Economy and industry

Recent data from the International Labour Organisation say that despite implementing a $128 minimum wage in January, the Kingdom’s garment and footwear sector has grown by over 10 per cent in the first quarter this year, although experts suggest a wait-and-see approach to determine its ...

The cabinet has approved the signing of a new reciprocal agreement with Myanmar to allow visa-free visits by citizens of both countries with ordinary passports for up to 14 days.  Keep reading ...

Vietnam’s economic growth could reach 6-6.2 percent this year underpinned by further recovery in domestic demand, in turn reflecting robust private consumption and investment growth, according to a World Bank report.   The medium-term outlook for Vietnam is positive on balance in the context that growth in developing ...

Thailand’s Office of Land Transport, Nong Khai province, held a workshop for drivers who are looking to work in Laos.  Keep reading ...

African footballers as young as 14 are being trafficked to Asia and forced to sign contracts, the BBC has learnt. Six minors are still with top Laos side Champasak United, after it imported 23 under-age players from West Africa to an unregistered football academy in February, ...

Vietnam’s economic growth has continued to firm up in 2015 with gross domestic product forecast to expand 6.3 per cent in the first half of this year, according to the World Bank’s latest Taking Stock report. The bank’s semi-annual review of Vietnam’s economic performance said the ...

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned that electricity bills could go up in a year or two if new power generation plants don’t get off the ground. His warning came in the wake of protests against a coal-fired power plant project in Krabi which intensified ...

Local officials have been promising for several years to send illegal foreign workers back home but so far this hasn’t happened. Director General of Labour Management Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Phongsaysack Inthalath spoke to Vientiane Times at a meeting in Vientiane ...

A government decision to ax a luxury development project and four others amid opposition from Buddhist monks has left developers wondering if their investments are safe in one of the world’s fastest-growing real-estate markets. Last month the government axed plans for the $300-million Dagon City luxury development. ...

Vietnam is set to build a US$2.5 billion seaport in Ca Mau, its southernmost province, hoping to steal some spotlight away from the more popular regional hubs Singapore and Malaysia, local media reported.    Under a proposal recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, 85 percent of ...