News
Lao ministry takes aim at underhand tour operators

Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Management Department is working with local authorities and other sectors towards more efficient management of tour operators. The move comes after the Lao Association of Travel Agents asked the department to step in and address the problem of tour ...
Japan extends support for water supply management in Laos
The Japanese government has provided further support to improve the operations of water supply state enterprises in Vientiane and the provinces of Luang Prabang and Khammuan. The Department of Housing and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and the Public Enterprise Bureau, Saitama ...
Obama plans to visit Laos
United States President Barack Obama plans to visit Laos next year to attend a regional economic summit, making him the first American president to visit that country. Keep reading ...
Proposed Xayaboury airport still up in the air
The go ahead for construction of a new airport in Xayaboury province is still awaiting government approval with no decision in sight. The provincial Public Works and Transport Department sent plans for a new airport to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport earlier this year. A ...
ASEAN nations call for scientific, technological innovation
The 70th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN COST-70), currently taking place in Vientiane, has emphasised that shortcomings in scientific and technological development need to be urgently addressed. The committee was established in 1978 and has become the focal point and driving force of ...
Lao Ministry sets target yields for agriculture
The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is asking farmers around the country to grow 4.2 million tonnes of rice this fiscal year, seeking to boost commercial production and ensure food security. According to the figures provided by the ministry, 2.1 million tonnes of the total ...
Proposed Xayaboury airport still up in the air
The go ahead for construction of a new airport in Laos’ Xayaboury province is still awaiting government approval with no decision in sight. The provincial Public Works and Transport Department sent plans for a new airport to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport earlier this ...
Vietnam worries about possible outbreak after Laos reports 11 diphtheria deaths

Health officials are concerned that the diphtheria outbreaks in Laos can spread to Vietnam, saying remote areas along the border where vaccination coverage rates are not high are particularly vulnerable. A statement from the Preventive Health Department at the health ministry said Laos has reported diphtheria ...
EU must secure Lao pledge to improve rights record during dialogue: Rights groups

The European Union must pressure the Lao government to make “firm commitments” during bilateral human rights talks set for later this week in Vientiane, according to Paris-based rights group International Federation for Human Rights. The EU should demand assurances from Laos that it will improve its ...
Plans firm up for Lao education development
Senior education officials and development partners gathered in Vientiane for a meeting of the Education Sector Working Group to endorse the sub-sector plan of the education sector development plan for 2016-20 before submission to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Another key objective of the meeting ...