News
Laos, China railway groundbreaking set for 2 December
A groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of a high-profile rail project linking Vientiane with the Chinese border is scheduled to take place on 2 December– the day the Lao People’s Democratic Republic marks its 40th anniversary. The governments of Laos and China signed an agreement ...
Laos' Party Congress set to convene in January
The 10th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party – the country’s top political congress is expected to convene in January next year to elect a new Party leadership, discuss and adopt national development roadmaps for the next five years. The Central Committee of the Party’s ...
Laos, China confirm railway launch date
The Lao and Chinese governments have signed an agreement to officially launch the construction of a new 418 kilometre railway next month. The agreement to begin the long-delayed project was signed on Friday in Beijing, the Vientiane Times online reported on 18 November. Keep reading ...
Thailand still a top-10 Apec choice
Thailand lags behind arch rivals Vietnam and Indonesia as a top investment destination of Apec business leaders over the next 12 months. This finding was reported in PwC’s “2015 Apec CEO Survey: CEO Confidence in Asia Pacific Shaken but Strong”. Keep reading ...
Delayed post-election talks put transition in doubt
President U Thein Sein appears to have delayed indefinitely a meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the transfer of power to a new government following her party’s landslide election victory. A representative of the president says talks with the National League for Democracy ...
Vietnam eases restriction on import of used machinery
Vietnam has introduced a new policy that will allow local companies to bring in machinery that have been in use overseas for less than 10 years, effectively easing a restriction on machines older than five years. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the new ...
Camp residents look to NLD win for better future
Internally displaced persons living in camps on the outskirts of Sittwe have expressed hope the National League for Democracy’s election landslide will pave the way to ensuring their human rights and ending discrimination against them, saying little has improved in the three years since the ...
Myanmar government drives up budget deficit with additional spending
President U Thein Sein’s outgoing government has submitted a supplementary budget request to parliament of K2.464 trillion (US$1.92 billion) with the defence ministry in line to receive the largest allocation, while health and education spending remain close to the bottom of the list. If approved by ...
More Vietnam hospitals capable of treating dengue
Within seven days of being treated at Binh Chanh District Hospital’s paediatrics ward, a 13-year boy diagnosed with dengue fever was able to return home, fully recovered, a testament to the hospital’s improved capacity to treat the disease. Dr To Thi Kim Phung, the ward’s head, ...
Vietnamese exporters ponder ways to penetrate new markets
The US and Latin American countries have huge demand for products made by sectors in which Vietnamese companies have advantages, but they need to study these markets carefully to enter them, a forum heard in Ho Chi Minh City on 17 November. They also need to ...