Vietnam Breaks Ground on Expressway to Connect Vientiane

On 18 May, Vietnam began the construction of a 60-kilometer Expressway section in Nghe An Province connecting to the Laos border, in a long-planned corridor that will connect the capitals of two Southeast Asian nations.  According to Vietnamese media, the Vinh–Thanh Thuy section runs from the Hung Tay interchange in Nghe An to the Thanh Thuy-Nam On border gate in Xaychamphhone district, Bolikhamxay Province, Laos.  Costing USD 910 million and due for completion by 2029, the four-lane road is being built by a consortium led by Deo Ca Group, with the possibility of future expansion to six lanes. The project forms part of a broader corridor agreed upon by the Vietnamese and...

Economy

Vietnam Breaks Ground on Expressway to Connect Vientiane

On 18 May, Vietnam began the construction of a 60-kilometer Expressway section in Nghe An Province connecting to the Laos border, in a long-planned corridor that will connect the...

Bank of Laos Maintains 7-Day Base Interest Rate at 8% Amid Rising Inflation

The Bank of Laos (BOL) confirmed it will maintain its 7-day base interest rate at 8 percent per annum following a half-day Monetary Policy Committee meeting on 18 May. Chaired...

Laos Signs Concession for 80MW Xekaman 4 Hydropower Project to Export Power to Vietnam

Laos has formalized a build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession for the 80-megawatt Xekaman 4 Hydropower Project in Sekong province, with all electricity generated designated for export to Vietnam. The agreement, signed on...

Officials Link Pig Farm Wastewater to Mass Fish Deaths in Vientiane Province

Authorities in Vientiane Province have identified untreated wastewater from a pig farm as the primary cause behind the mass fish deaths reported along the Nam Cheng river in Viengkham...

Laos Hydropower Firm EDL-Gen Rebounds to Profit in 2025

Electricité du Laos (EDL) Generation Public Company,  known as EDL-Gen, reported a financial comeback, recording a net profit of LAK 1.8 billion (USD 82.9 million) in 2025 after two...

Thai, British Scientists Identify Southeast Asia’s Largest Dinosaur in Thailand

British and Thai scientists have identified a new species of giant dinosaur from fossil remains discovered in Thailand, with researchers calling it the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast...

Travel

Remains of 37 People Discovered in Giant Stone Jar in Xieng Khouang

A new excavation on Laos’ mysterious Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang has uncovered the densely packed bones of at least 37 people inside a single giant stone jar, offering the clearest evidence yet of how these ancient monuments were used. Dr. Nicholas Skopal of James Cook University, Australia, in collaboration with Souilya Bounxayhip from the Lao Department of Heritage, led the discovery, which was first published in the journal Antiquity on 17 May. Researchers describe it as one of the most consequential findings in nearly a century of investigation into the site. The jar, located northeast of Phonsavan in Xieng Khouang Province, stands 1.3 metres high and over 2 metres...

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

Laos Signs Concession for 80MW Xekaman 4 Hydropower Project to Export Power to Vietnam

Laos has formalized a build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession for the 80-megawatt Xekaman 4 Hydropower Project in Sekong province, with all electricity generated designated for export to Vietnam. The agreement, signed on 15 March, involves the Viet-Laos Electricity Joint Stock Company and Vietnam’s Xekaman 4 Electric Power Company. Xekaman 4 is the latest development in the Xekaman cascade, which includes Xekaman 1, 2, and 3, collectively strengthening Laos’ hydropower output along the Sekong River. Officials said the new plant will employ modern turbines...

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

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on 19 to 20 May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping,...

Laos Eyes China’s Hainan Port as New Trade Gateway

Laos is looking to China’s Hainan province as a potential maritime gateway to expand international trade, according to comments...

Russia Considers First Fuel Shipment to Laos

Russia is weighing its first-ever delivery of petroleum products to Laos, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced Saturday,...

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...

Feature

Jojo Miracle Brings Lao Music to International Stage in Manila

A return to the stage after years away from releasing music has taken Lao artist Jojo Miracle to one of Southeast Asia’s major international music festivals, where he performed in front of thousands of fans in Manila this April. Jojo represented Laos at the 2026 ROUND ASEAN-Korea Music Festival, held at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines from 18 to 19 April. The event brought together artists from ASEAN countries and South Korea as part of a regional cultural and music exchange program. For Jojo, the opportunity came unexpectedly. After spending recent years focused more on behind-the-scenes work than releasing new songs, he said he did not expect to be selected alongside artists with major international followings. “To be honest, I didn’t think I would be chosen, a lot of the artists are very popular now, but I still sent my profile anyway,” he said.   Jojo said he submitted his portfolio to the festival team in late 2025 without expecting a response. At the time, he had not released new music in nearly five years and largely focused on work behind the scenes of performing. It came as a surprise, but he accepted the...

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

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

Laos Eyes China’s Hainan Port as New Trade Gateway

Laos is looking to China’s Hainan province as a...

Russia Considers First Fuel Shipment to Laos

Russia is weighing its first-ever delivery of petroleum products...

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

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

Thailand, Cambodia Resume Direct Talks as ASEAN Pushes for De-escalation

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to continue direct negotiations and...