Laos

9 September 2024
Markets in Laos offer an array of tempting treats, but locals are struggling with dwindling purchasing power. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Amata founder and Chairman Vikrom Kromadit speaks to Nikkei Asia in an interview in Bangkok. (Photo by Toyoaki Fujiwara)
Supply Chain

Thailand's Amata eyes Laos as a hub for Chinese manufacturing exodus

Company is developing a new industrial site along the cross-border railway

23 August 2024
John Lee, center, in Ho Chi Minh City. He is the first Hong Kong chief executive to visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Trade

Hong Kong has ASEAN backing to join RCEP trade pact: John Lee

City goes on charm offensive after COVID-19, security law dent reputation

6 August 2024
The Pyongyang Restaurant in Vientiane no longer has clear signage identifying it by that name. (Photo by Junnoruke Kobara)
International relations

North Korean restaurants in Laos fly under radar

No signs, but plenty of clues to connection with Pyongyang

5 August 2024
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries pose for a photo on the day of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane on July 25.
International relations

ASEAN ministers at loggerheads over Israel-Hamas conflict

Malaysia pushes line condemning violence, as Singapore, Thailand cause 'some discord'

27 July 2024
ASEAN's headquarters in Jakarta. This year's meetings of foreign ministers take place at a critical juncture as unrest in Myanmar threatens the bloc's unity and tensions in the South China Sea rise. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN ministers seek Myanmar breakthrough with 'troika' model

Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia to hold 'informal consultation' as regional talks begin

24 July 2024
Laos recently ousted the head of its central bank as authorities in the debt-laden country scramble for scarce foreign currency. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Laos central bank shake-up reveals forex crisis, China dependence

Vientiane may need more help from Beijing to stem cash outflows

14 July 2024
A train leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station: SRT has been working with its Laotian counterpart ahead of the opening of the Thai-Lao rail link next month. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Thailand's rail network to link to Laos-China high-speed train

Seamless connection aims to boost exports to China, foster tourism

11 June 2024
Laos' weakening currency threatens faster food price inflation. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Economy

Laos, other debt-laden Asia-Pacific nations under pressure from strong dollar

ADB boosts funding for vulnerable countries amid debt trap fears

7 May 2024
A girl chases a bird atop piles of dirty plastic waste washed up on Labuan Beach in western Java, Indonesia. Experts say much of the trash has been imported via "waste trafficking" from developed countries. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Southeast Asia's plastic tidal wave: Imported trash swamps region

From Indonesia to Myanmar, China's 2018 import ban fed an already critical domestic waste problem

17 April 2024
A new train line connecting Laos and China helped attract tourists to the Southeast Asian country in 2023. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Travel & Leisure

Visitors to ASEAN hit 100m in 2023, 70% of pre-COVID level

Chinese-financed infrastructure drawing tourists to Laos, Cambodia

15 April 2024
The Laotian kip has depreciated by more than 10% from a year earlier. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
International relations

ASEAN finance chiefs to seek progress on cross-border payments

Host nation Laos looks to soften economic fallout from China slowdown

5 April 2024
Beijing is receiving one Southeast Asian dignitary after another this week, as the government seeks to shore up ties in the region. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
International relations

China hosts Vietnam, Laos, East Timor ministers in ASEAN outreach

After Indonesia's Prabowo, Beijing woos diplomats from countries not aligned with U.S.

2 April 2024
The Nam Ou hydroelectric plant, consisting of seven dams, is one of the largest power generation facilities in Laos' north. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Energy

China goes big on Laos power projects, boosting Southeast Asian sway

Belt and Road Mekong River dams help Beijing secure renewable energy

12 March 2024
A ship transports containers down the Mekong River. Recently installed Cambodian PM Hun Manet said the $1.7 billion China-backed canal project would allow his country to "breathe through our own nose," diverting its goods for export directly to its own coast rather than via the Vietnam-controlled Mekong Delta. (Photo by Jack Brook)
Asia Insight

Cambodia to divert Mekong trade via China-built canal, vexing Vietnam

Planned Phnom Penh-coast link raises alarms amid regional influence tussle

12 March 2024
The Mekong and other rivers are the lifeblood of Laos. (All photos by Zinara Rathnayake)
Life

Remote boat: Traveling the rivers of northern Laos

Life in landlocked country is inextricably linked to its waterways

10 March 2024
A senior official from Myanmar attends the ASEAN defense ministers' meeting in Luang Prabang on March 5. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN considers including Europe in defense talks to enhance ties

Move comes as China's clout grows, global tensions spill into Southeast Asia

5 March 2024
Tourists snap photos of Buddhist monks while watching the morning alms ceremony in Mandalay, Myanmar. (Photo by Charukesi Ramadurai)
Tea Leaves

Time for tourists in Asia to stop behaving badly

Lack of respect grows out of arrogance, as well as ignorance

28 February 2024
A waxwork-like effigy of the late heroin warlord Khun Sa in his parlor -- now part of a museum in his honor -- in the Thai town of Thoed Thai, near the border with Myanmar. (Photo by William Mellor)
14 February 2024
Luang Prabang, the historic royal capital and spiritual heartland of Laos, is a prime tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Travel & Leisure

New railway from China boosts tourism in Laos' ancient capital

Sector is on the rise, but high inflation is threatening economic recovery

11 February 2024
Laotian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith speaks during a news conference after foreign ministers from ASEAN members met in Luang Prabang on Jan. 29. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
International relations

ASEAN to start sending humanitarian aid to Myanmar in February

Chair country Laos sees 'a light at the end of tunnel' after three-year crisis

29 January 2024
Laborers stand on top of the illuminated grand temple of Lord Ram ahead of its opening in Ayodhya in India.
Your Week in Asia

India opens Ayodhya Hindu temple, BOJ meeting, Hyundai Motor earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

21 January 2024
Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone speaks at the closing ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Sept. 7, 2023, as his country was set to take over the bloc's chair from Indonesia.
International relations

Laos' ASEAN chairmanship faces Chinese reality check

Debt-laden country leads 10-member bloc facing geopolitical challenges

16 January 2024
Patuxai monument in Vientiane: Between 2017 and 2022, the volume of public and publicly guaranteed debt in Laos rose to 112% of GDP from 52%. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Opinion

Laos is getting a handle on its debt

Controls on borrowing to be tightened and revenue collection improved

15 January 2024
Luang Prabang is a picturesque city along the Mekong River that combines natural beauty and charming Lao-French architecture. (All photos by Oliver Raw)
Travel & Leisure

Laos tourist jewel at risk of losing UNESCO status

Luang Prabang caught between preservation and foreign-led development

14 January 2024