Economy and industry

The building that will house the new Thongkhankham market in Chanthabouly district, Vientiane, is now 50 percent complete and it is expected the whole complex will be finished by the end of this year. The modern five-storey complex and its two underground parking levels are a ...

Much has been done to move construction of the Vientiane-China railway forward following the groundbreaking ceremony that took place last month, the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport has said. Mr Lattanamany Khounnivong told local media last week that construction could take just over four ...

Construction of a restored rail link with Cambodia to improve transport in the Mekong sub-region will be completed by the end of 2016, Khmer officials say. The Phnom Penh Post reported on 4 January that Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon visited the construction site in Banteay Meanchey province, ...

With the arrival of the new year, Southeast Asia has finally embarked on an important new journey that has been years in preparation. The hope is that the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will bring a new era of growth, though many say there won’t be conspicuous changes ...

Thai police have arrested four men and one woman, all Vietnamese nationals, for allegedly stealing 4,000 baht (US$110.6) in cash from local tourist shops, news website The Nation reported on 3 January. Keep reading ...

The State Bank of Vietnam reduced the dong’s reference rate for the first time since August, after saying over the weekend that it is moving to a more market-based methodology in setting a daily reference rate versus the dollar.   It lowered the fixing by 0.03 percent ...

Putting a value on the Mekong River and measuring the impact it has on the gross domestic product (GDP) of downstream countries has for a long time been a strategic target of bureaucrats and non-governmental organizations seeking to measure and protect the world’s twelfth longest ...

The new specific economic zone (SEZ) being developed through cooperation between Laos and Japan should bring economic and other benefits to the government, local administrations and people by being a model on transparency of investment. Relevant officials made the comments about the project recently on the ...

Southeast Asian stock markets ended down in thin trade on 31 December as investors stayed away ahead of holidays, with all markets posting losses in 2015 except for Vietnam.   Singapore’s key Straits Times Index dipped 0.1 percent in mixed trade, with losses in most big caps offsetting gains in several blue ...

The operator of the only canal tour in Ho Chi Minh City has said that it is still building toilets and other tourist facilities and, in the meantime, cannot receive more than a hundred visitors a day.   Phan Xuan Anh, chairman of tour operator Saigon Boat, ...