Thailand’s Cabinet approved financial assistance for the Lao government to construct the Xiengman-Luang Prabang Mekong Bridge, Thai authorities announced on 8 September through the government’s Public Relation Department website.
Construction is expected to begin by 2027, run for approximately four years, and the bridge is projected to enter official operation by 2031.
Xiengman sits in Chomphet district, the only district of Luang Prabang Province located on the opposite bank of the Mekong from the town. Chomphet borders Xayabouly, which connects onward to Thailand’s Nan Province, making the bridge a key link in that border corridor.
Thailand’s Cabinet directed the national aid agency, Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA), to provide Laos...
Thailand’s Cabinet approved financial assistance for the Lao government to construct the Xiengman-Luang Prabang Mekong Bridge, Thai authorities announced on 8 September through the government’s Public Relation Department website.
Construction...
Luang Prabang’s economy grew 3.9 percent in the first half of 2026, even as one of its biggest economic drivers, tourism, took a major hit.
The province recorded just over...
Thailand has warned employers against hiring migrant workers without valid permits or assigning them to jobs outside their legal rights as economic pressures in Laos and growing concerns over...
The Food and Drug Department (FDD) has banned the import, sale, distribution, advertising, and use of five cosmetic brands after finding that they entered the Lao market without proper...
Business and labor experts met in Vientiane on 3 September to discuss standard guidelines for responsible business operations.
The meeting, led by The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry...
Laos and Kazakhstan are exploring new railway and logistics links that could open a trade route between Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe.
Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith is visiting Kazakhstan...
Luang Prabang’s economy grew 3.9 percent in the first half of 2026, even as one of its biggest economic drivers, tourism, took a major hit.
The province recorded just over 1 million tourist arrivals in the first six months of the year, down by 884,775 from the same period in 2025.
Yet the broader economy continued to grow, reaching LAK 11.67 trillion (USD 520 million), more than half of the province’s annual target, according to figures presented by provincial authorities on 3 September.
Services led the expansion, while industry, handicrafts and agriculture also posted growth. Agriculture and forestry remained the backbone of the provincial economy, accounting for nearly 43 percent of output.
The...
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...
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...
Laos is moving to turn emissions reductions from forests, agriculture and other projects into a new source of foreign investment and climate funding, after signing a carbon-credit agreement with Singapore.
On 4 September, the two countries agreed to establish a legally binding framework that will let Laos generate and transfer carbon credits to Singapore under the Paris Agreement.
Laos holds one of the highest shares of forest cover in the region, and the government has set a target of raising that...
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...
The Lao Football Federation (LFF) has reported suspected match-fixing by national team players to police, following the team’s four straight losses at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.
The letter, dated 7 August, said the...
Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith met with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev in Bishkek on 31 August, following...
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...
