The year 2015 was a year of significant progress and innovation for the UXO sector in Laos, thanks to a new evidence-based survey method. The sector has seen a considerable increase in the number of cluster munitions cleared per hectare of land; from fewer than seven ...

Agribusiness operators in Phongsaly province are struggling for trade after Chinese authorities banned the import of some agricultural produce. Commercial crops including green tea and sweetcorn being traded by Lao entrepreneurs in the province cannot be exported to China, the provincial Green Tea Processing Factory Director, ...

The building that will house the new Thongkhankham market in Chanthabouly district, Vientiane, is now 50 percent complete and it is expected the whole complex will be finished by the end of this year. The modern five-storey complex and its two underground parking levels are a ...

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 ...

More people from Vientiane and the southern provinces travelling to Xieng Khuang and Huaphan will use the road through Borikhamxay province once an upgrade to a damaged section is complete because it cuts significant time from the journey. A resident of Xieng Khuang province’s Paek district, ...

Amid an ongoing drought and low water levels, the state of the Mekong River is a topic that is animating discussion along the watercourse, with sights often aimed squarely at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant. To help clear the waters, the project owners invited regional ...

The groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of the Laos-China rail project to link Laos with China and other ASEAN member counties is expected to begin in November if things go as planned, a minister said on 25 September. Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong ...

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors Last Friday approved 50 million U.S. dollars of additional financing in Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Management Project in Laos and the Lao Road Sector Project II. The additional funding will help reduce the financing gap for reconstruction following widespread ...

A young Lao worker was beaten, shocked and tied up by his employers at a Chinese banana plantation in northwestern Laos in a dispute over working hours, his relatives said. Lou Xiong’s relatives say he was beaten and shocked by Lao and Chinese employers at a ...

The Lao National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee is helping farmers across the country to improve their cultivation techniques so that crops can better withstand drought and dry season yields can be increased. Committee officials said recently that the country is facing drought conditions as rivers ...

Poverty in Laos continues to decline to 18.3 per cent, as infrastructure accessibility has improved, particularly road electricity, clean water and sanitation access, according to data from the Lao Consumption and Expenditure Survey in 2018-2019. Consumption and expenditure of households in Laos have significantly increased, particularly ...

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has called for ASEAN nations to remain united, play a stronger role within the region, and stay true to ASEAN’s principles. Mr Thongloun made the call during his opening remarks at the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Vientiane on 24 ...

Six-wheeled vehicles including sand and gravel trucks and trailers are being prohibited from using 10 main thoroughfares in Vientiane for 10 days this month. The Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department announced the ban, which runs from 12-22 January to coincide with the 10th Party Congress. Keep ...

In Laos, where corruption seems like a part of daily life, the locals say tax collectors often stand out as they can be seen driving some of the flashiest cars and living in some of the biggest houses. In this landlocked Asian country with an authoritarian ...

Save the Children has agreed to support two projects for the Ministry of Education and Sports, aiming to develop education for Lao children. The first project is entitled ‘School Quality Improvement Programme II in Borikhamxay, Xayaboury and Luang Prabang provinces.’ It aims to improve the quality of ...

Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Management Department is working with local authorities and other sectors towards more efficient management of tour operators. The move comes after the Lao Association of Travel Agents asked the department to step in and address the problem of tour ...

The government of Japan is providing grant assistance of 308 million yen for the continuation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Project in Laos. An agreement was signed on 4 July in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Khamphao Eunthavanh and Japanese Ambassador to Laos ...

The Lao Women’s Union and Vietnamese Women’s Union met in Vientiane recently to promote women’s development and to upgrade the lives of those lacking opportunities in both countries. Former Head of the Central Party Committee, former President of the Vietnamese Women’s Union, and Head of the ...

Laos and Singapore are pledging to work together to promote trade and investment between the two countries after their trade volume climbed to US$72.5 million in 2015. As of 2016, investment from Singapore stood at US$187 million, ranking the country in eleventh place among all foreign ...

The social security system so far covers only 30.22 percent of the population, which is far behind the target of 50 percent set for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, which ended last month. Director General of the Department of Social Security under the Ministry of Labour and ...