All posts tagged: Savannakhet

Dreams and Diaspora: An interview with Alisak Sanavongsay

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Alisak Sanavongsay is a classic example of quiet leadership in the Lao community. Soft-spoken and good-natured, he works tirelessly to build a revitalized Lao tradition, volunteering with a wide range of events and organizations from the SatJaDham Lao Literary Project, the Lao Artists Festival of Elgin, the National Lao American Writers Summit, and the Center for Lao Studies, just to name a few. He’s also become known for his role in shooting and editing the popular “Cooking with Nana” show on YouTube.  Currently a programmer at the University of California-Merced, Alisak traces his roots to Savannakhet, Laos, initially resettling in Tennessee and Illinois before moving to California with his family. We had a chance to discuss his journey with him: Can you tell us a little about yourself? What’s a part of your family’s story in coming to America that lingers with you the most,  especially as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Lao Diaspora? I was born in a village called Bane Thasano, in Savannakhet, Laos. I’m the oldest of three children. When I was …

Missing Minnesotans: Three Lao Americans in Savannakhet Never Returned

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Bounthieng Insixiengmay, Bounma Phannhotha, and Souly Kongdaravong. These are the three Lao Americans who visited Laos and never returned to their families in Minnesota. As I spoke with the wife of Souly and sister of Bounthieng, they were calm, in disbelief and confused about what may have happened to their loved ones. “I am here. They are there. I have no control over who to believe or what to believe. I just want to know what happened and for them to be buried respectfully in peace”, says Ngern Insixiengmay, sister of Bounthieng. The men were good friends, in their 50s, who visited Laos many times in the past; were already there for almost 6 months. While they were on their way to a funeral of Bounthieng’s brother-in-law, family members quickly realized that the men never made it the funeral. Relatives went around the village in search of them, only to come upon a van that was put on fire with three bodies inside that were burned to an unrecognizable degree.  Ngern said her sister noticed Bounthieng’s …