Yellow-colored cartoon posters and huge advertisement boards at the international airport, newly rebuilt highways and some colored lights at night...visitors here can see many changes of the appearance of the Vientiane City.

Stepping into the Vientiane International Airport, people could not only feel the strengthened security measures, but also feel the atmosphere of welcome.

The heads of state and government as well as ministers and senior officials from 17 countries are expected to attend the 10thASEAN senior officials meetings, ministerial and summit meetings scheduled for Nov. 25 to Nov. 30 in Vientiane.

Yellow-colored posters with three cartoon figures and smiling faces of customs officers are welcoming guests.

Although the airport is relatively small and has only two luggage handling belts and limited space, it has recently opened a park lot in front of the airport to welcome distinguished guests.

National flags from the 17 participating countries to the ASEAN Summit and related meetings are flying high at the airport and two venues of the meetings. Over a dozen huge advertising boards have been installed along the highway from the airport to the city center.

The 30,000-square-meter press center of the ASEAN meetings is located at the newly built International Trade, Exhibition and Conference Center (ITECC) where the ASEAN Summit will be held on Nov. 29 and Nov.30.

The press center will formally open from Nov. 25.

Workers and technicians are busy installing various kinds of cables and lines for the press booths.

Fifty computers and six printers donated by Thailand's Activeyes company are equipped at the press center.

Eight employees from the Thai company have already started the anti-virus scanning process for each journalist who applies for using their own laptops at both the press center and in the rented booths at the center.

About 100 employees from the Lao Plaza Hotel -- one of the leading hotels in the city, are preparing for banquets and meetings to be held in the ITECC.

Laos has not granted any visa for ordinary tourists to the country since Nov. 20, as its tourists receiving capacity is limited.

Vientiane City has at least 35 hotels with over 3,000 hotel beds now. The newly opened Don Chan Palace is the only five-star hotel in the city.

The 14-story hotel's principal investor is a Malaysian businessman and it was built by a Chinese construction company within only 10 months.

Workers are seen busy preparing for a small fair that will exhibit products from 16 of the participating countries.

Tightened security measures have been taken at the airport, ITECC and Dan Chan Palace where the ASEAN meetings will be held.

Soldiers carrying old-style mine-detecting facilities were seen near the ITECC Tuesday.

At the entrances to the ITECC and the Don Chan Palace, all vehicles with pass permits are seen examined by anti-explosion facilities from Wednesday.

Security guards from Vietnam have been invited to Vientiane for stepping up security measures for the meetings.

The transport means for the citizens here are mainly motor cycles, pickups and cars. Taxi cars and public buses are seldom seen at the main streets.

Lao, English and Chinese are the languages used on the name boards of the shops.

Television programs on over 30 channels are available in both big and small hotels though the number of international direct dialing telephone lines are limited in the city.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua