Laos government officials completed a three-week training course on advanced Geographic Information Systems, which was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to enable them to undertake climate mapping and zoning. The training course, funded by the Global Environment Facility, covered spatial analysis, geo-databases, network ...

Lao irrigation systems that use electrical pumps to feed water into channels to farmers’ fields owe a lot of money to Electricite du Laos, the national electricity authority, with many utilities bills remaining outstanding. Deputy Director General of the Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of ...

Laos’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara visited the National Assembly election campaign in the provinces of Borikhamxay and Vientiane last week to explain the significance of the election. Keep reading ...

Authorities in Kasy district of Vientiane province have barred all vehicles from using a section of Road No 4C going to Nan district in Luang Prabang province after it was blocked following landslides. Director of Kasy district’s Public Works and Transport office, Mr Phan Namvong, told ...

Grain by grain, truckload by truckload, Laos’ section of the Mekong river is being dredged of sand to make cement—a commodity being devoured by a Chinese-led building boom in the capital. But the hollowing out of the riverbed is also damaging a vital waterway that feeds ...

The Lao Association of Travel Agencies (LATA) is asking its members to conduct safety checks on all tour vehicles following the tragic bus and minivan collision on 21 February which claimed the lives of four Korean tourists. The road accident in Kasy district, Vientiane province also ...

Local authorities in two villages in a central Lao province have violated the rights of Christians by threatening to jail those who continue to practice their religion after banning their activities last month, a source inside the country said.   Authorities from the villages of Nhang ...

The Department of Water Supply under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is targeting an expansion of projects across the country this year after racking up achievements in the sector during 2019. To achieve its goal to develop provincial water supply and sanitation systems, the ...

Lao officials and international researchers met in Vientiane on 10 May to discuss how agricultural research can best be aligned with the priorities laid out in key government documents. According to a document released at the meeting, the ministry’s strategic direction targets food and nutrition security, ...

The European Union must pressure the Lao government to make “firm commitments” during bilateral human rights talks set for later this week in Vientiane, according to Paris-based rights group International Federation for Human Rights. The EU should demand assurances from Laos that it will improve its ...

Caritas Luxembourg has provided a grant of over 1 million euros (more than 9 billion kip) to improve the Strengthening Livelihood Systems Project in Mok district, Xieng Khuang province. The project agreement was signed recently by the Director of the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department, Mr ...

The media has to fully comprehend the newly instigated sub-regional cooperation mechanism and participate in getting its message out to wider society for the initiative to succeed. Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mr Savankhone Razmountry made the statement when speaking about the establishment of ...

Xayaboury province will impose restrictions on banana farms following reports which suggested that farms in several provinces had used harmful chemicals which leaked into the soil and threatened local livelihoods. Governor of the northwestern province, Mr Phongsavanh Sitthavong, recently informed the media that Xayaboury would allow ...

The government of Laos has ordered the governor of Luang Prabang province to helm a central ministry as part of a reshuffle sources say is meant to shield him from criticism over a controversial land concession he recently granted to Chinese investors. Khampheng Saysompheng has been ...

Heavy monsoonal rains in northeastern Laos ripped through a small one-megawatt hydropower dam in Xieng Khouang province’s Pek district earlier this week, causing extensive damage and flooding rice fields and property, local residents said Wednesday. “Because of heavy rainfall and too much water, the dam couldn’t ...

Lao government officials have dismissed social media reports that the Xayaboury dam in northern Laos is slowing the flow of water to downstream sections of the Mekong River. The dam is built on the run-of-river model, which does not require water to be stored, local daily ...

Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat said SEZs still had strong potential for growth and called on the associated sectors to discuss detailed plans to advance the sector and not only contribute to overall development but also help to boost the growth of the industry and service ...

“After the war, we live afraid of unexploded bombs, and we’re very careful when we go and do anything,” says Somechit Phouangsavat, an artisan from Ban Naphia, also known as War Spoon Village, in Laos. The 32-year-old works alongside 30 other artisans at Article 22, a company ...

Laos’ National Election Committee will soon announce the list of candidates standing to be potential members of the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assemblies (PAs) on 20 March. Committee Member and President of the NA’s Law Committee Prof. Dr Davone Vangvichit told Vientiane Times on 3 February that ...

Vientiane Traffic Police Department confirmed on 22 September that more Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are set to be installed throughout the city, aiming to help officers investigate crimes in the capital. The department’s Deputy Director Lieutenant Colonel Bounmark Soundalay told Vientiane Times there are now over 200 ...