to see there.

I don't know why the ATM didn't work, could be because of the sanction. My card usually works fine anywhere. I think most people are inside those buildings. Like the young man I talked to in the van said, they work from 9am-11pm from Mondays to Saturdays

Yes, it is completely different from the rest of Laos. It's more like a country within the country that has its own rules and regulations.

Yeah he should add the 'super thanks" on .

Sabaidee, thank you for the greetings. And thanks for following my journey, I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it. I've thought about adding super thanks but I feel embarrassed 😁hehe. One when I add on I'll let you know. Thanks very much😊🙏

@@natnomad No need to be embarrassed. Most of us living here in the U.S. come from Laos or have parents that come from Laos because the war back then. Also I have some church friends over there as well. Take Care !

It's worth to check it out

I see. Many compared it to Sihanoukville.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. It is annoying, really. And I hope they do something about it

I visited Laos in 2016 during April during the water festival. A border police made it hard for me ro enter from Nan Thailand, the next night he saw me in Luangprabang he begged me for money to buy beer. I gave him $200,000 kip. Terrible

@@dshchannel6259 last time I entered Laos driving from China , a traffic cop stopped me saying I was speeding. What’s funny is they even had no any radar devices to detect the speed, I was like I am not speeding all u want is nothing but money, guess how much he SUCCESSFULLY took from me? 10,000 kips LOL it can’t even buy a Lao beer.

Just avoid anything run by Chinese, those things have no business in SEA historically except to extort the locals

U r wrong. A lot of laos r getting jobs

Thank you for the greetings. The reason that they prefer Chinese Yuan over Lao currency is because there is no trade deal between the Lao government and this particular zone. And most of the people living here are Chinese investors. Lao people only come for work and they leave. That's why i didn't feel like i was in Laos. And also the name itself says a lot about the place "The special economic zone" is fully run by the private investors so they have their own rules and regulations

Thanks bro, it is a very interesting place to be in and to see it for a day. Sadly the Lao currency is not accepted, but again, as the name itself suggested, "The special economic zone" they have their own rules and regulations.

in the huay xai area Thai baht is more commonly used and also in some Myanmar Thai city such like tachliek

People CAN use Laos currency there, the government does not ban the Kip, it’s the business(both Chinese and and Laotian)who are preferred the Yuan over the Kip, because the Chinese currency is stronger, worths more and convenient to buy Chinese goods later on, every poor countries like to attract hard currency to improve their economy, its happening all over the world: in Cuba, most businesses only except USD over Cuban Peso, even in VN too, Vietnamese business preferred the Dollar over Vietnamese currency. However,,,,,no matter what, anti-China people will always criticize China, and blame Laos governments , ignoring the hardship of locals.

Are Lao Americans welcome there?

@untouchablelah yeah I heard something like that, Americans are not allowed inside the golden triangle casino. But definitely i know you can travel there. I seen this one Caucasian youtuber man he had went there, but could not enter into the casino.

Thank you for your compliment on my English😊 Back home safe and sound now. It was good to see it finally.

You can travel there holding an American passport, but you have to register at the checkpoint where I showed my ID Card. Though I'm not sure if that's also including detaining your passport while you're inside the zone.

What do lao people look like?

Umm...I honestly don't know what it call. We have quite a few flowers that look like that, it can be Dok Koun flower or something like that. Thanks for watching the video. I am glad that you enjoyed it

@@natnomad thanks Nat. I think I know the English name but not the Lao name for it. The tree like the one on this video at @17:44 . It is is call by few names and one is Flame Tree (Delonix regia). I think it is the same as the one in a mosaic wall at Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang.

Totally agree. It's more like a country within a country. So different, not even Lao currency is accepted here. But it is so nice to see it.

Back home safe and sound. Thank you for keeping up with my new episodes😊🙏 It is a very interesting place to be in for a day, so different from Laos. It's more like a country within a country, with their own rules and regulations.

Most people are inside the buildings during the day. Like the guy on the van said. They work from 9am till 11pm. Many said on Sunday evening is crowded

Yes, the wise card. It has been so useful for travelling

True, I may pay a visit in the future and do some tours around that area

I know, it was frustrating trying to get money out of the ATM. Thanks to my snacks that saved me for the day hehe. Thank you brother for always keeping up with my new adventure.

@@natnomad I’m a lady

I'd like to go back there again to film during the night someday

It has changed so much

I see, thanks for the information. I'll keep that for my next visit 😊

Hi there, thanks for the greetings. I love Vietnam. I've been there 5 times and I still haven't seen all those sightseeing. I skipped Nha Trang, next time I won't miss it😊

It is interesting to see what's going on there, but at the same time, you can't help but scratch your head and wonder. Thanks for keeping up with my adventure always

เพราะรัฐบาลฉลาดส่องใสในขายสัมปทาน

I don't think that Lao people would want to live in this part of Laos anyway. Most people go there just for work, for a short term and then I leave.

For Thailand Myanmar laos. to develop economy there is huge challenging. why las vegas allow gambling while other state do not. the gambling activity however need to be well regulated which inevitably will attract some illict activity such as loan shark, extortion or even kidnapping

ໂດຍ, ຄົນລາວຄືກັນ😊

I called the motorbike guy who dropped me off, he accepted Lao Kip via qr code transfer. And for the bus back to Luang Prabang I also paid via the QR Code

I'm from Luang Prabang

It's fine. It's all sealed. Bought in from the convenience store.

