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People visiting a night market in the capital of Laos, Vientiane
Image: Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua/picture alliance

Laos

Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia that is home to about 7.8 million people and rich in natural resources. It is a single-party communist state.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Children and a man cross a bamboo bridge over a river

The 'green' mining boom poisoning rivers in Southeast Asia

The 'green' mining boom poisoning rivers in Southeast Asia

Indigenous and rural, farmiing communities are trying to stand up to polluting mineral and gold mining.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 17, 202614:54 min
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, and others wave from a large balcony in Pyongyang

North Korea eyes Southeast Asia for new friends

North Korea eyes Southeast Asia for new friends

Will other Southeast Asian countries follow in the footsteps of Vietnam and Laos and agree to boost ties with Pyongyang?
PoliticsOctober 19, 2025
Luang Prabang's central Sisavongvang Road with restaurants and foreign tourists visible

Can tourism help Laos escape poverty?

Can tourism help Laos escape poverty?

Laos is one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries. But the city of Luang Prabang is thriving, thanks to tourism.
TravelJune 3, 2025
A little girl holding up a poster of a sign that reads "Trafficking"

Rwanda returns workers lured in Asian trafficking schemes

Rwanda returns workers lured in Asian trafficking schemes

Ten Rwandan workers who became trapped in Southeast Asia are back home.
MigrationMay 8, 2025
Nana's Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng

Will Laos tourism suffer after bootleg alcohol poisoning?

Will Laos tourism suffer after bootleg alcohol poisoning?

A spotlight is being put on counterfeit liquor in Southeast Asia after six people died from methanol poisoning.
TravelDecember 12, 2024
Boten | China Investition in laotischer Stadt

Laos economy struggles amid inflation and falling investment

Laos economy struggles amid inflation and falling investment

Businesses in Laos call for a boost to local production and exports yto jumpstart the economy.
TradeNovember 4, 202402:48 min
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

Once a dilapidated town in northern Laos, Boten has transformed beyond recognition because of a 530-kilometer highspeed railway line that is part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative

Can Laos become Southeast Asia's next manufacturing hub?

Laos wants to integrate more with the regional economy to overcome its economic challenges.
BusinessSeptember 11, 2024
A dam under construction in Laos

Is Laos facing a China debt trap?

Laos' return on Chinese infrastructure investments has yet to overcome the small country's mounting debt problems.
BusinessJuly 23, 2024
Protesters hold signs calling for press freedom

Southeast Asia: Why is free speech not a priority?

Many people in the region prioritize protecting social "harmony" over rights to free speech, says a recent study.
Press FreedomOctober 2, 2023
Night market in Vientiane

Why are Laos activists being targeted abroad?

Critics of Laos' repressive one-party state have been targeted in a recent series of arrests and attacks.
PoliticsJune 6, 2023
Laotian police officers stand guard in Vientiane

Laos: Activist shooting shows risks to government critics

The shooting of Anousa "Jack" Luangsuphom may come as a warning to activists who dare speak against the government.
Human RightsMay 4, 2023
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