VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – More than 800,000 primary school students across the country will use new textbooks in September as part of the new national primary school curriculum that is being rolled out over the coming years.This year, more than 16,600 Grade 1 teachers, school ...

A South Korean construction firm has dismissed the latest findings by the Lao government that are cited as the reason for a fatal hydropower dam collapse last year in Laos.SK Engineering & Construction said in a press release on 29 May that the company could not agree ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Wooden sculptural items made in Laos must rely on foreign markets for greater sales, a senior official of the National Institute of Fine Arts said yesterday.Dr Maysing Chanthaboutdy was speaking at the opening ceremony of a Lao-Thai cross-cultural craft workshop held ...

Lao Cai province’s chair Dang Xuan Phong said the Red River’s water from the other side of the border with China is becoming more seriously polluted. Phong made the complaint at a national online conference on environmental protection chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government will accelerate lending through the banking sector to boost local businesses so they become more competitive and create export opportunities.Authorities are planning to increase business lending to around 55 percent of GDP by the end of the year, up ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Lao fish farmers would be better able to compete with foreign operators if taxes and duties levied on local producers were lower and if the government provided more financing support.Lao fish farms are currently struggling against very stiff competition from foreign ...

Authorities in Laos last week sentenced a woman to five years in prison for criticizing the government on Facebook.Houayheuang Xayabouly, 30, also known by her nickname Mouay, was arrested Sept. 12 after she voiced her concern about the government response to flooding in the country’s ...

The Lao economy is projected to steadily recover in the medium-term, but growth will remain below pre-pandemic levels at 4.5 percent in 2022. The Lao economy is projected to grow at 3.6 percent, down from the 4 percent growth anticipated in March 2021. The main risks ...

The Fred Hollows Foundation has provided more than 430 million kip (US$50,000) to the Ministry of Health to finance the expenses of ministry staff when they undertake assignments outside of Vientiane.Regional Director for East Asia of the Fred Hollows Foundation, Dr Phuc Huynh Tan, and ...

State-owned Vietnam National Chemical Group (Vinachem) has decided to pull out of a loss-making potassium salt mining and processing project in Laos’ province of Khammuane after pouring trillions of Vietnamese dong into the megaproject for 15 years, Tuoi Tre Online newspaper reported.The withdrawal will result ...

A project titled Enhancing Public Finance Management through Information and Communication Technology and Skills (E-FITS) will be carried out in Laos to improve financial reporting and develop administrative capacity for revenue collection, public procurement, and budget execution.Laos will also benefit from the Public Financial Management ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – National Assembly members supported the amendment of the land law but expressed concerns about the continuing loss of state lands and conversion of agricultural land into other classifications.During the debate at the ongoing session, members learned about many state lands under ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos has taken a step towards the development of electric vehicle systems with the launch of a pilot project for vehicle battery charging stations.The Ministry of Energy and Mines is set to work with the private sector on the project as ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Prosecutors, judiciary and law enforcement agencies from the southern provinces along with experts from ILSTA, Canada and the University of Luxembourg last week met in Khammuan province to discuss the combatting of transnational organised crime.The conference focused on the trade in ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos and Thailand have agreed to start Phase II of the construction of the Laos-Thailand railway, which will link the existing suburban station to central Vientiane. The 7.5 km extension is expected to be complete at the end of 2021.The Department of ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Lao Telecommunication Company Limited (LTC), the country’s leading telecommunications operator, plans to invest more than US$17 million to upgrade its network and provide better services.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – International non-government organisations, associations and foundations are cooperating with the government to contribute US$99,663,578 as part of ongoing education and sports programmes around the country.International groups this year will provide US$17,253,833 to develop universities, schools and other education and sports sector ...

Poor construction methods, with soil used in place of concrete, caused a fatal hydropower dam collapse last year in Laos, a panel of water experts has concluded, prompting a rejection of its findings by the South Korean firm that built the project.The disaster occurred on ...

Padaeng Industry Public Co Ltd (PDI) plans to further expand its capacity to generate renewable energy by signing a memorandum of understanding to jointly invest in two hydropower plants in Laos with a total capacity of 114 megawatts. PDI signed an MoU with EDL-Generation Public ...

The German government has agreed to provide a grant of 51.7 million euros to support development projects in Laos during the 2018-2019 fiscal year.More ...