Provincial Officials Shut Down Vietnamese Nightclub in Northeastern Laos
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A Vietnamese-run night club featuring scantily-clothed pole dancers in the historic Viengxay caves in northeastern Laos has closed down a few days after its opening after it received a barrage of criticism on social media, a provincial official said.
The nightclub had a soft opening on Aug. 21 in Houaphanh province, but quickly came under fire from Lao residents who blasted it on Facebook, and was closed by local authorities a few days later, said the director general of the province’s information, culture and tourism department who gave only his surname, Khemphone.
“We have suspended the nightclub’s operation for inspection to determine whether we will let the operator continue or stop,” he told RFA’s Lao Service.
“When there is a problem, we will talk to try to reach a resolution” with the owner, he added. “[But] if the restaurant owner would like to continue operating, there must not be any showgirls in bikinis.”
An official from the country’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, who declined to be named, said the young women wearing bikinis and Lao dresses, which are only worn on special occasions and at traditional events, at the club were Vietnamese, because the owner is a Vietnamese investor who has been granted a 50-year concession to operate the business in the cave.
The ministry has not yet made public any action it has taken regarding the matter.
more Provincial Officials Shut Down Vietnamese Nightclub in Northeastern Laos
