The Government of Lao PDR’s 8th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) is a continuation of the 7th Five-Year Plan. The Plan is regarded as a measure for achieving socio-economic development, industrialization and modernization towards the year 2020. To view a copy of this 8th plan, click here.   ...

A six-month consultation process has begun for the proposed 770MW Pak Lay hydropower project on the Mekong mainstream in Lao PDR, the Mekong River Commission has announced, despite Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith’s recent announcement that investments in new hydropower in the country will be suspended. ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Department of Standardisation and Metrology under the Ministry of Science and Technology will carry out fuel checks at petrol stations across the country this year to ensure products comply with the standards set by the government.In 2017, the department found ...

Seven bridges along Road No. 6A and water supply projects officially opened for use in Huaphan province on December 23, aiming to boost socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith was honoured to open the projects in ceremonies that were attended by ...

Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on July 29. But it said river levels across all ...

Lao authorities expect to begin a new round of verifying nationality and legalising the status of thousands of Lao workers in Thailand in the coming months, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare said last week. Dr Khampheng Saysompheng told local media during his attendance to ...

Two new hydropower projects, including Lao Pak Beng and Cambodian Sambor, on the upper course of the Mekong River have increased the risks for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region. Keep reading ...

Food security and control in the country has been boosted with the first official National Food Safety Laboratory opened on Monday in Vientiane. The new laboratory is the first of its kind in Laos, serving as a ready reference centre for the control of food quality ...

Xayaboury province is advising people living alongside the Mekong River to prepare for possible flooding, while neighbouring Thailand has warned its seven north-eastern provinces to brace for sudden overflows along the river until Thursday. The Lao province issued the alert following heavy rainfall in recent ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government has made a commitment to take the key recommendations of Mekong River Commission (MRC) members and relevant stakeholders into account when designing and building the Pak Lai hydropower project, according to a senior official.Speaking at a session in Vientiane ...

Lao workers, many of them young and some still in their teens, have poured in growing numbers this year into neighboring Thailand, braving exploitation and unsafe work conditions in search of employment to help support families back home, sources in the Southeast Asian nation say.Many ...

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has given the green light for loans in Sri Lanka, totalling $280 million, and Laos, which will receive $40 million.Meanwhile the $40 million loan for Laos will go towards improving an important section of National Road 13, which will ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is preparing an integrated recovery programme for Attapeu province and will continue to support Laos in many other areas.This support was discussed when KOICA President Ms Lee Mikyung met with Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith during ...

The Ministry of Education and Sports and the World Bank have strengthened ties and renewed cooperation in improving standards and outcomes in Laos’ education system.This was the message delivered during a visit to the Ministry of Education and Sports by a delegation from the World ...

The Republic of Korea’s renewed foreign policy will advance relations and cooperation with Southeast Asian countries including Laos, the Korean Ambassador to Laos has said. The ‘New Southern Policy’ under President Moon Jae-in’s administration is designed to expand economic ties with the Association of Southeast ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) should not merely issue warnings to money changers who break the currency regulation rules, a senior Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) official said yesterday.The remarks were made during a consultative meeting ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The number of people using social media is predicted to keep surging as telecom operators compete with each other to offer better services, a new forecast has revealed.The report from the Lao National Internet Centre, released at the beginning of this ...

The government will introduce a single window customs system in the coming weeks to facilitate import and export procedures, which it is envisaged will help to improve the overall business environment.Vehicle importers will be the first group to benefit from the Lao National Single Window ...

The government has told ministries and provinces to take action to prevent unapproved projects from being carried as part of flood recovery efforts.More ...

President Bounnhang Vorachit has signed a Presidential Ordinance to promulgate a law to manage and control public debt while maximising state investment.The Law on State Debt Management, which will come into effect on October 29, prohibits state departments and any party from carrying out unapproved ...