The National Assembly approved a draft-amended Law on Government on November 8 that revises the mandates of the prime minister, ministers and some state departments. The amendments came after the Government Office was renamed the Prime Minister’s Office following the assumption of office of the new ...

Work is gearing up for the planned building of a railway to connect Vientiane to the Vung Ang seaport in Vietnam after the two countries agreed to move forward with the project. The two governments last month signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Vientiane agreeing ...

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has prohibited telecom operators from engaging in unreasonably strong competition to ensure proper management and productive competition in the industry. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mr Thansamay Kommasith issued a Ministerial Decision recently that prohibits companies from providing free telephones, ...

Vientiane Professional Development College will provide 160 scholarships to students who lack opportunities to study in Laos. Head of Office at Vientiane Professional Development College, Ms Manolack Pathammavong told Vientiane Times on January 4 that this year the college plans to provide scholarships in three phases ...

Laos is pursuing its drive to reduce the poverty rate below 10 percent by 2020, while also attempting to meet outstanding Millennium Development Goals. Head of the Central Committee on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, Mr. Thongvanh Vilayheuang, highlighted various aspects of the government’s five-year development ...

Tourist arrivals during 2016 to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang rose to more than 601,000, from over 500,000 in 2015, and this number is expected to rise further in 2017, the local tourism authority said. Head of the province’s Information, Culture and Tourism ...

The government has approved the Vientiane-Vangvieng expressway’s corridor and legislation in a move to boost socio-economic development.The approval was made at the monthly cabinet meeting for May, chaired by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and attended by the cabinet members. The 113.7-km corridor is part of ...

The Lao government’s high-risk plan to install a massive dam on the Mekong River, perilously close to the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site of Luang Prabang, shows a disregard for its legal obligations to protect the renowned site, according to conservation experts. Minja Yang, the former ...

Preliminary counts have been completed in the provinces through which the Laos-China railway will pass, to pave the way for compensation to be paid to the affected villagers and residents who will be relocated. However affected residents in the provinces through which the railway will ...

Water levels in the Mekong River are now at the lowest point in a century as of July 19, lower than a record set in April 1973.South East Asia’s Stimson Centre claims that, based on recent satellite images, the drastic lowering of the water level ...

Authorities in Luang Prabang province are organising a bicycle ride and cultural events for tourists in the middle of December. These activities will close out the city’s programme for Visit Laos Year 2018. More ...

(KPL) Jan 23 witnessed a groundbreaking ceremony held at the Setthathirath Hospital, Vientiane, for the Japan-funded Improvement of the Setthathirath Hospital and the Champassak Provincial Hospital Project, which is worth more than US$ 17.3 million.The project includes the construction of necessary facilities and provision of ...

Asean member countries need to collectively forge ahead to develop the 10-member regional bloc and maintain its centrality and unity to overcome regional challenges, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told the 27th World Economic Forum yesterday.More ...

The government has instructed authorities in charge to inspect wood processing plants nationwide to ensure the plants’ operations meet production and environmental quality standards. Inspection will be launched into all licensed 1,595 plants across the country and a number of criteria will be used to assess ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – A meeting of the board of directors of the EDL Generation Public Company (EDL-Gen) last month did not approve the payout of a dividend as the company’s earnings over the first six months of 2019 showed a loss of 147.15 billion ...

A coalition of NGOs called for the cancellation of a project to build what would be Laos’ fifth large Mekong river dam Tuesday, citing the disastrous effects that existing dams have had on the region’s ability to cope with environmental crises.The planned Luang Prabang Dam ...

(KPL) The Chinese government has donated US$ 100,000 to support relief and recovery efforts in Khammuan, Savannakhet, Saravan, Xekong, Attapeu and Champassak which have been severely flooded.The flooding caused by storms between late August and early this month is the worst for the six central and southern ...

Experts from ASEAN member countries and their development partners in the region are meeting in Vientiane to discuss issues relating to the 52nd ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation and intellectual property protection. Topics centered on ASEAN economic integration with participants convinced that the ...

The government cabinet has approved five new and amended draft prime ministerial decrees to boost socio-economic development and improve administration. They are the draft Decree on Government Bond, Decree on Tourism Fund, Decree on Technical Positions of Civil Servants, amended draft Decree on Private Education Institute ...

More and more Lao people are travelling overseas, particularly to Thailand and other ASEAN countries, thanks to Laos’ continuing economic growth which has generated increasing wealth. Director General of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Marketing Department, Mr Saly Phimphinith, told Vientiane Times ...