A railway project linking Thakhek township in Khammouane province of Laos and the Mu Gia border gate in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model has received in-principle approval from the Lao National Assembly (NA) at the inaugural session of its 10th legislature.
The project is seen as a strategic step to help transform Laos from a landlocked country into one better connected to regional and global markets via the East-West Economic Corridor.
At the session, which concluded on March 27, lawmakers also adopted the 10th five-year national socio-economic development plan for 2026-2030, and approved the organisational structure of the NA, the Government, and key state agencies.
The NA endorsed a legislative programme for 2026-2030, including the drafting of 19 new laws and amendments to 72 others across key areas such as administration, justice, economy, culture-society, and national defence-security. Five-year work plans of major state bodies, including the NA, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the State Inspection Authority, and the State Audit Organisation, were also approved.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, NA President Xaysomphon Phomvihane said the session had fulfilled its agenda with positive outcomes, including the election of key leadership positions of the state apparatus.
He stressed that the results reflected the unity and responsibility of NA deputies, laying a foundation for Laos to implement the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and advance its development goals.
The top legislator called on the new Government to prioritise the implementation of the long-term vision to 2055, the 10-year socio-economic development strategy, and the 2026-2030 plan, while continuing to build a people-centred rule-of-law state.