News
Xayaboury set to become new transit hub
Xayaboury province is becoming a major transit hub for international tourists after the government upgraded a border crossing with Thailand to inter-national level, according to a senior provincial official. “We are becoming a new transit hub for international tourists coming to Laos,” the province’s Deputy Governor, ...
Vientiane Times
Clean, organic agriculture production set to expand
Expanding clean agriculture production to supply market demands together with improved international market access can serve to catalyse growth in the Lao organic produce sector, an audience including the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry was told on April 20. Director General of Department of Agriculture, ...
Over 200 families to relocate for Pakbaeng dam
Over 200 families in seven villages of Pakbaeng district in Oudomxay province are set to move to higher ground and new sites to make way for construction of the Pakbaeng hydropower project. The dam will be the third to be built on the Mekong River. It ...
Authorities hopeful of rebounding rubber price this year
Luang Namtha provincial authorities are hoping an increase in the world price of rubber will boost exports to China and local farmers’ incomes. The end of rubber tapping season October-November last year saw the price reach 8,000-9,000 kip a kg for raw rubber and this ...
Xayaboury to open forest as latest visitor attraction
Xayaboury province is opening up its largest forest as one of its visitor attractions, hoping to draw more people to experience its natural beauty and raise its profile as a tourist destination. Director of the province’s Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Mr Chanthi Simanichan, said ...
Xayaboury banana farms ordered to cease operations
Five companies with banana plantations in Xayaboury province have been ordered to stop growing the fruit, but can still plant other replacement crops in compliance with regulations. Four of the companies affected are Chinese backed with banana farms located around the villages of Phonthong, Namtuan, ...
Laos plans to promote traditional medicines
Laos plans to develop its human resources in the traditional medicine sector, seeking to capitalise on a broad base of traditional knowledge and a wide range of natural medicinal compounds. Lao peoples have had a long history in the use of traditional medicines in the ...
Ministry reviews progress in health sector
Ministry of Health officials and personnel from around the country met on January 16 in Vientiane to review the Health Sector Governance and Nutrition Programme for 2015-2016 and discuss plans for the year ahead. Participants reported the progress of their health activities and shared future ...
Luang Namtha targeting rubber for poverty reduction
Luang Namtha provincial authorities are allowing some poor families to grow rubber trees on their small allotments to discourage illegal plantings in forest conservation areas. An official from the provincial Planning and Investment Department, Mrs Phommy Somboun, told Vientiane Times on January 5 the policy was ...
Laos prepares for face-to-face EU FLEGT, VPA negotiations
The Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade technical working group on December 15 met in Vientiane to discuss finalised key parts of the draft timber definitions to be submitted to the European Union by the end of this month. The submission is crucial preparation for ...