The National University of Laos, in cooperation with the French, German and UK embassies in Vientiane, has laid out higher education opportunities in the EU to university faculty members and students. A talk titled “Study in Europe” was delivered at the university, and was attended by ...

Lao authorities have failed to properly account for the disappearance almost three years ago of civil society activist Sombath Somphone, who was last seen in police custody at a checkpoint in the capital Vientiane, and must commit themselves to a “real and renewed” effort to ...

Vientiane recorded public debt of more than 6.946 trillion kip, including 6.931 trillion kip of state investment debt remaining on contracts and 15 billion kip owed to utilities and other expenses. The figure was revealed at Vientiane’s monthly meeting for January attended by Vientiane Mayor Dr ...

Laos continues to struggle with rampant corruption despite recent efforts to eliminate it from the halls of government, according to the country’s State Audit Organization (SAO). At a Lao National Assembly meeting earlier this month, the organization reported massive losses resulting from under-the-table deals made by ...

Walk down any street in Luang Prabang, Laos, and you will be presented with any number of opportunities to interact with elephants. Some are more ethical than others. Indeed, at the Elephant Village, 15 kilometres outside town, the motto is: “Saving elephants is our mission.” Keep reading ...

Authorities in Laos are continuing their investigations into illicit smuggling after dried cannabis weighing some 15 kg bound for Europe via parcel mail was identified by Lao Customs officials at Wattay International Airport in capital Vientiane, local media reported on 7 October. Keep reading ...

For centuries Laos has been known as the Land of a Million Elephants. Now there are fewer than 900 of the iconic creatures – and less than half of those are wild. If the population continues to decline at the current rate, elephants will be ...

Laos needs more young people to study science so they can contribute to the nation’s development, according to a leading official. The number of students enrolling in science courses is continuing to decrease with most high school leavers studying in other fields, Minister of Science and ...

The next Party National Congress of the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is scheduled for early next year and, through this process, new leaders and a new politburo will be elected. While a cloak of secrecy makes it is extremely difficult to predict what ...

Military gears and training programmes worth nearly 577 million VND (26,200 USD) were handed over to the Mapping Department of the Laos People’s Army by the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army in Vientiane on 8 December.  Keep reading ...

Amid an ongoing drought and low water levels, the state of the Mekong River is a topic that is animating discussion along the watercourse, with sights often aimed squarely at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant. To help clear the waters, the project owners invited regional ...

The World Bank has agreed to provide a low interest loan of US$30 million to fight poverty in Laos, a government source has said. The Lao government will contribute another US$6 million bringing total funding from the three sources to US$52 million. This amount will be ...

Vientiane authorities have stressed the need for a new highway that would run parallel to KaysonePhomvihane Road in a move to minimise traffic congestion in the capital. The capital’s mayor DrSinlavongKhoutphaythoune put the plan to the Vientiane People’s Council last week, saying that without a new ...

The Lao government is keen to cooperate with its development partners to fulfil the priorities of the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2016-20 in view of its implications for graduation from Least Developed Country status. To ensure that the government achieves its development goals, the ...

Two villagers were reportedly killed by flash flooding in the country’s northern Oudomxay province and more households severely impacted as heavy rain lashed multiple districts over the weekend, a provincial senior official said yesterday. A heavy downpour that began on Friday midnight and continued until ...

Laos government has in principle approved four laws, two decrees and other policies to streamline its administrative system and boost socio-economic development. The endorsement was reached at the government’s July monthly meeting, with two days of talks wrapping up on 22 July. Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office ...

Agribusiness operators in Phongsaly province are struggling for trade after Chinese authorities banned the import of some agricultural produce. Commercial crops including green tea and sweetcorn being traded by Lao entrepreneurs in the province cannot be exported to China, the provincial Green Tea Processing Factory Director, ...

An air shipment of illegal ivory and pangolin scales, worth an estimated $1.3 million, was intercepted and seized by the authorities on 13 December at the Changi Airfreight Centre.  In a joint release on 17 December, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Singapore Customs ...

Over 500 people have been affected by UXO-related accidents in Laos since 2009, according to a report from the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for UXO/Mine Action in Laos. The NRA reported that from 2009 until the present there had been 319 incidents involving unexploded ordnance, claiming ...

The rubber price in Luang Namtha province has fallen continually since 2013 causing a large number of growers to plant other crops instead. The rubber price in the province is currently 3,000-3,500 kip per kilogramme, down from 4,000-4,500 kip per kg over the past year, an ...