Thai Travel YouTuber Hlun Solo Found Dead in Georgia After Weeks of Uncertainty

Thai travel YouTuber Hlun Solo has died in Georgia after disappearing during a solo trip earlier this month, Thai authorities confirmed on 29 July. Known online as Hlun Solo, Bowornthat built a loyal following by documenting his solo travels around the world. His YouTube channel has nearly one million subscribers. Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified the content creator as Bowornthat Pengsuk, also reported as Bavorntat Pengsook, and said it is working with the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara and Georgian authorities to return his body to Thailand for funeral rites. The confirmation came more than two weeks after Bowornthat's family lost contact with the 27-year-old while he was travelling alone in...

Economy

Laos Inflation Edges Up in July, Electricity Prices Surge 91.5% Year-on-Year

Electricity prices jumped 91.5 percent in July compared to the same month last year, becoming one of the main factors behind a slight increase in Laos’ inflation rate, which...

Laos Eyes State Fuel Stations as Future EV Charging Hubs

Laos is exploring plans to turn state-owned fuel stations into electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging hubs as part of its push to expand charging infrastructure and reduce reliance on imported...

Online Sellers Face Renewed Enforcement of Business Registration Rules

Online sellers in Vientiane must register as businesses and obtain an e-commerce licence or face fines of up to LAK 10 million (approximately USD 440), under a notice issued...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong Institute, becoming the first Lao national to...

Laos Turns to Public-Private Partnership to Tighten Product Quality Controls

Laos has launched a new state-backed company to inspect and certify the quality of products, following public complaints about low-quality goods being sold in the country. The new company, State-owned...

Trade, Energy, Tourism Drive Laos-Vietnam Economic Ties Past USD 1.3 Billion

Trade between Laos and Vietnam reached USD 1.305 billion during the first six months of 2026, as growing cross-border trade, tourism and infrastructure projects continued to strengthen economic ties...

Travel

Thai Travel YouTuber Hlun Solo Found Dead in Georgia After Weeks of Uncertainty

Thai travel YouTuber Hlun Solo has died in Georgia after disappearing during a solo trip earlier this month, Thai authorities confirmed on 29 July. Known online as Hlun Solo, Bowornthat built a loyal following by documenting his solo travels around the world. His YouTube channel has nearly one million subscribers. Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified the content creator as Bowornthat Pengsuk, also reported as Bavorntat Pengsook, and said it is working with the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara and Georgian authorities to return his body to Thailand for funeral rites. The confirmation came more than two weeks after Bowornthat's family lost contact with the 27-year-old while he was travelling alone in...

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

Trendy ‘Squishy’ Toys Suspended in Laos Over Chemical Safety Concerns

Laos has ordered the immediate suspension of the import and sale of Squishy toys nationwide after authorities warned that some may contain hazardous chemicals that pose health risks, particularly to children. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce issued the order on 28 July, instructing provincial industry and commerce departments across the country to halt the import and sale of non-certified Squishy toys and step up inspections of shops, markets, supermarkets, shopping centres and online sellers. According to the notice, market inspections...

Sport

Young Lao Footballers Win International Titles as World Cup Fever Grows

While the FIFA World Cup dominates football headlines, a Lao youth footballers has returned from Europe with two international titles. On 5 July, W.I.G NAGA's under-13 team successfully defended its IberCup title in Portugal,...

Chao Anouvong Stadium Renovation on Track for October Completion

Vientiane's Chao Anouvong Stadium renovation has surpassed 70 percent completion and remains on schedule for handover in October 2026.  Shuji Hayashi, senior architect at Azusa Sekkei, the project's consulting firm, told the Laotian Times...

Politics

Trade, Energy, Tourism Drive Laos-Vietnam Economic Ties Past USD 1.3 Billion

Trade between Laos and Vietnam reached USD 1.305 billion during the first six months of 2026, as growing cross-border...

Laos Formalizes Shanghai Cooperation Organization Dialogue Partner Status

Laos has strengthened its regional ties after formally confirming its status as a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation...

Railway Expansion, Education Reform Among Key Issues at National Assembly

Expanding the railway to southern Laos, rolling out a new school system, reducing poverty, and improving roads and water...

Myanmar’s Leader Wraps First ASEAN Visit in Laos, Signs Mekong Dam Study

Myanmar's recently elected President, Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in the 2021 military coup before being elected earlier...

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...

Trade, Energy, Tourism Drive Laos-Vietnam Economic Ties Past USD 1.3 Billion

Trade between Laos and Vietnam reached USD 1.305 billion...

Laos Formalizes Shanghai Cooperation Organization Dialogue Partner Status

Laos has strengthened its regional ties after formally confirming...

Railway Expansion, Education Reform Among Key Issues at National Assembly

Expanding the railway to southern Laos, rolling out a...

Myanmar’s Leader Wraps First ASEAN Visit in Laos, Signs Mekong Dam Study

Myanmar's recently elected President, Min Aung Hlaing, who seized...

Lao President’s Book Donated to 22 Lao Schools Across Vientiane

More than 22 schools across Vientiane Capital received copies...

Investor Pointe Names Manfredi Bargioni Chief Client Officer

Untap co-founder will lead expanded client success and services...

Bison Bank becomes Portugal’s first MiCA-Regulated Crypto-Asset Service Provider

Joins a limited group of 30 EU banking institutions...

iWOW Raises S$15.0 Million For Next Phase of Growth

More than 10 Institutional investors and Strategic investorSINGAPORE -...