News
Mekong locals seek a voice on Don Sahong

More than 6,400 residents of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia have signed and thumb-printed a statement on the Don Sahong Dam project, airing concerns ranging from the river’s diminishing fish stocks to the lack of transparency of the Mekong River Commission. The statement, presented last week at ...
US surpasses Laos to become Vietnam’s biggest overseas investment destination

The U.S. has overtaken Laos to become the most attractive place for Vietnamese foreign investment in the first nine months of this year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The North American country attracted $101.4 million out of ...
Mekong nations launch Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework

The Mekong River has always been an important trade route between Western China and Southeast Asia flowing through six different countries. The six foreign ministers met for the first time to frame a cooperation mechanism, agreeing to launch significant projects to enhance water resources, public health, ...
China, Laos to build $6.3 bln railway project by 2020
China aims to complete laying a 418-kilometre (260-mile) railway from a border town to Laos by 2020, the official China Economic Herald reported, as the economic giant seeks a new route into the emerging markets of Southeast Asia. The two countries agreed on 13 November to jointly ...
Vietnamese Deputy PM highlights importance of Mekong countries' partnership

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has highlighted that co-operation among upper and lower Mekong countries for the sustainable management and use of the Mekong River should be the top priority for the Mekong-Lancang partnership. Speaking at the first Mekong-Lancang Foreign Ministers’ ...
Thousands sign petition against Mekong dam construction

Huynh Thi Kim Duyen said her community in Ca Mau Province has seen a significant decline in fish stocks and water levels in the Mekong River in the past decade. Duyen is among thousands of people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand who have signed off on ...
Casio pins faith on Thailand for ASEAN expansion
Tokyo-based Casio Computer Co, a maker of consumer electronics, is committed to investing in Thailand so that it can use the country as a springboard for expansion in Myanmar and Laos. “We [Casio in Japan] are considering expanding our business into other ASEAN members including Myanmar and ...
Vietnam plans Hanoi-Vientiane highway project: report

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has started a feasibility study on a 760-kilometer highway to connect Hanoi and Vientiane, local media reported on 11 November. The study conducted by Transport Engineering Design Inc. will help decide whether the route should pass through Nghe An or Ha Tinh, two central ...
50% increase in Myanmar-Thai border trade
Yangon – Myanmar-Thai border trade value from April to October increased by 50 per cent to US$601.73 million, according to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry. Keep reading ...
Myanmar's election good for ASEAN: Surin
The November 8 election in Myanmar marked a good start for the country as well as Asean, said Surin Pitsuwan, former secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Keep reading ...