Economy

Laos Attracts USD 8.5 Billion in Investment Projects in First Seven Months of 2026

Laos attracted over USD 8.5 billion in investment approvals during the first seven months of 2026, with officials greenlighting 34 projects in concessionary businesses and controlled business lists. The figures mark a 68 percent increase over the same period last year, and actual capital inflow from these projects has already...

Laos State Utility Revenue Grows 9.4 Percent in First Half of 2026

Electricité du Laos (EDL), the state-owned power utility, grew its revenue by 9.4 percent...

Laos Considers VAT Exemption to Subsidize Electricity for Low-Income Households

Laos’ National Assembly (NA) is considering a proposal to exempt subsidized residential electricity from...

Oudomxay Seeks More Railway Services to Boost Investment

Authorities in Oudomxay Province, northern Laos, have announced plans to expand railway services and...

Vientiane Halts New Microfinance, Pawnshop Licenses Amid Regulatory Review

On 31 July, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL) suspended applications for new...

Laos Economy to Grow by 4.5% in 2023, Say Researchers

Researchers in Laos are optimistic and predict that the economy may grow up to 4.5% this year. The Macro-economic Research Institute of the Lao Academy...

Opening of 7-Eleven in Laos Evokes Mixed Response Among Netizens

The construction team behind the first 7-Eleven in Laos went viral on social media last week after showing pictures of the location of their...

Laos-Vietnam Friendship Hospital Opens in Xieng Khouang

The Laos-Vietnam Friendship Hospital, built with financial aid from the Vietnamese government with a construction cost of USD 21.3 million, opened in Xieng Khouang...

Young Lao Scientist Selected as 2023 Young Explorer at National Geographic Society

A young scientist from Laos has been selected as one of the 15 candidates for the National Geographic Society’s Young Explorers 2023 program, which...

Passport Office Problems Still Ongoing Issue in Laos, Say Locals

Despite repeated promises to reform the slow processing time of passports in the country, residents say there has been no improvement on this front. Locals...

European Union Anticipates Increased Rice Imports from Laos

The European Union in Laos has encouraged farmers and agricultural companies in the country to export more rice to European countries. Two Ambassadors and...