Works started on Nov. 18 on the construction of the Laos National Music and Arts School in Vientiane , which is being built with non-refundable aid from the Vietnamese Government.

The project was under a bilateral agreement on economic, cultural and scientific and technological cooperation in the 2006-2010 period.

The school will be built in two phases.

The first phase will be built at a cost of VND77 billion  (US$4.2 million), covering 8,200 square meters with lecture halls for music and dance, administrative offices, and essential technical infrastructure.

The second phase will cover lecture halls for theatre, cinematography and television, as well as a dormitory, a canteen and a club.

Addressing the ground breaking ceremony, Luu Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Music Academy , the project’s investor, pledged to complete the project on schedule.