Regional

More Lao Citizens Live Abroad as Foreign Population Nearly Doubles

The number of foreign nationals living in Laos has nearly doubled over the past decade, led by a sharp increase in Chinese residents, even as hundreds of thousands of Lao citizens live abroad. Laos recorded 79,827 foreign residents in its 2025 census, up from 45,538 in 2015. The census also...

Lao Migrant Workers Send Home USD 500 Million in First Seven Months of 2026

Lao migrant workers sent an estimated USD 500.7 million back to Laos during the...

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...

Seven-Year-Old Becomes Laos’ Youngest Internationally Rated Chess Player

Seven-year-old Bounthiengtham “Jayson” Sengphachan has already done something no Lao chess player his age...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

Vietnam’s UNESCO Town Hoi An to Collect Entry Fees from Visitors

The historic town of Hoi An, located on Vietnam's central coast, will soon be implementing entry fees for visitors beginning in mid-May. According to local...

Vientiane Authorities Alert Vendors to Not Raise Prices During Lao New Year

With the Lao New Year festival just around the corner, the Department of Industry and Commerce in Vientiane Capital has reminded shopkeepers and stall...

UN Suggests Leveraging Public Debt for Development Gains

While the average government debt level in the Asia-Pacific region is at an 18-year high, this is not necessarily bad news, and it is...

Thai Police Say Chinese Church Members to Be Deported Soon

BANGKOK (AP) — More than 60 self-exiled members of a Chinese Christian church who were detained in Thailand after receiving U.N. refugee status will...

CCTV Refurbishment Completed Across 93 Locations in Vientiane Capital

The Ministry of National Defence's Communications Department has taken charge of the new CCTVs installed in Vientiane Capital, as part of a refurbishment project...

East Asia and Pacific Regional Growth to Accelerate as China Rebounds

Growth in developing East Asia and the Pacific is forecast to accelerate in 2023 as China’s economy reopens, while the pace of growth in...