" PRESERVING ANTIQUE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION "
   Some people like to collect stamps,cds,memorabilia of pop stars or other collectibles as their personal hobby . MR.BOUNYONG'S passion is collecting pictures of important event from laos history.
   older people may remember the time in 1966 when VIENTIANE was extensively flooded. many families suffered when their homes and fields were inundated . " I HAVE A RECORD OF THIS TIME BECAUSE I PUT TOGETHER A COLLECTION OF PICTURES SHOWING THE DIFFERENT EFFECTS AND STAGES OF THE FLOOD, " SAID MR.BOUNYONG THAMMAVONG , 52 , DURING AN INTERVIEWS AT HIS HOME IN HONGKAIKEO VILLAGE , VIENTIANE.
  '' Laos is changing and modernising fast , and it is difficult for younger people to see these historic pictures and have a sense of laos in days gone by .these images will disappears if we dont seek them out and save them to show our children, " he pointed out .
   MR.BOUNYONG is one of many collectors who are strongly attached to thier collections of old objects. in his childhood, he had a different attitude from the other boys. he liked all the old things that he saw and wanted to old them.
   Unfortunately, collecting these valuable items means you need a lot of time and money because some of them are quite expensive. " IN THE PAST, I WAS OFTEN DISSAPPOINTED WHEN I SAW OLD OBJECTS THAT I COULDNT BUY BECAUSE I DIDNT HAVE MONEY , " MR.BOUNYONG said , adding that it was not until he was 40 that he began to collect seriously and travel around laos to buy items to add to his collection.
  people have different likes and tastes, and some are only happy when they live with somthing they love. " I BECAME OBSESSED BY UNIQUES. I FEEL HAPPY WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CHARM THAT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN , NOW I KNOW THEY HAVE BECOME AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE " MR.BOUNYONG SAID .
   when people visit his house they see a gateway that is surrounded  by flowers , small statues and other attractive decorous items. these oddments beckon visitors into an old world atmosphere.
   the inside of the house is full of many valuable antiques such as WATCHES , LOOMS , CAMERAS , HISTORY BOOKS , XYLOPHONES , TABLES . IRONS , TELEPHONES , WOOD SCULPTURES and many other old items that he had collected from every part of country.
   most of them are very expensive and rare. among his prize possessions are a gold medal won in the first national sporting competitions and an ornamental plate with an emblem of that luang.
   he also has on display his favourite pictures of the former president SOUPHANOUVONG and presidents from other countries who visited laos. " I HAVE MANY ITEMS IN MY COLLECTION BUT I FOCUS ON THE PICTURES OF LAO PRESIDENTS AND HISTORY BOOKS DURING WAR TIME " MR.BOUNYONG EXPLAINED .
  in the grounds of his house stands a warehouse containing old motorcycles, bicycles and other pieces of heavy equipment , many from VIETNAM and RUSSIA . they are welll preserved but cannot be displayed in his house . although his collection is well-organised, the number of items he owns has increased, and he cannot keep them all at home.
  MR.BOUNYONG is planing to build a traditonal house as a museum and move his staff there. " I THINK IT WOULD BE EASIRE FOR ME AND FOR INTERESTED VISITORS WHO WANT TO COME AND VIEW THE COLLECTION " he said. he said that anyone is welcome to visit his house, especially art or antique collectors. you will see traditional lao items and a gone by lifestyle reflected in his antiques. 
  he explained that he gets many of his antiques from close friends who know that he enjoys collecting . sometimes he travels to other provinces where he has heard about very old items. he does not hesitaste to go and buy them. " I BUY ALL KINDS OF ANTIQUE AND SCRAP METAL DEALERS," he said smiling.
   he added that it was sometimes diffecult for him to buy items from far away because of the cost of transporting them home. but he doesnt cares about the cost if he has found something he truly loves . when ever he brings back rare items he has to transport them carefully . " SOMETIMES I CANT SLEEP BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS AFRAIDE OF SOMETHING SCRATCHING ONE OF MY SHOWPIECES , " he said.
   some people give him things for free because they think they cannot be used. in fact, many valuable and expensive. thai people who love collecting often come to his house to look for something to buy. " WHATEVER BELONGS TO ME PERSONALLY I WILL NEVER SELL BECAUSE IN THE FUTURE THESE ANTIQUES WILL DISAPPEAR AND RARE . FOR THIS REASON I HAVE TO PRESERVE THEM FOR OUR CHILDREN, " he remarked .
   MR.BOUNYONG pointed out that he sometimes complains to his collectors friends, because when people from other countries offer them a high price, THEY SELL THE ITEMS IN THEIR POSSESSION. THEY DONT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THEY SELL THIS OBJECTS THEY WILL NOT BELONG TO LAOS ANYMORE.
   many people come to his home to admire his collection, especially thai people who hear about him from their friends.
   he write labels for each items , giving all the information about it so that people can learns about days gone by and appreciate their heritage. " I HOPE THAT WHAT I HAVE HERE WILL SERVE TO REMIND PEOPLE TO LOVE THEIR NATION MORE "  he added .

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