Vientiane Rolls Out New Tourism Plans to Keep Visitors Around Longer, as Laos Launches Travel App

Vientiane is planning new tourism routes, evening attractions, and a city pass to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more locally, while a new Lao Travel app will give tourists a way to book accommodation, transport, and other services. The push comes as Vientiane’s tourism sector posted strong results in 2025.  The Tourism Development Department Vientiane Capital reported the city welcomed more than 2.2 million visitors last year, generating over USD 621 million in revenue and surpassing its targets of 2 million visitors and USD 600 million. To sustain the growth, the authorities have organized new tourism routes around “Slow Tourism & Cultural Heritage.”Authorities have grouped four inner routes covering spiritual...

Economy

Bolikhamxay 100 MW Solar Project Moves Ahead as Laos Expands Solar Power

A 100-megawatt (MW) solar project in Bolikhamxay is moving ahead, with developers meeting local communities on 18 September to discuss the planned plant. The project will cover 140.23 hectares in...

Laos, Thailand Move Forward With Plans for New Friendship Bridge Linking Vientiane, Loei

Laos and Thailand are studying a possible new Friendship Bridge linking Vientiane Province with Loei Province. The proposed crossing is now in the feasibility and planning stage. The bridge would...

African Swine Fever Spreads Across Laos, Leaves Thousands of Pigs Dead or Culled

African swine fever has spread across Laos, with 11,369 pigs dead or culled since the outbreak began in Xayabouly Province in June. The virus has since reached Phongsaly, Houaphanh, Xaysomboun,...

Attapeu Dam Collapse Survivors Set to Receive Final Compensation After Eight Years

Eight years after the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam in Attapeu collapsed, killing dozens and displacing thousands in southern Laos, affected families are set to receive the final round of...

Lao, Chinese Energy Firms to Study Battery Storage System for Laos Power Grid

On 11 September, Électricité du Laos (EDL) and Chinese energy company Shenzhen Yichu Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd. exchanged an agreement to study battery energy storage systems in Laos. The...

Vietnam-Backed Bauxite Project in Laos Moves Toward 2028 Production

A major bauxite project in southern Laos is moving closer to production, with Lao and Vietnamese officials now turning their attention to the environmental risks and community impacts of...

Travel

Vientiane Rolls Out New Tourism Plans to Keep Visitors Around Longer, as Laos Launches Travel App

Vientiane is planning new tourism routes, evening attractions, and a city pass to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more locally, while a new Lao Travel app will give tourists a way to book accommodation, transport, and other services. The push comes as Vientiane’s tourism sector posted strong results in 2025.  The Tourism Development Department Vientiane Capital reported the city welcomed more than 2.2 million visitors last year, generating over USD 621 million in revenue and surpassing its targets of 2 million visitors and USD 600 million. To sustain the growth, the authorities have organized new tourism routes around “Slow Tourism & Cultural Heritage.”Authorities have grouped four inner routes covering spiritual...

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...

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...

Health & Environment

African Swine Fever Spreads Across Laos, Leaves Thousands of Pigs Dead or Culled

African swine fever has spread across Laos, with 11,369 pigs dead or culled since the outbreak began in Xayabouly Province in June. The virus has since reached Phongsaly, Houaphanh, Xaysomboun, Luang Prabang and Vientiane Capital, prompting authorities to impose tighter controls on the movement of pigs and pork products. Vehicles carrying pigs or pork products must undergo disinfection to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. People who violate the restrictions could face fines or legal action. As of 15 September, African swine...

Sport

Laos Prepares For ASEAN Para Games With 12-Sport Bid

Laos is preparing to compete in 12 sports at the 14th ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur next October. The Lao team has proposed entering athletics, swimming, powerlifting, boccia, women’s goalball, men’s blind football,...

Young Lao Chess Team Wins 12 Medals from Singapore

Laos continues working to develop chess among younger generations.  A group of young Lao players has returned from Singapore with 12 medals after gaining international experience against competitors from across Asia and beyond. Team Laos...

Politics

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signing a declaration of accession in...

Laos Warns of Lasting Toll at Vientiane Meeting as Cluster Munition Use Rises Worldwide

Laos is hosting the Convention on Cluster Munitions’ Third Review Conference 16 years after it hosted the First Meeting...

Vientiane Court Hands Life Sentences to Former Bank Employees in Major Corruption Cases

A court in Vientiane gave life sentences to several former bank employees for corruption. The charges included abusing power,...

Laos, Kazakhstan Seek New Railway Links to Expand Trade

Laos and Kazakhstan are exploring new railway and logistics links that could open a trade route between Southeast Asia,...

Feature

Seven Lao Artists Are Taking Life Advice From Cats

Cats spend much of their day sleeping, stretching in the sun, at times hunting, or just watching the world go by. For a group of Lao artists, those habits have become the inspiration for art. Life feels busier than ever, and Laos is no exception. Seven artists in Laos have turned to cats to explore what many people seem to be searching for today: a little more freedom, self-acceptance and joy in the ordinary moments of everyday life. Their exhibition, Like a Cat's Tiny Life, running until 31 July at The Tamper Coffee & Studio in Vientiane, brings together paintings, illustrations and photography that ask a simple question: what can people learn from slowing down? Why Cats? “All seven of us wanted to create a small space filled with warmth through stories about cats. We wanted people to experience life through the artists’ small perspectives on cats,” artist Fanta Keomanila told The Laotian Times. For him, cats represent independence. He described them as animals that follow their own way, sleeping and resting when they choose and finding happiness in simple moments such as watching birds or lying in the warm sun, rather than conforming to...

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the...

Laos Warns of Lasting Toll at Vientiane Meeting as Cluster Munition Use Rises Worldwide

Laos is hosting the Convention on Cluster Munitions’ Third...

Laos, Kazakhstan Seek New Railway Links to Expand Trade

Laos and Kazakhstan are exploring new railway and logistics...

Thongloun Pushes Multilateralism at SCO Summit, Deepens India, Kyrgyzstan Ties

President Thongloun Sisoulith attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)...

UnionPay Showcases at the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 22 September...

Galaxy Macau Unveils Dream Voyage @ Galaxy Resort: Gao Xiaowu’s Art Exhibition

An immersive journey through dreams, gratitude and love, complemented...

Hong Kong Green Building Council “My Green Space” Student Competition 2026-2027

Focusing on “Nature-Positive” Concept: Inviting the Education Sector to...