Laos supports the strengthening of maritime cooperation between Asean and India to drive socio-economic cooperation between both sides and beyond, the country’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has said.More ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Planning and Investment has informed Vientiane and provincial authorities of the key documents to be complied with in efforts to improve the ease of doing business and investment in Laos.More ...

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Officials from China and Laos today marked the official launch of the $5.9 billion railway connecting the two nations, officially completing the first link of a long-envisioned rail line connecting southwest China with Singapore. The project will no doubt bring an economic jolt to Vientiane ...

Edible insects first sparked international attention in 2013 when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a reportreferring to them as one way to solve the global food shortage.At that time, FAO noted that insects as food and feed emerge as an especially relevant issue in ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – While there has been steady growth in services, authorities are concerned the sector’s contribution to the economy is insufficient given that most of the supporting inputs are imports.This year the government had expected the service sector to grow at about seven ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Government officials from the southern provinces came together in Pakxe this week to discuss the mapping of the risks and impacts related to climate change, aiming to give farmers more accurate information.The two-day meeting on participatory mapping of agricultural livelihoods and ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) plans to resume granting permission for microfinance businesses from March after suspending the clearance of such units in 2017.Entrepreneurs interested in setting up non-deposit taking microfinance businesses, money transfer services, leasing enterprises and pawn ...

A developer has signed a US$692 million loan agreement to finance the 600MW “Monsoon Wind Power Project” in Laos, the largest in Southeast Asia, according to media reports.Thailand-based Impact Electrons Siam Limited (IES), Asia-Pacific’s leading renewable energy solutions provider, as the developer of the project ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – Vientiane is making a strong contribution to the country’s efforts to restore forest cover to 70 percent of the total land area by the end of next year, a forestry official has said.Director of Vientiane’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Sayla ...

Only a third of the workers employed in special and specific economic zones (SEZs) are Lao, with a lack of skills being among the issues depriving local folk of job opportunities in industrial parks, a recent survey has revealed. As many as 12 SEZs have been ...

Individuals and legal entities who do not run a financial institution should not be permitted to operate currency exchange businesses as their operation has affected the value of the national currency. National Assembly (NA)’s members made the suggestion when debating the amendment draft to the Law ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – High levels of childhood malnutrition present a staggering, yet avoidable, loss of human and economic potential for Laos, according to the World Bank.Nationally, stunting affects over one third of all Lao children under the age of five, the Bank said in ...

Agriculture is expected to grow by 2.0% this year, while electricity generation is expected to increase by 8%, with mining outputs projected to decline by 2.0%.Economic growth for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is expected to moderate in 2018, as agriculture and mining ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The unusually low level of the Nam Ngum river is creating uncertainty about adequate water supplies for agriculture this dry season and is already affecting electricity generation at the Nam Ngum 1 hydro plant.Referring to a recent interview with the Vice ...

UNICEF Lao PDR has provided loudspeakers, amplifiers and microphones to the Lao Women’s Union to raise awareness at the community level about COVID-19 and safety measures to prevent it.The supplies were supported with funding from the United States Government through the U.S. Agency for International ...

Mahosot Hospital is cooperating with experts from Asean countries including Thailand aiming to improve treatment for patients with hearing loss. This included cochlear surgery training for local medical personnel on Friday which was conducted by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon from Trang Hospital in ...

Venue: Khammuan ProvinceDuration: in February (or the third lunar month of the Lao calendar)(KPL) Sikhottabong Stupa festival is held annually during the full moon in February and it is celebrated over several days. Sikhottabong stupa is a piece of old architecture in Thakhek District, Khammuan ...

The government has announced it will examine the safety standards applied to the construction of hydropower dams across the country following the deadly disaster caused by the collapse of a dam in Attapeu province.More ...

(KPL) Bamboo is an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) in the context of the livelihood of the poor in the Lao PDR. Next to self-sustaining purpose (home consumption shoots, construction material) it has an additional economic value.More ...