Laos aims to invest 15.9 billion dollars over next five years
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/372301,billion-dollars-five-years.html

Vientiane, Laos - Communist Laos said its economy needs 15.9 billion dollars' investment over the next five years to reach the target of 8 per cent annual growth, with three quarters of the funds coming from overseas, a report said Friday.
"To secure annual economic growth of 8 per cent, Laos requires 127,000 billion kip (about 15.9 billion dollars) over the next five years, Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad was quoted as saying by state media.
"Ten to 12 per cent will come from the government budget, 24 to 26 per cent from Official Development Assistance, 50 to 56 per cent from foreign direct investment and 10 to 12 percent from (private) bank loans," Somsavat told the opening session of the ninth congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on Thursday.
He said the party had set a goal of 8 per cent annual economic growth between 2011 to 2015, compared with 7.9 per cent achieved over the previous five years, the Vientiane Times reported.
Laos, one of the world's few remaining communist countries, hopes to shed its status as a least developed country (LDC) by the year 2020.
LDC status, provided by the United Nations, makes countries eligible for grants and concessionary loans. Laos has been dependent on foreign aid to finance more than 50 per cent of its budget for the past three decades.
On Thursday, Laos launched its ninth congress of its communist party, which has monopolized political power in the land-locked South-East Asian nation since December, 1975.

It's funny how foreign news reporters often refer to Laos as "Communist Laos".

PEACE wrote on 18^th Mar, 2011 at 6:06pm:


Right now Laos per capita income is around $1,200 a year. By 2030 Vietniane cip might be around $7,000. As Laos economy grow labors cost will rise.

Laos will become wealthy and developed in the future. That is I'm moving back to the motherland.

Just like China, Laos welcome Capitalist and big corporation. Most country are moving toward EU Socialism. Socialist Capitalist Laos is a appropriate name.

All those target that they set is just a number. What they going to get the real capital is still a big ???
Who want to invest in a country only have
a cheap workforce, but lack of skill and mental to work hard.
lack of Transportation (No Sea-port)
The only thing they can invest on are Mining which would automatic own 50% of what you dig out.
Forestry is about 10 years left
Energy power  from Dam is risky because of Earthquake and the return is take so long to recoup.

The alternative way is to educate our people and change the way of their thinking to have a hard work ethics. Other why, we will always behind and doing the catch up game for ever.......

Agreed education is a way of out poverty and the key to open the door of many opportunity.