Future Southeast Asia

Ho Chi Minh City construction update – 2022 edition

This is the 4th annual Ho Chi Minh City construction update at Future Southeast Asia. (If you are new to the site, here are the updates for 2019, 2020, and 2021.) This update features some of the most prominent projects that are under construction, and projects that have had noteable news updates over the past […]

Laos-China Railway review – observations while riding the train from Vientiane to Boten

The Laos-China Railway opened in December 2021, and I would have tried to get a ticket on the inaugural trip had the borders been open. I was in Thailand when Laos reopened on the 9th of May, so I took the opportunity to visit shortly thereafter. I have written a trip report from a traveller’s […]

Vientiane construction update – 2022 edition

Vientiane has some big projects lined up in order to attract more investment in the capital. Like most cities in the region though, Vientiane was hit hard by the extended international border closure during the pandemic. Laos reopened in May 2022 (over two years since the borders closed), and I went to Vientiane shortly thereafter […]

That Luang Lake SEZ – Vientiane Laos

That Luang Lake SEZ is a new urban area in Vientiane designated as a special economic zone. Also referred to as That Luang Marsh Specific Economic Zone, the area of 365 hectares is expected to accommodate up to 300,000 people. The development is centred around a round ornamental lake, and there are plans to build […]

Future Boten – The gateway city on the Laos-China border

Boten is a town in Northern Laos on the border of China. It is one of the main entry points for freight from China to Southeast Asia, and it has been designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). A casino opened in Boten in 2002 to attract gamblers from China (where gambling is illegal in […]