Thousands of locals, residents and visitors have been treated to the sights, sounds and tastes of Japan at the 2025 Japan Festival in Vientiane Capital on 14-15 February

The event is the biggest Japanese festival in Laos. It has been running once every two or three years since 2011. 

This long-awaited event returned to Vientiane this year with 3,500 visitors, celebrating

A public school in Vientiane Capital is the first of 150 schools across Laos to install an AI-supported air quality sensor, marking a major step toward real-time monitoring of harmful air pollutants. 

Launched by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Laos in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), UNICEF

On 9 February, Amari Vientiane officially welcomed its first guests with a grand opening ceremony attended by Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and other government officials. 

The event highlighted the hotel’s promise to set a new standard for luxury hospitality in Laos, offering guests a taste of its upscale facilities, attentive service, and curated dining and entertainment

The Lao government has announced plans to boost tourism in Vientiane Capital with the theme “Vientiane’s Sustainable Tourism,” The initiative aims to incorporate innovative technologies into tourism management and create new attractions for visitors.

This project is a collaboration between the Department of Information, Culture, and Tourism of Vientiane Capital and Packon Company Limited

In 2024, Laos welcomed more than 4 million tourists, with an increase of almost one million visitors compared to 2023.

According to data provided to the Laotian Times by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, in 2024 a total of 4,120,832 tourists visited Laos

The top 10 countries contributing to this success with the highest number of visitors were Thailand, Vietnam,

In 2024, more than 300,000 people visited Vientiane’s main tourist attractions, contributing more than LAK 9 billion (over USD 400,000) to the local economy.

Khampueang Vongchandy, Deputy Director of Vientiane Museum and Archaeology Department, noted the significant rise in tourism in the capital during the Visit Laos Year 2024 campaign, state media reported. The tourism year resulted

With the approach of the Chinese New Year, the Laos-Chinese railway introduced special measures on the border of the Bokhanskaya railway, including the expansion of the service rack and the travelers strip to cope with the growth of passenger traffic.

Starting from 13 January, the Bokhanskaya railway border expanded its service racks and opened a special strip for "people returning

The economy of the capital Vientiane grew by 5.85 percent, surpassing the National Assembly's original target of 0.30 percent, according to city mayor Atsaphangthong Siphandong.

Atsaphangthong said on December 16 that this steady growth resulted from strong performance in agriculture, industry, services and investment. The main factors contributing to the economic recovery were the 8.5

Laos has officially lifted the visa-free entry and extension of stay policy for several countries, which was specifically introduced as part of the Year of Visit Laos 2024. From January 1, tourists will need to comply with standard visa rules.

The Immigration Police Department has instructed all international immigration checkpoints, Vientiane Police Headquarters and provincial police

Laos continues to shine on the global tourism scene, winning 219 ASEAN Tourism Standards Awards for its commitment to sustainability and exceptional travel experiences.

On November 26, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Suansavanh Viyaket announced about these achievements, highlighting areas such as green hotels, clean tourist cities and community-oriented tourism.

Awards

Silk weaving in Laos has been a carefully preserved tradition for generations. In rural areas, girls often begin learning this craft before the age of ten under the guidance of their mothers and grandmothers.

They weave traditional designs on clothes such as singh and other traditional clothing, as well as on everyday wear.

Handcrafted patterns vary, with popular patterns featuring

Laos has registered more than five million tourists this year, exceeding expectations and generating more than $1 billion in revenue, Prime Minister Sonexai Siphandon said on November 18.

The number of domestic tourists exceeded the target by 27 percent, reflecting the success of the Visit Laos Year 2024 campaign.

Soneksai also attributed the surge in tourist arrivals to the

Singapore's Scoot Airlines will increase flights to Laos from three to four per week starting in December.

The announcement follows Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's decision to fly economy class with the airline Scoot upon returning from the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane on October 11. Video footage of PM Wong boarding the plane received positive reactions from Singaporean travelers,

Thailand plans to launch an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for visa-free travelers from 93 countries, but travelers from Laos, Malaysia and Cambodia will be exempt.

The ETA was originally scheduled to launch on December 2024, but was postponed until December 2024 - June 2025 due to government coordination efforts, as reported by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the

On September 24, StarExpress, a new cross-border tourist train, began its first journey from Kunming (China) to Luang Prabang and Vientiane (Laos).

This new train service is an important step in the development of cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries, Chinese media reported.

The inaugural voyage, which will last four days and three nights, gives passengers

The capital of Vientiane will be transformed. The Department of Industry and Trade introduces new rules for cleaning and organizing the city. This includes the reconstruction of streets and the relocation of local stalls to improve security and order.

The new initiative, initially approved by the Vientiane administration on December 20, 2017, aims to restructure unorganized shops, convenience

The Laotian Ministry of Health has introduced a number of measures aimed at improving the management of both modern and traditional medicines to improve public health safety. These steps are aimed at addressing emerging challenges and ensuring the highest standards in the health sector across the country.

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with various sectors, has developed strategies

The Government of Laos has announced the National Tiger Recovery Action Plan 2025-2035, a major initiative developed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and WWF-Laos. The plan aims to restore and protect the tiger population in Laos.

The first meeting to discuss the plan took place in Vientiane on August 15-16. The meeting was attended by provincial forestry officials,

Vietnamese investment in Laos has reached a total of US$5.5 billion across 256 projects.

The figures were released on August 18 at a conference in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, which reviewed progress implementation of the Vietnam-Laos cooperation plan for 2024 and identified strategic directions for the bilateral cooperation agreement for 2021-2025.

Since 2021, Laos has issued

The Lao Tug of War Federation intends to revive the sport under new leadership, with plans to take it to the national level and expand its regional presence next year.

At a press conference on August 6, the federation introduced its new management team led by former Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Alunkeo Kittikhoun, with support from the Ministry of Education and Sports.

The