A major hydropower plant built in Laos has started commercial operation.With two power stations, the Nam Ngiep 1 plant generates about 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of energy per year, Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co said on Friday.Nam Ngiep 1 Power Co, the operator of the ...

Pressing ahead with its vision to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia,” the government of Laos is going forward with plans to build its seventh of nine mainstream dams on the Mekong River, despite widespread concerns that it could inflict social and environmental damage. The 728-megawatt ...

Thailand and Laos aim to increase bilateral cooperation in three areas — politics and security, the economy, and society and development — at the 3rd Joint Cabinet Retreat (JCR) on Thursday in Vientiane, More ...

Immigration staff at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, which links Savannakhet province to Mukdahan province in Thailand, are still waiting for instructions from the provincial office about ending the collection of immigration and service fees. Head of bridge operations, Mr Bounkham Phutthichak, told Vientiane Times by ...

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Wednesday defended its decision to wait nearly seven weeks before officially notifying the public that Laos began a preliminary procedure for the construction of a large dam that would be its fifth on the Mekong river. The Lao government informed the ...

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) held a forum last week in Laos to discuss with other Mekong nations before going ahead with construction of a Luang Prabang hydropower project on Mekong River. The Lao government presented detail of the Luang Prabang hydropower project in the ninth ...

A newly built bridge crossing the Mekong River and connecting the provinces of Xayaboury and Vientiane has opened, and is the third bridge linking Xayaboury with neighbouring provinces.The 365-metre bridge runs from Nasak village in Paklai district, Xayaboury province, to Khokkhaodor village in Xanakham district, ...

People nationwide are eagerly anticipating the Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao) festival (Year of the Rooster) next week, with the official holiday taking place from April 14-16. Vientiane is preparing an exciting programme of activities for locals and visitors alike, including a Miss Vientiane ...

Around 350 representatives of states, international organisations and the private sector from the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Asia Pacific and the UN World Tourism Organisation are currently attending a tourism forum in Luang Prabang province. The Mekong Tourism Forum was officially opened on June 7 by the ...

The Laos Ministry of Energy and Mines has decided to participate in a government probe of the apparent failure July 23rd of a concrete gravity and clay core rockfilled dam that killed 34 people. At least 100 more people are reported missing. Heavy rains preceded the apparent collapse at the $1.02 ...

Hundreds of people from Vientiane and the provinces yesterday attended a special event to mark International Children’s Day at the National Culture Hall. This year the day is being celebrated with the themes “Child rights promotion, safe use of technology, sustainable environment, and be a ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Agricultural production in Laos is mainly of three types – native agriculture, mixed crop plantation and commercial production, the Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry stated at a seminar to mark World Food Day and ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Business cooperation between Laos and Indonesia has been elevated and business-to-business collaboration is being fostered on the lines of the close cooperation between the two governments, a minister has said.“We are especially broadening business opportunities for state-owned enterprises between the two ...

Vietnamese conglomerates have been expanding business by stepping up investments in neighboring markets. However, the path has not been a bed of roses. Among 70 countries and territories in which Vietnamese have investments, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are the three biggest target markets. Laos is the ...

The Ministry of Education and Sports will continue its cooperation with the UK government in furthering the development of the country’s education sector. During his visit to Laos, Mr John Virgoe, Head of the South East Asia Department the department responsible for UK government policy ...

Ministry of Finance and the World Bank on June 7 signed an agreement for more than 316 billion kip (US$38.6) million in credit to support key policy reforms to maintain the country’s strong economic growth. The agreement expects to benefit more people, especially the poor ...

With electricity exports to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia and even Singapore, Laos has arguably realised its ambition to be the battery of Southeast Asia. The bulk of these exports are from hydropower. Nearly 80 dams dot the landlocked country, and more along the Mekong River are in ...

The government of Federal Republic of Germany has agreed to provide grant aid of over 423 billion kip (EUR 45.8 million) for sustainable economic development, rural development and natural resources management in Laos.The financial and technical support by the German government extended to the Lao ...

At present, Laos doesn’t have any railways. However, that is about to change in 2021. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Laos counterpart  Saleumxay Kommasith last week in a virtual meeting to discuss progress on the China-Laos Economic Corridor. Both Governments have occasions ...

Economists have warned the government needs a long-term strategy for managing its burgeoning debt against obligations while it works on securing more efficient and additional revenue sources. At the moment, Laos requires 1,559 billion kip to meet its budget expenditure following revenue shortfall in the ...