Lao PDR - Open Development Mekong

Vietnam–Laos ties: strategic cohesion

Vietnam and Laos have scaled up bilateral relations to the highest level of friendship and cooperation, known as “Great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion”. It is a new framework between the two former Indochinese countries. The emphasis is on strategic cohesion. Vietnam’s Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit early this month […]

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New mapping reveals hidden mining boom in Laos that threatens the Mekong

BANGKOK — A new satellite analysis from U.S. think tank the Stimson Center has identified 517 suspected mines along rivers in Laos, including major tributaries of the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s longest river, heightening concerns about contamination of waterways that sustain local communities. Stimson has not ground-truthed the mine sites identified through satellite imagery, but Mongabay spoke […]

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Rare earth mining expands into Laos, threatening entire Mekong River

Satellite data show at least 27 new rare earth mines have opened across Laos since 2022, mostly in protected areas and many within the Mekong River Basin, raising transboundary pollution risks for Vietnam and the wider Mekong system. New data show a recent proliferation of rare earth mines across river basins in Laos, potentially posing […]

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Laos Freezes 50 Accounts, Recovers Billions in Anti-Corruption Crackdown

The Ministry of Finance Party Committee has intensified its anti-corruption efforts, taking action by inspecting and freezing 50 accounts while recovering substantial sums of lost revenue. On 18 March, Ouban Suphida, Deputy Chairman of the Party Committee Inspection, presented the 2024 annual inspection report, outlining the committee’s recent investigations. In close coordination with the State Inspection Agency, […]

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Vientiane Residents Demand Action Amid Ongoing Water Shortages

Many households in Vientiane are struggling with water supply issues, including shortages and low water pressure. Residents are growing increasingly frustrated, as water disruptions continue despite repeated calls for conservation. On 5 March, the Water Supply Department issued an announcement urging residents to save water due to high consumption, frequent power outages, and a prolonged heatwave. These […]

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Top leaders of Vietnam and Laos hold talks in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam held talks with visiting General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith following an official welcome ceremony for the Lao leader in Hanoi on September 10. The […]

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Mekong residents call on Lao PDR and dam developers to scrap Phou Ngoy dam

Some twenty representatives of the Ubon Monitoring Group on Flood and Mekong Dams (UMFD) have travelled to Bangkok to file their petition to concerned entities including Lao PDR and the lead dam developer via their representatives in Bangkok in the hope that they will review the project and scrap it The representatives over the past […]

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UN cultural agency calls for Laos, Cambodia to invite monitoring teams to contentious UNESCO sites

The United Nations’ cultural agency recommended Thursday that Laos invite a monitoring mission to the historic city of Luang Prabang, a World Heritage Site where a nearby dam project on the Mekong River has raised concerns it could lose the coveted status. While the World Heritage Committee welcomed Laos’ efforts to improve data collection on the possible effect of […]

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Thailand, Laos to open more friendship bridge this November

The fifth Thai – Lao friendship bridge, which links Bueng Kan province of Thailand with Pakxan town of Laos, is scheduled to open this November. Deputy Transport Minister of Thailand Manaporn Charoensri said recently that the project features a 1.35km crossover with a dual-lane road traversing the Mekong River and a four-lane bypass on the […]

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Where Have All the Mekong River’s Fish Gone?

The Mekong was once a river teeming with fish, providing food security for millions of poor farmers as well urban centers. These days, that river of abundance has disappeared, replaced by forlorn fishers who say they’re lucky if they can secure a catch at all, as more and more hydropower dams are being installed. A […]

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