Vientiane Times

The export of finished wood products increased by 107 percent in 2018 after the government banned the export of unfinished timber and promoted value-adding through the production of finished goods.Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith issued Executive Order No. 15 in 2016, imposing the ban and promoting ...

More than 73 kilograms of ivory products were confiscated from a souvenir shop in Luang Prabang province recently and the foreign owner detained for suspected trading in elephant ivory.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Representatives from the five Mekong sub-regional countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam are meeting to strengthen their understanding of the impact of gender norms and stereotypes on violence against women.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Trading across borders has been eased and quickened thanks to the improvement of the procedures involved, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce says in a report.The improvements are the result of the government’s efforts to create a more business-friendly environment.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos expects to see more than 10 percent growth in the construction sector this year with the government putting in place measures to address business financing and stimulate the economy.The trend is being driven by factors such as investment in services, ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Laos plans to invest about 44,347 billion kip of its budget or 26.80 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 to ensure the country’s steady economic growth. Of this amount, 4,359 billion kip, or 9.83 percent of the total, equal to 2.63 ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The government expects domestic and foreign private investment to climb to 23,086 billion kip in 2019, accounting for 52.06 percent of total investment or 13.95 percent of GDP.More ...

Construction of a new hospital in Huaphan province to further cement the brotherly relations between Laos and Vietnam is now 25 percent complete.“Work on the hospital is making good progress and the building is 25 percent complete after construction began in June 2018. Completion is ...

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on Tuesday praised the country’s planning, investment and finance sectors and urged everyone to keep up their good performance.However, the prime minister said there were plenty of tough challenges coming up, for which everyone should be prepared.More ...

The government has approved a special budget of 500 billion kip (US$58 million) to repair public infrastructure that was damaged in last year’s floods, indicating that the remaining recovery work could soon begin. The Ministry of Planning and Investment unveiled the approved budget at the annual ...