Vietnamplus

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held phone talks with his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith on November 10 to discuss bilateral ties and regional cooperation ahead of the 37th ASEAN Summit.

A workshop sharing experience on enhancing the role of the people in the decision-making process in ASEAN member nations was held online by the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs on November 3.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Laos – Vietnam Cooperation Committee Sonexay Siphandone inspected the construction of the Lao National Assembly building in Vientiane on November 2.

The Lao government has announced that it will manage and address public debt in various ways as it seeks to ease the country’s financial tensions.

The Lao Government is temporarily reopening some local and customary border crossings in a bid to revive the economy and minimise the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the English-language newspaper of Laos, Vientiane Times, reported on October 26.

The Lao government has set new quarantine measures for travellers arriving from countries free of COVID-19, allowing some to self-quarantine at home.

Malaysia announced 260 new cases of COVID-19 on October 1, the highest daily number in the country since June 4, raising its total count to 11,484.

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has sent a message of sympathy to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc over serious human and asset losses in Vietnam’s central region caused by storm Noul.

Economic expansion of Laos is forecast to contract this year for the first time since 1980s due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the economy will recover in 2021, according to the Asian Development (ADB)’s recent report.

President of the Lao National Assembly (NA) Pany Yathotou attended the virtual 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), hosted by Vietnam, on September 8.

A total of 40,356 people in Laos have received COVID-19 tests since January, unveiled a report from the Lao Ministry of Health on September 4.

Laos-Vietnam trade growth in 2020 is unlikely to meet the target of 10-15 percent due to COVID-19, according to an article published by the Vientiane Times on September 4.

An elevated fiscal deficit will result in growing public debt, which will ramp up pressure on Laos' debt servicing capacity amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Vientiane Times reported on August 21.

The Lao Government has decided to tighten COVID-19 prevention measures in the face of transmission risks.

The Nguyen Du Vietnamese-Lao Bilingual School in Vientiane wrapped up its 2019-2020 school year on July 31.

The Government of Japan has provided grant aid of 317 million JPY (3 million USD) to support human resources development in Laos.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health presented 200,000 medical face masks to its Lao counterpart on July 15 to support the country in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnamese businesses in Lao sat down together to discuss their operation during the COVID-19 pandemic at a talk in the capital Vientiane on July 12.

The Lao Government has decided to keep its international border gates closed to normal exit-entry, except for Lao citizens or foreigners with urgent need who must receive permission from the Lao national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.

The Lao Government has suggested the National Assembly revise down economic growth target this year due to the impacts of COVID-19.