Flooding Hits Over 60,000 in Khammouane as Rivers Rise Above Danger Levels

Flooding has affected more than 60,000 people across all 10 districts of Khammouane province as continued heavy rain pushes several rivers  above danger levels, according to the Khammouane media on 12 August. The flood struck 206 villages and nearly 9,500 households across the central province in late July and early August. Authorities also report damage to over 15,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops, along with dozens of roads and several bridges.  Officials estimate preliminary losses at least LAK 100 billion (USD 4.4 million). Several rivers in Khammouane have risen sharply after days of heavy rain. The Xe Bangfai river has surpassed its flood level at both the Mahaxay monitoring station...

Economy

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 in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to...

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 Value-Added Tax (VAT) as the government looks for ways to ease living costs for low-income...

Oudomxay Seeks More Railway Services to Boost Investment

Authorities in Oudomxay Province, northern Laos, have announced plans to expand railway services and free up land for investment around the region's three Laos-China Railway stations. The provincial government said...

Vientiane Halts New Microfinance, Pawnshop Licenses Amid Regulatory Review

On 31 July, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL) suspended applications for new non-bank financial institutions in Vientiane Capital. Effective from the announcement date onwards, the suspension applies to...

Lao State Fuel Enterprise Posts 70 Percent Profit Surge in 2025, Eyes Stock Market Listing

The Lao state-owned Lao State Fuel Company (LSFC) reported a sharp rise in profits for 2025 and is restructuring to prepare for an eventual listing on the stock exchange,...

Naphao Customs Exceeds Annual Target on Mining Debt Repayments, Trade Growth

Naphao International Border Checkpoint in Khammouane Province collected more than LAK 669.5 billion (USD 29.6 million) in customs revenue in the first half of 2026, exceeding its full-year target...

Travel

Thai YouTuber Hlun Solo’s Body to Return Home as Family Awaits Autopsy Results

The body of Thai travel YouTuber Hlun Solo is expected to return to Thailand on 6 August, according to his family, as authorities continue to await the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests following his death in Georgia. His brother, Somsak Butsri, who posts on Facebook under the name Klose Mos, said the body of Bowornthat Pengsuk, known online as Hlun Solo, would leave Georgia on 5 August and arrive in Thailand the following day after diplomatic and forensic procedures were completed. In a statement issued on 4 August, the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara said embassy officials, Thai volunteers in Georgia, and representatives from the transport company had inspected...

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

Flooding Hits Over 60,000 in Khammouane as Rivers Rise Above Danger Levels

Flooding has affected more than 60,000 people across all 10 districts of Khammouane province as continued heavy rain pushes several rivers  above danger levels, according to the Khammouane media on 12 August. The flood struck 206 villages and nearly 9,500 households across the central province in late July and early August. Authorities also report damage to over 15,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops, along with dozens of roads and several bridges.  Officials estimate preliminary losses at least LAK 100...

Sport

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 has done before. The young player from Vientiane Chess Academy recently became the youngest Lao player to receive an official...

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,...

Politics

Laos National Assembly President Xaysomphone Phomvihane Dies at 69

Xaysomphone Phomvihane, President of Laos’ National Assembly and one of the country’s most senior political figures, has died aged...

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic partnership to the next level, with both countries targeting USD...

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...

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...

Laos National Assembly President Xaysomphone Phomvihane Dies at 69

Xaysomphone Phomvihane, President of Laos’ National Assembly and one...

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic...

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...