Economists have expressed concern over non-performing loans that banks have given to the private sector.​ Bankers said NPLs are currently higher than the rate of 3 percent set by the Bank of the Lao PDR, which could have negative impacts on financial and economic stability.​ ...

Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam imposed serious restrictions on freedom of expression and the press over the last year, with all three countries also holding political prisoners and interfering with the rights of citizens to peacefully protest, according to an annual State Department report released on ...

Farmers are encroaching on national parks and protected forests in Laos, burning and clearing large areas to make room for cassava crops. The demand for cassava has seen it become the most profitable agricultural product in Laos, as demonstrated by the country’s February trade figures: cassava ...

Vietnam has a Thai man and 17 others after a blitz on drug crime uncovered major stashes of heroin, cannabis and precursor chemicals, state media have said. Six Vietnamese were arrested in Hanoi after being caught with some 120 kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside household gas ...

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Hatxaykhao village yesterday as construction began for the LaoDC data center, the first licensed, privately owned data center in Laos. The LaoDC data center will be one of the largest data centers in Laos, More  ...

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam will continue deepening the understanding between their peoples, especially the new generation, about the history of the relationship between the three nations of Indochina to protect their valuable ties. This was agreed by leaders of Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC), ...

Laos and China agreed to further their friendly relations and comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership with the inking of two agreements on human resources development.The agreements signed in Vientiane yesterday, comprising Lao-Chinese language interpreter capacity building and construction of Naxaithong Secondary School, were witnessed by Chinese ...

ASEAN is working to enhance cooperation between ASEAN member states in the area of cultural heritage protection, following new guidance from the bloc’s leaders. Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Social-Cultural Community, Mr Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, told the media about the progress made on the ...

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is providing about EUR 20 million and the Lao government is contributing the equivalent of EUR 4 million as non-cash benefits for the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) project from 2021 to 2026. An agreement ...

Laos celebrated the 51st anniversary of the founding of Asean and the 21st anniversary of the country’s accession to Asean with a flag hoisting ceremony on Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos has steadily faced a higher inflation rate over the past five months after being pressed by several economic factors.The changes in consumer prices index, as a result of expensive commodities such as oil, gold and food weakening the value of ...

Laos’ total population was estimated by the United Nations Population Fund at 6.9 million in 2017, with an annual population growth of 1.3 percent.1The last formal census was carried out in 2015. All the data referenced here is from the official 2015 Census of Population ...

Laos has agreed in principle to provide data and information about water resources and management plans involving the Mekong River directly to Thai authorities to assess the water situation and take action to prevent floods in eight northeastern provinces. Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of the Office of ...

Laos currently has 4.5 million hectares of agricultural land, with 2 million hectares dedicated to rice farming and the rest to crop and animal farming.The ministry is implementing land allocation and demarcation projects for protected areas in response to small, medium, and large investments in ...

A tourism exhibition and cultural performances are among the highlights of the Lao Festival taking place from May 22-29 in Tokyo, Japan. Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, ministry officials and Lao performers are currently in Tokyo to take part at the ...

Vice President Phankham Viphavanh and his visiting Vietnamese counterpart Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh yesterday agreed to work together to deepen the friendly relations, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbours.More ...

Known only by his identity code, ID#35 was the last individual of a doomed subpopulation of freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris). He was the sole occupant of a deep pool in the Mekong River that spans the border between Cambodia and Laos, and fought for ...

The unilateral visa exemption will take effect for just one year from January 1-December 31, 2018, for the duration of Visit Laos Year 2018.Keep reading ...

Laos has confirmed 65 new cases of Covid-19 following testing of over 1,292 people. The National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced today that the country had confirmed a total of 65 new cases. Dr. Phonepadith Xangsayarath, Director of the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), Ministry ...

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that Laos’ Gross Domestic Product will grow at 6.8 percent this year, less than the government’s projected rate of 7 percent. The IMF Executive Board concluded the Article IV consultation [1] with Laos recently, describing Laos’ challenges in dealing ...