To mark the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the World Bank is publishing a Country Environmental Analysis for the Lao PDR, analyzing how the country can use its commitment to greener growth to stimulate economic recovery from the current slowdown, and to improve ...

With plans for cross-border electricity grids growing in the region, Laos is banking on hydropower exports to earn revenue. But a recent deal to also sell coal power generated in Laos to Cambodia has sparked environmental concerns over this trade. Last month, Cambodia’s state-owned utility firm ...

The Lao government has entrusted and given the right to the Petroleum Trading Lao Public Company (PetroTrade) to conduct a feasibility study on the Laos-Vietnam Railway Project, from Thakhaek district in Khammuan province, Laos, to the Vietnamese border. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, on behalf ...

The 70th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN COST-70), currently taking place in Vientiane, has emphasised that shortcomings in scientific and technological development need to be urgently addressed. The committee was established in 1978 and has become the focal point and driving force of ...

The First Meeting of the ASEAN-Russia Eminent Persons Group (AREPG) is taking place in Vientiane to review and further enhance relations between ASEAN and Russia. Keep reading ...

Indonesia has thrown its support behind Laos’ chairmanship of ASEAN, urging the country to maintain the group’s unity and centrality as it entered a new chapter in the establishment of the community.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo conveyed his remarks to new ASEAN chair Laos during a ...

Compensation payouts to the owners of land and other property that will be lost when the Laos-China railway is built will be dispensed under a prime ministerial decree, a senior Lao government official has said. Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Lattanamany Khounnivong, said ...

The Prime Minister’s Office plans to upgrade the Daktaok local border crossing in Dakcheung district, Xekong province, to an international level crossing on the Vietnamese border. Lao and Vietnamese officials are currently discussing the date when this change will take place. If the status is elevated ...

Entrepreneurs and business owners in Laos are now able to utilise the vast expertise of Ortus Mining Laos to develop mining projects.   Ortus Mining Laos, a subsidiary of Ortus Mining Capital, told Vientiane Times recently that they are focused on the development of mineral concessions in ...

Laos’ parliament has approved the concession agreement for a controversial dam project, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2015, media sources reported earlier this week. Keep reading ...

The government regards the Don Sahong hydropower project as the key driver for socio-economic development and poverty reduction in southern Laos. Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Viraphonh Viravong told Vientiane Times on 2 November that the power generated by the US$500-million dam will be used ...

Domestic passengers commuting through the planned Laos-China railway project are expected to reach 3.98 million in its first year, a study has showed. The number of domestic passengers is forecast to rise to 6.11 million annually in the short term and jump to 8.62 million annually over ...

When investors in 2019 announced plans to build a massive hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River just upstream from Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital of the former Kingdom of Laos, they drew a slew of criticism. So much criticism, in fact, that UNESCO—which has ...

Preparations are in place to enable Lao nationals in foreign countries to cast their vote for new members of parliament, with the National Assembly election scheduled to take place this weekend. Lao citizens can vote on Saturday 19 March at Lao embassies and consulates in China, ...

The total number of workers needed for the Laos-China rail project throughout the five years of its construction could reach 100,000 people, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavadhas has said. Keep reading ...

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 government recently gave its approval to the route of the planned Vangvieng-Luang Prabang expressway – a highway that will shorten the drive between the two tourist hotspots to about 90 minutes. The go-ahead is another step towards the start of construction of the four-lane 136.9-km ...

Thailand’s economic slump during the coronavirus pandemic led to a drop in electricity demand, with Thai officials estimating power reserves currently at 50% over total capacity.  However, despite the Thai surplus, hydroelectric dams are still being developed next door in Laos, Thailand’s top provider of electricity. Critics say the dam projects are not driven ...

The Department of Fisheries will roll out a number of measures to help cushion the impacts of dam construction in the upper reaches of the Mekong River on Thai fishermen. Department chief, Adisorn Promthep, said the measures will entail further diplomatic coordination with Laos — which ...

The first shipment of rice imports from Laos have passed through inspection and quarantine procedures at south China’s Shenzhen port, according to local authorities. The shipment weighed 87.8 tonnes and was valued at 746 million U.S. dollars, said the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau. Keep reading ...