Lao festival woos Japanese in bid to entice holiday-makers
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 ...
Vientiane Times
Laos, Vietnam vow to cement ties
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 ...
Vientiane Times
Death of last river dolphin in Laos rings alarm bells for Mekong population
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 ...
Carolyn Cowan on
Govt waives visas for Scandinavians for Visit Laos Year 2018
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 ...
The Nation Reporter
Laos Reports Record Number of Covid-19 Cases
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 ...
Latsamy Phonevilay
GDP expected to grow at 6.8 percent: IMF
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 ...
What’s Behind Laos’ New Budget Crackdown?
In recent months, the Lao government and media outlets have been vocal about regulating public expenditure. The latest significant manifestation of this is the government’s recent decision to put a cap on expenses claimed by its officials in a move to regulate their expenditure.A new ministerial ...
Tae-jun Kang
Laos to receive technical training from Chinese on proposed high-speed railway
Chinese railway experts are providing technical training this month for Lao officials in charge of a U.S. $7 billion high-speed railway project that will link the two neighboring countries and extend to Thailand, although the Chinese government has yet to sign a contract to begin ...
Thanaleng Dry Port, Vientiane Logistics Park to drive Lao economy, PM’s aides told
The Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP) and Vientiane Logistics Park (VLP) will be important drivers of Lao economic development, the project developer has told government aides. The Board of Advisors to Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, led by the board’s Chairman, Mr Chanthaboun Lattanavong, on Friday visited the ...
Advertorial Desk
US pledges US$90 million for UXO clearance
The United States announced on September 6th it would provide an additional US$90 million over the next three years to help Laos clear unexploded ordnance which has continued to kill and injure people since bombs rained down on the country during the Indochina War. The extra assistance ...
Savannakhet orders 253 furniture plants to shut down
Savannakhet provincial authorities have ordered 253 family-based furniture plants to shut down many of them operating without business licenses, while some are failing to meet set standards. Some 166 plants are operating without business licenses, while the 87 remaining plants approved by districts’ authorities failed ...
Lao Villagers Displaced by Nam Theun 2 Dam Say They Still Need Help
Lao villagers moved by government order from their homes 10 years ago to make way for a showcase hydropower project have new houses, schools, and clinics in their resettlement areas, but are still left without access to fishing areas or adequate land to farm, sources ...
Kingdom rejects VN request
Cambodia rebuffed Vietnam’s request to provide nationality to its citizens living in Kratie, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces, with officials saying law enforcement is the Kingdom’s responsibility. Chheang Vun, the head of the National Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Propaganda and Information, told ...
Laos Is Second Most Expensive ASEAN Country to Buy Fuel
An official from the Ministry of Energy and Mines revealed that Laos placed second in the list of the most expensive ASEAN countries in which to buy fuel.More ...
The Laotian Times
Weekend storms batter parts of Laos
Sporadic tropical storms will continue to lash many parts of Laos from now until the middle of May and the public should be on the alert at all times. Head of the Weather Forecast and Aeronautical Meteorology Division of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department in ...
Laos and Cambodia: the China dance
Laos and Cambodia are often seen as little more than political twins who have chosen to reap economic benefits from China in exchange for their loyalty to the Middle Kingdom – and choosing this alliance over maintaining consensus with their ASEAN family. Keep reading ...
Johanna Son
Authorities in Laos Draft Law on Hydropower Safety
The law will cover dams and hydropower installations and set standards or quality control procedures for each phase of construction, Lao National Radio reports. Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Sinava Souphanouvong, spoke during a conference held to discuss the draft law on hydropower safety that ...
Phayboune Thanabouasy
Laos, Brunei further bilateral cooperation
Laos and Brunei have agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations, including in the fields of human resource development, air transport, drug control, labour, cultural exchange, and women’s development. The two sides also agreed to a plan to share information on money laundering and provide mutual support ...
Vientiane Times
World Bank Economic Report: Formal Vs. Informal Financial Services
A World Bank report released last week reports that “informal” financial services continue to play an important role in the lending sector in Laos despite the fervent growth of legal micro-finance institutions (MFIs) around the country.More ...
The Laotian Times
Achieve lagging millennium goals, targets, PM instructs
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has said the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) should be continued since the country has fallen short of achieving some of the targets. Mr Thongloun, also the Chairman of the National Guiding Committee for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals ...