Lao Buddhist Organization Tightens Social Media Guidelines

The Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organization has issued new nationwide guidelines governing how monks use social media, highlighting growing concerns about online conduct as digital platforms become increasingly embedded in religious life. The notice, issued on 2 June, also applies to other religious practitioners including novices, white-robed male devotees, and white-robed female devotees across the country. While it does not prohibit the use of social media platforms, it outlines a series of restrictions intended to preserve religious discipline and the public image of Buddhism. Under the new rules, religious practitioners are prohibited from promoting superstitions, making claims of supernatural powers for personal gain, posting inappropriate photos or videos, livestreaming commercial activities, or...

Economy

Laos, Thailand Sign New Cross-Border Fuel Supply Deal

Laos has secured a formal petroleum supply agreement with Thailand’s state-backed PTT Group, reinforcing fuel security amid uncertainty in regional energy markets. The Lao State Fuel Company signed the cross-border...

Vang Vieng Gears Up for USD-216M Tourism Overhaul as Old Airport Transforms

Preparations are underway for a USD 216 million tourism complex at the old airfield in Vang Vieng. Lao Yijin Group Co., Ltd. is leading the project, which received government approval...

Bank of Laos Responds to EU Sanctions Against Lao Bank

The Bank of Laos (BOL) has publicly addressed European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on the Joint Development Bank (JDB), which threatened the bank’s international operations. The EU announced on 14...

Laos Inflation Drops to 9 Percent, But Living Costs Remain High

Laos recorded an inflation rate of 9 percent in May, down from 10.2 percent in April, marking the first slowdown in consumer price growth in recent months, according to...

Laos, Cambodia Advance ASEAN Power Grid

On 25 May, Laos and Cambodia signed a joint framework agreement in Phnom Penh to launch a feasibility study on a cross-border power grid interconnection.  The goal is to advance...

European Union Sanctions Lao Bank JDB Over Alleged Russia Ties

The European Union has sanctioned the Lao-based Joint Development Bank (JDB), marking the first time the bloc has targeted a Lao financial institution as part of its measures against...

Travel

Investors Receive Clearance For Feasibility Study on Vang Vieng Tourism Complex

Vang Vieng may already be a tourist hotspot, but the small town might become an even bigger tourist attraction in the future. Yijin Construction Engineering Lao Co., Ltd. has expressed interest in developing a tourism complex on an outdated airfield in the frequently traveled city, anticipating even more annual tourist traffic. On Tuesday, the provincial authorities agreed that the Chinese-owned company could start a feasibility study for the project, which will take about a year to conclude. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the authorities and the company on February 28, the project site covers 15 hectares. The airfield occasionally serves as a landing site for helicopters carrying senior government...

Laos Targets 6 Million Visitors in 2026 as Chinese Arrivals Projected at 2 Million

Laos expects to welcome between 5 and 6 million international tourists in 2026, with Chinese visitors projected to account for around 2 million of that total, according to government estimates. The numbers will be...

International Tourism in Laos Surges 13 Percent in First 10 Months of 2025

Laos welcomed nearly 3.8 million international tourists in the first ten months of 2025, a 13 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. In figures released on 7 December, the Tourism Development...

Health & Environment

UXO Clearance Uncovers 36 Explosives in Vientiane Province

A bomb clearance operation in Kasi district, Vientiane province, has uncovered 36 unexploded Authorities in Kasi district, Vientiane province, have uncovered 36 unexploded ordnance (UXO) items as Laos continues efforts to remove explosive remnants and make land safe for communities. Operations began in early May, targeting more than 18 hectares of land. So far, teams have cleared 41,847 square meters, roughly 23 percent of the planned area. Officials expect the project to be completed by the end of 2026, after...

Sport

Laos Calls on Vietnam for 2031 SEA Games Hosting Preparations

Laos has requested Vietnam’s support in sports development and athlete training as the country prepares to host the 36th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2031 as this is the country's second time staging...

Laos to Host Its First-Ever World Bodybuilding Championships in December

Laos will host the 17th World Bodybuilding Championships, a first in the country's sport history. The event, approved by the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF), will take place from 3 to 9...

Politics

Bank of Laos Responds to EU Sanctions Against Lao Bank

The Bank of Laos (BOL) has publicly addressed European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on the Joint Development Bank (JDB),...

ASEAN Pushes Shared Fuel Reserve as Laos Emerges Central to Regional Energy Plans

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are discussing a regional fuel reserve system following recent oil...

International Cave Diving Experts Join Xaysomboun Rescue Mission as Two Villagers Remain Trapped

International cave diving specialists from several countries are joining rescue efforts in Xaysomboun as the high-risk operation inside a...

To Lam Visits Thailand to Strengthen Vietnam-Thai Relations

Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in Thailand on 27 May for an official visit aimed at...

Feature

Former Vang Vieng Airport to Become Tourist Destination

Earlier this week, Vientiane Province signed an agreement with Yijin Engineering & Construction Lao Company, authorizing the latter to invest USD $200 million into developing the former Vang Vieng airport into a tourist destination. Attending the signing ceremony were Vidong Sayasone, Vientiane Province Governor, Vientiane Province Planning and Investment Department Director Soukun Vilayrath, Ichin Engineering & Construction Lao Company President Liu Phuc Quang, and other local government officials. "Immediately after this auspicious signing ceremony, our firm is already preparing to contract a company capable of designing an entire commercial tourism space consisting of a 5-star hotel, a hospital, a tourism academy, and a multi-ethnic cultural theater, among others. The site of the project will be the former Vang Vieng airport, covering a land area of 16.24 hectares. The construction is expected to take 5 years, out of an overall 50-year concession from the government with an investment total of USD $200 million," says Liu Phuc Quang. "We expect tourism to boom in Vang Vieng when the Laos-China railway is complete. Travelers from China will be able to conveniently reach Vang Vieng since there will be a station here. We want to capitalize...

Bank of Laos Responds to EU Sanctions Against Lao Bank

The Bank of Laos (BOL) has publicly addressed European...

ASEAN Pushes Shared Fuel Reserve as Laos Emerges Central to Regional Energy Plans

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)...

International Cave Diving Experts Join Xaysomboun Rescue Mission as Two Villagers Remain Trapped

International cave diving specialists from several countries are joining...

To Lam Visits Thailand to Strengthen Vietnam-Thai Relations

Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in...

Putin Visit to China Caps Diplomatic Sequence Following US–China and Lao Engagements

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on 19...