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Mobile Phones Fuel Surge in Savings: What the Global Trend Means for Laos

More adults than ever in low- and middle-income countries now have bank or other financial accounts, leading to a rise in formal saving, according to the World Bank Group’s Global Findex 2025 report.  This momentum in financial inclusion is creating new economic opportunities.  Mobile-phone technology played a key role in the surge, with 10 percent of adults in developing economies using a mobile-money account to save, a 5-percentage point increase from 2021.  The global shift toward digital finance is now raising questions and hopes about its potential to reshape financial inclusion in Laos. The report, released last week, shows that 40 percent of adults in low- and middle-income countries saved money in...

Economy

Mobile Phones Fuel Surge in Savings: What the Global Trend Means for Laos

More adults than ever in low- and middle-income countries now have bank or other financial accounts, leading to a rise in formal saving, according to the World Bank Group’s...

Vietnamese Company to Grow Coffee, Durian, Blueberries in Pakxong

On 16 July, Champasak Province signed a land concession agreement with Lao-Viet Agriculture Company Limited, allowing the company to farm coffee, durian, and blueberries on 50.4 hectares of land...

Lao Government to Renegotiate Hydropower Deals Amid Public Outcry Over Electricity Prices

The Lao government has announced plans to renegotiate electricity purchasing agreements with hydropower companies in response to growing public anger over rising power bills.  This decision comes after widespread backlash...

Laos Wind Farm to Begin Full Operation in Late August, Says Sekong’s Deputy Governor

Commercial operations of the Monsoon Wind Project, Laos’s first and Southeast Asia’s largest onshore wind farm, are expected to begin by late August or early September. Deputy Governor of Sekong...

Laos Makes Steady Progress in Poverty Eradication, Several Districts Declared Poverty-Free

Laos continues to make significant strides in poverty eradication, with multiple districts across the country being officially declared poverty-free, bringing the nation closer to its goal of graduating from...

Thailand Postpones Tourism Tax Again, Now Unlikely Before 2026

Thailand’s long-anticipated “Tourism tax,” often referred to as the “land entry tax,” has been delayed once again, with officials now targeting the second or third quarter of 2026 for...

Travel

Thailand Postpones Tourism Tax Again, Now Unlikely Before 2026

Thailand’s long-anticipated “Tourism tax,” often referred to as the “land entry tax,” has been delayed once again, with officials now targeting the second or third quarter of 2026 for implementation. On 14 July, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Jakraphon Tangsutthitham announced that 2025 would not be an appropriate time to begin collecting the THB 300 (approx. USD 9.26)  fee, citing “uncontrollable external factors” affecting the tourism industry. The deputy minister emphasized that the timeline requires adjustment, with the Ministry planning to closely monitor international tourist demand during the high season quarters of 2025 before making any final decisions. A Four-Year Journey of Delays, Reversals The tourist entry fee concept originated in 2021...

ASEAN Rail Tourism Corridor Takes Center Stage at Mekong Tourism Forum 2025

Laos hosted the Mekong Tourism Forum 2025 in Luang Prabang from 24 to 27 June, spotlighting the proposed ASEAN Rail Tourism Corridor (ARTC) as a key initiative to boost regional travel and connectivity. Held...

Vientiane Launches Sustainable Tourism Initiative with Innovative Technology for Growth

The Lao government has announced plans to boost tourism in Vientiane Capital with the theme "Vientiane's Sustainable Tourism," The initiative aims to incorporate innovative technologies into tourism management and create new attractions for...

Health & Environment

Vientiane Approves Stricter Waste Management Rules With Fines for Violators

The Vientiane Capital People’s Council has approved a new Agreement on Waste Management and Disposal, introducing sweeping reforms and stricter penalties aimed at reducing illegal dumping and improving environmental conditions across the capital. Passed during the provincial council meeting on 10 July, the regulation offers a step toward a cleaner and more sustainable city. The newly enacted agreement introduces a tiered system of penalties based on the amount and type of waste involved.  Individuals or organizations that improperly discard less than one...

Sport

From Comeback to Glory: Lao Boxer Soukan Taypanyavong Claims International Title

As hundreds of voices erupted around the boxing ring, anticipation surged through the arena. It was the moment Soukan “Nong Oh” Taypanyavong had been training for, a battle that would decide whether years...

Laos Wins Two Medals at ASEAN Jujitsu Championship

The Lao National Jujitsu Team won a silver and a bronze medal at the 2nd ASEAN Regional Championship held in the Philippines from 12 to 13 July. Khamkeo Vilayphone won the silver medal in...

Politics

Cambodia Targets Cross-Border Crime with Mass Arrests, Signs Pact with Laos to Combat Scams, Drug Trafficking

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,362 individuals, including hundreds of foreign nationals, in a sweeping 20-day crackdown on...

Lao Authorities Arrest 59 Vietnamese Nationals in Fraud Crackdown

Lao and Vietnamese police have arrested 59 Vietnamese nationals involved in a high-tech fraud ring based in the Golden...

Laos Debunks Rumors of Sending Troops to Fight in Ukraine

Laos has refuted recent claims circulating in “several foreign news outlets” alleging that Laos is preparing to send troops...

Lao Prime Minister Receives Japan’s Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

The Japanese Emperor awarded Lao Prime Minister (PM) Sonexay Siphandone the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising...

Feature

Cambodia Targets Cross-Border Crime with Mass Arrests, Signs Pact with Laos to Combat Scams, Drug Trafficking

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,362 individuals, including hundreds of foreign nationals, in a sweeping 20-day crackdown on online scam operations across seven provinces and the capital.  The campaign, launched under the directive of Prime Minister Hun Manet, marks the country's largest coordinated action to date against cybercrime and forced labor networks. The operation, spanning from 27 June to 16 July, followed the first meeting of the newly formed Commission for Combating Cybercrime and a government directive signed on 14 July. The crackdown targeted 20 known locations across Phnom Penh, Kandal, Sihanoukville, Kampong Speu, Banteay Meanchey, Kratie, and Pursat provinces. According to a July 17 report from the Commission's Secretariat, the Unified Command under the 25 Capital-Provincial Administrations spearheaded the operations, seizing hundreds of computers, phones, weapons, drugs, and other materials linked to fraudulent activities.  Authorities arrested suspects of various nationalities, including 347 Vietnamese, 271 Indonesians, 226 Chinese, and dozens from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, with suspicion that a few Lao nationals were also caught in the crackdown. In response, Cambodia and Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 15 July to deepen cooperation on transnational crimes and drug trafficking,...

Cambodia Targets Cross-Border Crime with Mass Arrests, Signs Pact with Laos to Combat Scams, Drug Trafficking

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,362 individuals, including...

Lao Authorities Arrest 59 Vietnamese Nationals in Fraud Crackdown

Lao and Vietnamese police have arrested 59 Vietnamese nationals...

Laos Debunks Rumors of Sending Troops to Fight in Ukraine

Laos has refuted recent claims circulating in “several foreign...

Lao Prime Minister Receives Japan’s Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

The Japanese Emperor awarded Lao Prime Minister (PM) Sonexay...

Hun Sen Calls for Halt to Thai Imports and Film Screenings Amid Renewed Tensions

Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen has called for an...

Linyi Goods at Vietnam Expo Boost Sino-Viet Trade Ties

HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire...

F88 earns Gold Level Certification for Client Protection

HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 18...

Trend Micro Celebrates 20th Consecutive Recognition as a Leader in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Endpoint Protection Platforms

Threat intelligence and security capabilities continue to outpace threatsHONG...