Exports of Lao bananas have grown tenfold from more than 30.8 billion kip in 2011-12 to more than 324.8 billion kip in 2014-15, a recent report revealed. According to preliminary research findings by the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute on the commercial production of bananas ...

More people from Vientiane and the southern provinces travelling to Xieng Khuang and Huaphan will use the road through Borikhamxay province once an upgrade to a damaged section is complete because it cuts significant time from the journey. A resident of Xieng Khuang province’s Paek district, ...

As a wave of storms drives flooding across Southeast Asia, a community in northern Laos displaced by a hydropower dam says their new homes are no longer safe due to the threat of landslides. Over 12,000 people have been relocated to allow for the construction of seven dams on the ...

US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay an official visit to Laos on 24 January with a view to strengthening links between Vientiane and Washington, the local Foreign Ministry confirmed. Keep reading ...

Laos is pushing ahead with four dams across the mainstream of the Mekong River, despite an escalating chorus of objections and crippling debt to Chinese state banks which resulted in the loss of control over its electricity grid to China. For almost two decades scientists and ...

All Lao people, including general workers and farmers, who are not government officials or private sector members of the National Social Security Fund will be eligible for benefits under a new scheme. The Fund has announced the establishment of the Voluntary Social Security Project For All ...

Officials for the local government in Laos’ Houaphanh province say they want to cancel the survey contract of a Chinese coal company after learning that its operations in the province have caused hardship for villagers who have yet to see any compensation. The company reportedly damaged ...

The Seventh nationwide Congress of the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) concluded on 15 October with the election of 49 members as the new Executive Committee to further oversee the tasks of the union. The congress elected Mr Pan Noymany as the President of the LFTU ...

Organic vegetables are not widely consumed in Vientiane because many people don’t give much thought to the fruits and vegetables they are eating. Awareness of organics is low because the ingestion of chemicals in food is normally at low levels and only harmful over time.  Keep reading ...

It is officially described as the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia, a bygone seat of kings tucked into a remote river valley of Laos. Luang Prabang weaves a never-never land spell on many a visitor with its tapestry of French colonial villas and Buddhist temples draped ...

The Government of Laos and the World Bank on 17 August signed agreements for three projects aiming to improve the efficiency and reliability of electricity, to improve women’s and children’s health and nutrition, and to enable the construction of vital infrastructure including schools, health clinics, roads, ...

A resort complex in northwest Laos targeting Chinese visitors has become a “lawless playground” for the trade in illegal wildlife ranging from tiger meat to bear paws, an advocacy group has said. Customers “can openly buy endangered species products” in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone on ...

Officials from the Laos government and autonomous organizations have pledged to involve the private sector in poverty reduction programs to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency. The officials were speaking at the 4th ASEAN Forum on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, which began on 15 October in ...

The 24th ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (24th ALMM) kicked off in Vientiane on 15 May to consider and adopt plans towards ensuring better conditions and prospects for the region’s workforce. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and attended by labour ministers from ...

Luang Prabang provincial authorities have plans to expand the town to ease traffic congestion and in response to the increasing number of tourists to the World Heritage site. The Luang Prabang town expansion project covers 100 hectares of land starting from Donkeo village to Luang Prabang ...

The government of Japan is providing grant assistance of 308 million yen for the continuation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Project in Laos. An agreement was signed on 4 July in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Khamphao Eunthavanh and Japanese Ambassador to Laos ...

Poverty in Laos continues to decline to 18.3 per cent, as infrastructure accessibility has improved, particularly road electricity, clean water and sanitation access, according to data from the Lao Consumption and Expenditure Survey in 2018-2019. Consumption and expenditure of households in Laos have significantly increased, particularly ...

The Lao Furniture Association hopes that the furniture fair, which opened in Vientiane on 14 January, will attract more domestic and foreign investors in the sector and promote Lao wood products on regional and international markets. The Lao Furniture Association on 14 January officially opened its ...

If more women vote in the upcoming election, more women will be elected to the National Assembly and the Provincial and Capital Assemblies, which would strengthen efforts centered on the advancement of women and child protection, according to a statement made by Head of the Secretariat ...

Vientiane authorities are seeking measures to prevent dengue at the initial stages as the disease may return following the severe outbreaks in the country from 2010 to 2013. The authorities held a meeting last week to learn lessons from previous years in controlling the epidemic and ...