Hopefully they'll keep it healthy😊

@@natnomad In todays climate it should be harder to do violence on nature. At least publically China claims to take sustainability seriously. I hope Laos makes sure they do.

you're probably unintentionally break their law,

@@ricavilaychit9218 I don't see how they wouldn't be aware of the environmental laws. I assume they are clear in Laos? There are of course international agreements too to consider.

I can't imagine what it used to look like in the 70s

@@natnomad , More media of the truth is in fact of transparency to be judged in the future times journey!!

I think in the future it'll become a main hub for both trading and home to the elite.

It’s not really nice if you think about it long term. China is changing the landscape and I honestly don’t think it’s for the best. It’s a strategy that will benefit them in the long run and poorer countries will be in debt to them. I can’t speak for Laos or other countries, but I am aware Thailand is concerned about falling into China’s debt trap and destroying of the country’s nature and deforestation.

@@Mikomido5but now the Thai pm is ditching the USD for the yuan. This is part of the chinafication process. Politicians in Laos have benefited from selling their country to the Chinese but the people have lost their future. Laos is being trampled on.

@@Mikomido5 According to the World Bank, UNdata, Trading Economic - Thailand GDP Per Capital growth in Dec 2022 increased from previous year to 2.5% but dropped to 1.9% at end of 2023 due to Political unrest.The country still manages to maintain a strong economic growth despite that. Thailand is no position fall in debt.. As to deforestation, between 2000 and 2008, the Thai Government made a commitment to accelerate urbanisation to accommodate the growing populations. Bangkok is the most populous city, being the 5th largest city in East Asia, with heavy traffic congestions, pollutions, and housing affordability. In 2018 with EU funding, Thai Government launched the Smart City Programme to promote digital technologies and innovations for urban and industrial development. The changing landscape has nothing to do with China. Its the Thai government initiatives doing what is best for her country economic growth and sustainability for Thai population growth.

​@@Mikomido5always remember rumours, lies n propaganda r carried by haters, spread by fools n accepted by idiots 😂

Thank you for the greeting. I hope you come visit Laos soon. It seems so unrealistic that the Lao currency is not accepted. Then again, as the same says"The special economic zone" the majority of people living here are Chinese invertors

The thing is, outside of Laos, the kip has no practical use. U cant do foreign trade with it. Its like how South Americans wanting dollars or yuan instead of pesos. U cant carry pesos around world wide.

Aw...thank you for following me. I'm 100% Lao. I do have a weird look hehe

I've tried both my Lao card as well as the Wise Card(worldwide master card), and both got rejected. Could be because of the sanction that my Wise Card didn't work there. It works fine in most parts of Laos.

Well, as they're planning to turn this place into a main trading and tourism hub, maybe adding English to the signs would help a lot because not everyone coming in speaks Mandarin or Lao.

Oh that's what it is🤣. I didn't even check 😕

It is not easy to find a taxi outside of the zone but inside there are a lot but again, Lao currency is not accepted.

No, I was born and raised in Luang Prabang ,Laos

Certain European countries has similar law. I am not surprised if you are from common law country

The name itself tells it all, "The Special Economic Zone " they have their own rules and regulations.

这有什么奇怪的，中国深圳经济特区以前中国人进入深圳特区还需要办理边防证才可以进入。特区有特区的管理模式。

Mostly they're inside the buildings. Like the guy i talked to in the van said, they work from 9am till 11pm

โดย, อ้ายเป็นคนลาว

ຂອບໃຈ😊

Lao government is doing their part to tackle this online scamming operation if you read the news. Last week, 84 Chinese nationals were deported back to China in relating to the online fraud coming from the SEZ.

Yes, that's the rule. Basically everyone has to sign the contract before they start working. The contract is from 3 months -1 year. And they'll get their passport detained throughout the contract period. That's to prevent the workers from leaving before the contract ends.

As the name suggests, "the special economic zone" it's fully controlled by the private sector with their own rules and regulations.

You are absolutely right.

US destroyed Laos with millions bombs and still plenty of those bombs become dangerous mines for locals, and yet US didn’t assist Laos to develop its economy. Please tell how do you develop your economy with infrastructure.

Người Lào không ngu và hiếu chiến như VN, chúng tôi chỉ mong đất nước phát triển giàu mạnh, TQ không bao giờ muốn tàn phá Lào như Mỹ, TQ có tiền và sức mạnh, họ đang đầu tư và phát triển kinh tế khắp thế giới đã hơn 30 năm rồi, chẳng thấy họ đem bom đạn đến bắn phá, giết hại người dân, thống trị một nước nào cả .

Thank you... our vietnamese brothers for standing strong side by side with the Laotian people. Words of encouragement

Left already. Back home safe and sound. Thank you🙂🙏

It is good to see it🙂

It is really sad indeed, but they gotta do what they gotta to survive. Working in the field is no longer an option for many

As the name suggested, "The special economic zone" they have their own rules and regulations. As for the future, we can only wait and see. But I'm hoping for the best.

Laos economy has been declined even before Covid-19, mainly due to inflation, just like everywhere else in the world. The export has been drastically decreased for the last several years due to many factors. Drought is one of them. But if you look at the number of tourists coming into Laos before and after the train, they're quite big different.

@@natnomad You meant they bring more Chinese to take over Laos, and take Lao women back to China to be slaves for the Chinese men?

I think the railway will bring in rich Chinese tourists which will bring in Chinese investors and jobs for the locals in the future.