The government has ordered action to further improve the business environment and offer additional incentives aimed at boosting investment in special and specific economic zones (SEZs) amid growing competition in neighbouring countries.A recent survey suggests that Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand have also established SEZs and ...

Specialists from Laos joined with counterparts from China in Vientiane on Friday under the umbrella of the ongoing Lao Techmart exhibition at Lao-ITECC aiming to improve the treatment and care of patients with cancer.During the meeting, cancer experts from the Institute for Research of Science ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times) – Laos’ current account deficit is expected to widen to 12 per cent in 2019 as imports are projected to grow faster than exports, according to a recent report from the World Bank.The rising trade deficit is driven by strong demand for ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government has made a firm commitment to roll out its green growth strategy.Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr Somdy Duangdy, yesterday chaired a national level meeting to discuss ways to put the strategy, which Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos and Singapore have enjoyed a good relationship for almost half a century, with their longstanding ties becoming deeper and stronger, especially since Laos became a member of Asean.A senior Lao official and the head of Singaporean diplomats in Laos conveyed ...

As part of the key strategy to expand businesses within AEC+3, KBank is now ready to tap into Lao PDR through numerous services and local partnership arrangements, the company said in a press release issued on Friday.For 2019, targets have been set to bolster loans ...

The building of hydropower projects on the Mekong River’s mainstream must ensure that they do not cause negative impacts, including cross-border effects, on the environment and socio-economic development of the countries along the river, especially the nations in the downstream region, in line with international practice and regulations ...

The Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) conducts the world’s most expansive ranking of adults by their fluency in English. This year’s index featured 111 countries, Laos ranked the lowest on the list and Netherlands ranked the highest.  The countries were divided into five bands: ...

Medical training has reduced maternal and infant mortality rates in rural Laos. US president’s decision to cease funding UN body behind the program, over accusation it backs forced sterilizations in China, could undo all the good work. Keep reading  ...

Municipal trash dumped at an open landfill in Thailand risks filling a nearby tributary of the Mekong river with plastic waste whenever it is rainy or windy. Along India’s Ganges river, small sachets that used to wrap chewing tobacco are abundant, but are difficult to collect ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government has posts and telecommunications sector dedicated to achieving its vision of modernising the nation while promoting and transforming state management through digitalisation.The vision was detailed in the opening remarks of the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Dr Thansamay Kommasith ...

Climate change is threatening agricultural production and posing a major challenge to Laos and other countries’ efforts at strengthening world food security, according to a leading official.More ...

A signing ceremony was held yesterday at the Lao Airlines headquarters in Wattay between Mr Bounma Chanthavongsa, President of Lao Airlines, and Captain Ritzerwan Rashid, Executive Director of Avia Nautics.Captain Rashid’s company will act as consultant for Lao Airlines in extending the Enhanced IATA Operational ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Attorney-General’s Chambers of the Republic of Singapore (AGC) and the Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor of Laos have agreed to work closely together in the fight against transnational, organised crime syndicates.A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was recently signed by ...

As coronavirus infections spike across South-east Asia, Myanmar and Laos have conspicuously logged zero patients – despite the fact that both share a sizeable border with China, where the outbreak originated. Both countries say all the people suspected of being infected with the coronavirus have tested negative so far. ...

The 17th trilateral-bilateral ministerial meeting on drug control cooperation between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia took place in Vientiane on December 6. The event creates a good chance for the three countries to review their past cooperation and learn from the experience in the implementation of the ...

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) focuses on gender equality and women’s  empowerment, breaking down this topic into nine goals with 14 associated targets. These targets cover discrimination in workplaces and homes, property rights, education and a broad range of other topics related to gender. Goals ...

NDO/VNA – The Vietnamese and Lao ministries of public security held the 10th conference in Vientiane on July 9 to review their joint work against crimes.The event was co-chaired by Deputy Director General of the Police Department of Laos, Maj. Gen. Thongsavanh Vongsavath, and Vice ...

Labour authorities will continue to work with their Thai counterparts to complete the registration of Lao nationals currently working illegally in Thailand. It is hoped the process can be completed next year, but some bureaucratic challenges have arisen.More ...

THE TAP-WATER business in Laos’ top tourist destination Luang Prabang has enormous potential for growth due to the rapid expansion of tourism, a high-speed rail project in the works and high demand for water utilities across the country, according to Exim Bank and Thai investors ...