Welcome to another FSC Spin-Off!
Welcome to the FSC February 2025 Spin-Off ft. ‘Folk/Ethnic Songs, from all around the world. Our
host city is Vientiane - Laos the capital & largest city of Laos. It 's situated on the banks of the
Mekong River at the Thai border. It has a population of around 850.000. It was established as the
capital of the LanXang Kingdom in 1563. Vientiane served as administrative center in French rule
The city retains colonial-era architecture alongside Buddhist landmarks such as Pha That Luang,
a national symbol of Buddhism, and Haw Phra Kaew, which once housed the Emerald Buddha un
til its 18th-century relocation to Thailand . "Vientiane" is the French spelling derived from the Lao
‘Viangchan ’, the walled city of sandalwood', or as some do believe , the 'walled city of the moon'.
In 1354 , when Fa Ngum founded the kingdom of Lan Xang , Vientiane became an administrative
city. King Setthathirath officially established it as the capital of Lan Xang in 1563, to avoid Burme
se invasion. During French rule the Vietnamese were encouraged to migrate to Laos. In WW2 the
city fell, occupied by the Japanese. First liberated by France, Laos gained independence in 1953.
The capital attracts tourists to its temples, and Buddhist monuments . The Wat Si Muang temple
was built on the ruins of a Khmer Hindu shrine, the remains of which can be seen behind the ord
ination hall. It was built in 1563, and is believed by local legend to be guarded by the spirit of a lo
cal girl. The memorial monument Patuxai, built between 1957 and 1968 is a landmark in the city
Modern Vientiane has experienced economic growth from foreign investment. The city also hous
es the National University of Laos. Vientiane is served by Wattay International Airport. Sights incl.
Lao National Museum , Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, Talat Sao , morning market, Wat Ong Teu
Mahawihan and the Sanjiang Market as well as the aforementioned temples and the monuments
Our Host venue is the : Lao National Cultural Hall in Vientiane , Laos. Completed in 2000 ,
this four-story imposing structure dominates the surrounding area with its soaring columns, elab
orate gold trimming and carved wooden entrance doors. Most of the time it is used for film show
ings, political meetings, exibitions, international art group performances, music concerts and priv
ate functions. Among the most popular performances of the venue's a Lao traditional dance. The
venue includes a 1.500 seat theatre/auditorium, a large lobby hall & conference rooms. The most
important event which has been held at the Lao National Cultural Hall to date is the speech given
by President Obama on the 5th September 2016 as part of a fringe event coinciding with the ASE
AN Summit in Vientiane in 2016. They are proud to host this evening’s Spin-Off edition of the FSC
Our wonderful Hosts this evening are:
Vichitta Phonevilay and Annita Thivaphone
Vichitta Phonevilay is a Laotian model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe La
os 2019. She won Lao Super Model 2016 and began her pageantry career representing Bolikham
sai Province at the Miss Universe Laos 2019. She is proud to co-host this evening’s FSC Spin-Off
Annita Thivaphone is a Laotian singer who is signed with KPY Entertainment. Before becoming a
singer Annita was a former VJ host of the television show Tolakong. She is very popular on Insta
gram , and uses social media for promotion . She is proud to co-host this evening’s FSC Spin-Off.
Opening Act
by popular Laotian singer
named Aluna Thavonsouk
Once again, welcome to this Spin-Off edition of the Forum Song Contest.
Let the Show begin!
THE-
Interval Act
A beautiful song by the Irish
Folk music legends, Clannad
Closing Act
by popular Laotian singer
named Sam Intharaphithak
Thank You - and Good Night - from Vientiane, Laos!
Voting deadline: 24th February, 23:59 CET
NB! Votes may be submitted after 72 hours
NB! Votes are sent by PM to aardvark in trad. ESC/FSC-style: 12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1p.
No late votes will be accepted, so make a note of the deadline.
Non-voting leads to being placed last on the scoreboard keeping one’s points.
Promotion of your entry (voluntary) may be done in the FSC Spin-Off Promotions Thread.
Enjoy - and good luck to all entries!
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Laos and their capital city Vientiane which will host this contest.
