News
Laos starts off as ASEAN chair with ministers' retreat
Laos kicks off its Asean chairmanship on 26 February with an agenda-setting foreign ministers’ retreat in Vientiane, its capital on the east bank of the Mekong River. Analysts say this year could be a coming of age for the “lower-middle income economy”, where poverty continues to be ...
China’s expanding influence in Laos
The recently signed Joint General Scheme of Mohan–Boten Economic Cooperation Zone is the first cross-border economic cooperation zone that China has established in Laos and, for that matter, in the whole of Southeast Asia. The deal hints at the Asian giant’s goal to expand its ...
Southeast Asian delegations jet into Laos for Foreign Minister's retreat
Top diplomats and delegations from across 10 countries commenced descent into the Lao capital Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat. Keep reading ...
Feasibility study for Laos-Vietnam railway begins
A feasibility study for a railway linking the Lao capital of Vientiane with Vung Ang seaport in central Ha Tinh province of Vietnam has begun, a senior Lao official has said. The study of the 550km-long rail line is set to take about two years to ...
Road upgrade to ease transport in Champassak, Attapeu
Rebuilding of Laos’ 106-km Road No. 18A, which links Road No. 13 South in Thangbaeng village, Pathoumphone district, Champassak province with Samakhixay district in Attapeu province, is on track and scheduled for completion in 2017. Work on the road began in 2013 after surveys were carried out, ...
Laos-US relations look to growing ties: US diplomat
Relations between Laos and the United States have been transforming towards growing ties, a US fellow and former US ambassador to Laos has noted. Adjunct Senior Fellow of the East-West Centre based in Hawaii, Charles B. Salmon Jr., made the comment during a recent meeting with ...
Lao satellite to open for business next month
Laos’ first telecommunications satellite (Lao Sat-1) will officially start business operations in March after successfully launching late last year and is keen to sign up government and private sector customers. Lao Sat-1 officials met in Vientiane on 23 February to introduce the satellite to potential government and ...
Laos aims for further strides in poverty reduction
Laos will further mobilise all of its untapped potential and step up cooperation with all stakeholders, backed by support from friendly countries, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The fight against poverty was the main focus of the Millennium Development Goals and continues to remain ...
Dirty trucks being targeted by traffic cops
Vientiane traffic police have begun to issue fines to sand, gravel and soil trucks that are leaving trails of dirt and dust through the city. Director of the Vientiane Traffic Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Youtthaphong Souvannasing, told Vientiane Times on 22 February that if police at traffic ...
Four million people to vote in National Assembly election
Some four million citizens out of Laos’ population of about 6.4 million are eligible to vote in the upcoming election of members of the National Assembly (NA)’s Eighth Legislature. The National Election Committee (NCE) made the announcement on 22 February when briefing the media about the progress ...
