Laos Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in laos, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Architecture, Construction and Engineering Services
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Overview

In 2024, industry and construction accounted for 31 percent of Laos’s GDP, growing by 4.7 percent.  Laos has underdeveloped infrastructure requiring major upgrades, including road networks and public utility (water and electricity) systems.  Transportation projects continue to be in high demand as the country modernizes, with major road projects planned in the near future.  Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai companies are the most active participants in infrastructure development in Laos.  The Lao government makes use of donor funding, development banks, and other financing methods to pay for infrastructure projects.  Laos is also developing its airport and aviation system, including renovation of provincial airports such as Luang Prabang International Airport through a public-private partnership. 
Laos seeks to modernize and integrate its electrical grid in the next decade in pursuit of its goal of increasing electricity exports to Thailand and Vietnam, while at the same time developing a cohesive internal power grid to avoid seasonal electricity imports.  Achieving this goal will require investing in modern power distribution and power management equipment and expertise.

Resources

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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