Inthado is a company with two associates, one Franco-Lao and the other Swiss. The first of these, Khampanh Inthavong, a professional in tourism and the hotel industry, returned to Laos ten years ago after studying and pursuing a career for more than twenty years in France. He wants to share his love of Luang Prabang, the town of his birth, with visitors wishing to savour the delight of living by the Mekong river. The second, Jean-Pierre Dovat, an architect in New York and Zurich who is fascinated by this mythical Asian river, has decided to live six months of the year in Laos.

Together they have founded Inthado, the first and only property promotion company in Luang Prabang. It markets exclusively “Mekong Estate”, a smart dwelling concept. It is not traditional accommodation of the inn or hotel type, which is already so plentiful owing to the success of this former royal capital of Laos as a tourist attraction where the charm of the Indochina of earlier times has been preserved.

Mekong Estate is a service residence comprising several dwellings in the colonial Laos style for renting by the month or longer. These spacious dwellings (60-120m2) each have their own terrace-balcony and a garden on the Mekong. The architecture inspired by the Indochinese tradition is integrated discreetly into this exceptional natural setting. Inthado is also a property agency and, as such, takes care of the renting of property for companies or private individuals (property-hunting, negotiations, drawing up of contracts, administrative procedures apart from visa etc).

Inthado employs skilled and versatile construction workers under the direction of Khampanh Inthavong, who is trilingual in Lao, French and English. This integrated team is a major asset. For its clients Inthado can take care of the construction or refurbishment of a house at all stages (design, execution, fitting and furnishing, decoration, creation of garden etc). Work will be supervised by Jean-Pierre Dovat, an architect-designer.

INTHADO’S roles

• Promotion: Mekong Estate.
• Property agency: exclusive marketing of Mekong Estate. All estate transactions (lands, dwellings or commercial premises).
• Management: property management.
• Construction: luxury houses and apartments, commercial premises. Conception, renovation, fitting etc