Laos, Land of Opportunity?
Just yesterday, a seminar took place on investment possibilities and cooperation at the Laos Vietnamese embassy. Over two hundred Vietnamese business representatives were in attendance. Ta Minh Chau, Vietnamese Ambassador, addressed the seminar and pointed out that Laos is a “peaceful country” with huge potential in many areas, especially financial. Vietnam and Laos have a “special relationship,” with significant support from the Lao Government that has worked hard to establish optimistic and facilitative conditions for the thriving of Vietnamese business investments there.
Indeed, such good relations can be witnessed in the success various Vietnamese businesses are enjoying in Laos, most notably, the Hoang anh-Gia Lai Group, Lao-Viet Bank, Long Thanh Golf, and Song Da Corporation.
In addition, there are many areas in Laos that Vietnamese businesses could be interested in, such as: coffee, rubber, cotton, banking, agriculture and more. According to a news report the embassy was asked to give Vietnamese businesses, “information on the legal requirements of both countries to facilitate their investment in Laos.”
It seems that Laos is quite a popular place for foreign investments these days. According to the Investment Promotion Department of the Ministry Planning and Investment, India is now ranking in the top 10 foreign investors there with more than $359m. Other countries on the list are: Australia, China, France, Japan, India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand is definitely the number one investor, ranking in at over $2bn. The most popular area for investment is the field of electricity.