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Minimum Wage Goes Up More Than a Third
The monthly minimum wage is going to rise 36 percent from LAK 2.5 million to LAK 3.4 million on January 1, 2027. The Prime Minister's Office is setting the new floor for workers in production, business and service companies nationwide, giving employers a new baseline for 2027 budgets.
Read more: VDB Loi
Rare Earth Mine Breach Stops Water Use
Authorities have told residents of three Houaphanh villages to stop using local water after a reservoir at a rare earth mine was breached. More than 1,000 cubic meters of fouled water ran into the Nam Vaen River, which then, in turn, feeds the Nam Xam. Provincial officials say the spill was muddy runoff caused when heavy rain caused a steep slope to slide into the reservoir, but local reports claim that two ponds simply burst and released chemical wastewater. Officials say they have found no dead (water) animals, but final water quality results are still pending.
Read more: Laotian Times
Vietnam Expands QR Payment Links
The central banks of Vietnam and Laos are expanding their cross-border QR payments network and encouraging settlement in both local currencies, the dong and the kip. The network has handled more than 25,000 transactions since it launched in January 2025, but it still works only one way (Vietnamese paying in Laos). The banks are now adding pay points in Vietnam so Lao visitors, students and patients will be able to pay there. Governors Pham Duc An and Bounkham Volachith say that two-way payments are a 2027 priority. They’ve also been floating a $10 billion trade target, but haven’t bothered to set a deadline yet.
Read more: VOV News
Sekong Wind Farm Pitched as ASEAN Grid Model
Southeast Asia's largest wind farm, the 600 MW Monsoon project in Sekong province, is selling power to Vietnam. General manager Narut Boakajorn says the project is proof that the long-delayed ASEAN Power Grid can work, with surplus power eventually flowing through the existing network to Thailand, Malaysia and even to Singapore. The Asian Development Bank, which backed the $950 million project, says that it wants to see a fully integrated regional grid by 2045. Energy scholar Shobhakar Dhakal says that Monsoon a milestone but warns that a patchwork of bilateral deals is going to leave the power trade open to political pressure. Maybe that’s the point.
Read more: The Straits Times (regional grid ambitions), The Nation (project financing)
Green SM Signs Deals With 10 Firms
Green SM, the electric taxi operator that’s backed by Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong (of “Vin” fame), has signed deals with 10 banks, telecom companies, digital wallets and hotels. The partners are hooking up the taxis with their payment systems and their customers. Green SM says its fleet of more than 1,000 electric taxis has run nearly 4.6 million rides in three years. Unitel says that it is planning discounted rides for customers roaming from Vietnam and putting Green SM bookings into the Lao Travel tourism app.
Read more: Motoroids (partner deals), VietnamPlus (fleet and app plans)
Police Detain 41 in Vientiane Raids
Police have detained 41 people in raids on three rented houses in Vientiane, including 16 Japanese nationals who are suspected of running a phone scam that impersonated police and targeted people in Japan. Officers also nabbed 13 Bangladeshis, 11 Thais and one Lao national over suspected online gambling and cybercrime issues. Similar Japanese scam operations have been shifting from Cambodia because of the ongoing crackdown there.
Read more: Laotian Times (Vientiane raids), Tokyo Reporter (Japanese suspects)
Restoration Contractor Accused of Nicking Gold
Suriyong Company was hired to restore an abandoned open-pit mine in Oudomxay's Pak Beng district, but they’re now being accused of mining gold there instead. Police have held four people and taken possession of three excavators. The suspects tried to dodge blame by telling investigators that they were just following company orders. The previous operator left 33.54 hectares unrestored, including farmland belonging to 114 families. The allegations are also raising uncomfortable questions about oversight after it came to light that authorities had already ordered Suriyong to stop work while they reassessed the site.
Read more: Laotian Times
Vientiane Puts Foreign Singers on a Short Leash
Foreign crooners are in the spotlight, and Vientiane Province is now demanding government approval they can be hired by a bar, restaurant or tour boat. The strict new notice also forces venues to shut by midnight, get the music turned off by 11:30 PM and keep the volume below 85 decibels. A third strike of the rules carries a penalty up to and including permanent license revocation and a LAK 10 million fine (~$450).
Read more: Laotian Times
Graft Review Names Names, Recovers $724,000
Luang Namtha inspectors say 184 people were involved in two corruption cases that cost the state LAK 23.3 billion (~$1 million). Authorities have already “disciplined” 155 people and prosecuted/ sentenced 23. Six centrally managed officials remain unaccounted for in the provincial tally. The province says it has been able to claw back LAK 16.3 billion (~$724,000), in addition to six plots of land and three SUVs.
Read more: Laotian Times
UNESCO Draft Backs Heritage Status for Larb
Larb, the chopped meat or fish dish served at homes throught both Laos and Thailand, is being recommended for inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. A committee is expected to make the final decision at a session in Xiamen, China, that opens on November 30. The Lao Business Women's Association has been spearheading the bid; approval would make larb the country's fourth listed tradition.
Read more: Laotian Times
That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.
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