It is widely assumed that land uses that increase carbon in biomass and soil to mitigate climate change also benefit biodiversity. But that might not always be the case. Until recently, there was no clear picture on what the most likely carbon-boosting strategies, such as ...

Forests in Laos are disappearing at a ferocious rate under the impact of rampant illegal logging which accounts for 90% or more of the industry, with lucrative export markets in Vietnam and China. Keep reading ...

At least 1,000 families from 20-some villages in northwestern Laos’ Xayaburi province will be forced to relocate if infrastructure officials move ahead with plans to build a fourth hydropower dam on the Lower Mekong River, a provincial official said Monday. The Pak Lay hydropower project is ...

Thirty-five experts from environmental organisations in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam gathered on 8 September to discuss water management and the effects of hydropower dams. They participated in a one-day seminar held in Vietnam’s Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta and discussed the impacts that dams ...

Rural development and poverty eradication in Laos could face many challenges in the coming years before getting better in the long term, according to the National Committee for Rural Development and Poverty Eradication. The challenges include unexpected developments and the fact that regional and international integration ...

A severe lack of rain and higher-than-normal temperatures in parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have caused some farmers to leave their fields and rice paddies unplanted, sources inside the developing Southeast Asian countries said. Farmers in Ha Tinh province in central Vietnam have been forced ...

The 30th ASEAN Summit kicked off on Saturday in Manila, the Philippines, with leaders of the 10-member regional bloc pushing forward the realisation of the ASEAN Community’s Vision 2025. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith led a high-level delegation from Laos at the summit, which took the ...

Authorities in Laos have reported a significant Covid-19 outbreak near the notorious Kings Romans casino, whose Chinese owner is accused by the United States of trafficking people, wildlife and drugs. Officials said a cluster of cases in Tonpheung district was traced to people who illegally entered ...

Almost 200 hectares of bamboo in 40 villages of eight districts in Huaphan province are under attack by the yellow-spined bamboo locust, with the area being sprayed with insecticide to prevent the locusts spreading to croplands. Head of the province’s agriculture sector, Mr Siviengsab Phengphomma, ...

Water levels lowered by seven dams along a stretch of the Nam Ou River in Laos are blocking boat travel in a scenic area popular with tourists, impacting tour and passenger boat operators and other local businesses, Lao sources say. Travel by water between Nong Khiaw ...

The government of Laos has officially informed the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its plan to build a new dam in Luang Prabang, despite warnings about the project’s environmental effects. “We confirm that the MRC Secretariat has received the notification from the Lao government on the Luang ...

The debate over Laos’ strategy to become the “Battery of Asia” continues months after the deadly disaster at the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower dam, even as the Lao government keeps building more dams. Despite the previous government’s decision to suspend new dam projects and academics’ concerns ...

The AFC in cooperation with World Wilde Fund for Nature to Laos organized a workshop to promote collaborative management of the Nong Khamsene wetland in Vientiane on Aug 14, 2020. The Nong Khamsene wetland is located about 20 km southwest of Vientiane. It is shared by ...

Laos’ economy is projected to grow 3.4 percent this year and 3.7 percent in 2023, due to the country’s investments to boost exports, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday. “Growth in 2022 and 2023 will ...

Lao small-scale farmers can now access Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), to help them to increase the supply of quality organic produ cts to the local market. United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Officer for Asia and the Pacific Ms Mayling Flores Rojas said ...

The establishment of Special and Specific Economic Zones and untapped tourism potential is expected to drive economic growth in Champassak province, a senior official has noted. Deputy Governor of Champassak province Mr Buasone Vongsongkhone told Vientiane Times on Tuesday that more entrepreneurs from China, Japan ...

Vientiane still has a huge potential for businesses and investment since Laos is being integrated with South East Asian Nations, according to economists. However, economists recommended that infrastructure development including roads, water and electricity supply are crucial for facilitating and attracting more entrepreneurs to the ...

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry signed a Record of Discussion online on November 1 to initiate the Integrated Rural Development Project in Champassask, Saravan and Xekong provinces. The 5-year project is being implemented until 2025 with a total ...

Thailand and Laos on Friday signed an agreement on building the fifth friendship bridge between Thailand’s Bueng Kan province and Laos’ Bolikhamsai province. Thailand’s Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and Lao Public Works and Transport Minister Bounchan Sinthavong presided over the signing ceremony on Friday. Arkhom said Thailand’s ...

IN July, a hydroelectric dam collapse in Laos released five billion cubic meters of water into surrounding countryside – the equivalent of two million Olympic swimming pools. The resulting flood killed dozens, devastated communities, forced thousands to flee and ripped through areas of protected rainforest. The ...