VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has revised the list of wood products approved for export so that Lao furniture makers can more easily sell their goods in local and overseas markets.The ministry has specified three main categories of wood product ...

LAO AUTHORITIES say negotiations have begun over compensation for the victims of last summer’s Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy Dam collapse, but environmental activists and rights campaigners want the dam’s backers to do more than just pay out money – they should help restore their livelihoods, ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Social welfare experts from Laos and other Asean member countries met in Vientiane on Monday to enhance efforts to safeguard vulnerable people across the region.In his address at the 14th Asean GO-NGO forum on Social Welfare and Development “Strengthening Social Protection ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The agriculture sector is expected to expand by up to 3 percent this year, if Laos does not encounter any serious natural disaster like last year.According to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2019 forecast, the agriculture sector is expected to expand ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Humanitarian groups from the government, the United Nations and international civil society organisations met last week to discuss gaps in national crisis response and ways to overcome them.The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), as the Logistic Cluster lead organisation, works ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Farmers around the country will soon be receiving seasonal weather forecasts, which will be distributed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to district and provincial offices.The weather bulletins, which will be produced by the Division of Climatology and Agro-meteorology ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Electricity generation looks set to take a leading role in supplying Laos with foreign exchange in the coming years, according to data from the Bank of the Lao PDR.The central bank released its latest annual economic report recently, providing readers with ...

A press conference was held last Friday at Vientiane’s Talat Sao (Morning Market) Mall to inform the public of the future of the market and mall complex, which has been uncertain for some years.The press conference was held by Mr. Atsaphangthong Siphandone, Vice Mayor of ...

(KPL) The Department of Bridges and Roads has said it needs 1,200 billion kip to implement 20 projects and 148 contracts on road repair and construction nationwide.Of the needed funding, 869 billion kip is needed for road repair and renovation, 251 billion kip for road ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The European Union (EU) will continue to add more than 135 billion kip (14 million euros) for the ‘Basic Education Support Programme in Laos’ to help the nation achieve its education development plans.This was the message delivered during a visit to ...

Mahosot Hospital is cooperating with experts from Asean countries including Thailand aiming to improve treatment for patients with gastrointestinal problems.The cooperation aims to improve treatment by developing local doctors’ skills in the use of new endoscopy equipment to respond to the increasing number of gastrointestinal ...

(Mark Field, Minister for Asia and the Pacific of the United Kingdom)(KPL) During my very recent first visit to Laos, I was briefed by the Mine Action Group (MAG) and The Halo Trust (HALO) about the state of UXO clearance in Laos, and I spent ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The second Sustainable Tourism Solutions Expo opened in Vientiane on Friday, following on from last year’s well received inaugural event in Luang Prabang province.The expo is the region’s leading specialised fair for the tourism industry to celebrate, explore, and exhibit the latest ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Finance has ruled that village authorities have no right to impose their budget plans independently as they are part of the state administration and subject to implementing the budget law.Minister of Finance, Mr Somdy Douangdy signed the ministerial decision ...

Last week, Vientiane played host to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s High Level Conference on Transnational Organised Crime in Laos and the Mekong Region. The UNODC brought together senior Lao officials, international partners, and select experts from neighbouring Mekong countries.The conference agenda was focused ...

(KPL) The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a three-week training course on “Basic English Language and Communication Skills” For 31 Lao government officials from 13 to 31 August 2018.More ...

At least 140 families from eight villages in the Khong district of southwestern Laos’ Champasak province are refusing to sell their land or relocate to make way for a special economic zone planned for their area.Despite this, developers have begun the hasty construction of an ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry achieved its 2018 target by creating an additional 153,000 hectares of agricultural land that can be farmed in the dry season.This figure equals an 83 percent expansion of dry season farmland land.In a recent report, ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Chinese investors and companies will soon be able to conduct transactions through the Alipay system in Laos.The Lao Development Bank (LDB) entered into an agreement with KIWI Company Limited on July 30 to roll out the service.KIWI is a leading Fintech ...

Three free smartphone applications designed by Cambodian women to help reduce gender-based violence in the country were launched by The Asia Foundation on Monday. ...