This article covers India's development partnership with Lao PDR and cooperation in specific sectors: training and capacity building, institutions set up with Indian assistance, grants and Quick Impact Projects, lines of credit, heritage conservation, defence, health and humanitarian assistance. It is based on the MEA brief of June 2026.

Training and capacity building

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, the Government of India provides short-term and a few long-term training courses in various areas to Lao government officials and nominees under the ITEC programme. About 1500 Lao nationals have been trained under ITEC so far.

Lao diplomats have trained at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), New Delhi:

  • 15 Lao PDR diplomats attended the 2nd Special Course for diplomats from 27 March to 05 April 2024. The brief records that this course formed part of India's support for Lao PDR's capacity to host the ASEAN Summit in 2024 and focused on protocol-related training and activities.
  • In 2025, 1 Lao diplomat took part in the 3rd Global South Young Diplomat's Forum organised by SSIFS.
  • 3 Lao diplomats trained under the Special course for ASEAN Diplomats at SSIFS from 20-25 April 2026.

Under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework, more than 30 officials attended training in various fields in India during the past year, as of the brief. As further support for the ASEAN chairmanship, India provided IT equipment worth USD 14072/- to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Institutions set up with Indian assistance

The brief lists several institutions created under India's grant assistance:

  • The Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (LIEDC), set up in November 2004 following an MoU of 02 July 2004, trains Lao entrepreneurs to set up small and medium scale businesses. It has so far trained more than 15,000 individuals.
  • The Lao India Centre for English Language Training (LICELT) at the National University of Lao PDR, Vientiane, is one of India's human resource development projects. The MoU for setting it up was signed on 12 June 2007.
  • India set up an IT centre in Vientiane in Nov 2004 and a National Data Centre in May 2006. Ten Rural Telecommunication Centres have also been set up.
  • The Centre for Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT), set up under ASEAN-India cooperation following an agreement of 10 August 2015, was inaugurated in Vientiane in November, 2018. It has trained around 400 participants from different Lao organisations, including government officials.

Quick Impact Projects and grants

An umbrella agreement for Indian grant assistance for Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) was signed on 18 September 2015, valid for five years. It was extended for another five years in 2020 and again in 2025. As of June 2026, MoUs for 36 QIPs had been signed; 30 projects had been completed and 6 were under various stages of implementation. The brief states that the QIPs under MGC "are delivering grass-root development".

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in October 2024, grant assistance of about USD 1 million to improve nutrition security in Lao PDR was announced. Separately, a food fortification project for Lao PDR, funded by grant assistance of 1 mn USD from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, was inaugurated in March 2025. It is being implemented by the World Food Programme and the Ministry of Health of Lao PDR.

Lines of credit

According to the brief, Lines of Credit (LoCs) worth USD 236.23 million have been extended or offered to Laos for irrigation schemes, power transmission and distribution, and solar and hydroelectric projects.

Heritage conservation at Vat Phou

An MoU for the Conservation and Restoration of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Wat Phou was signed on 30 May 2007 with the Lao Ministry of Information and Culture. Work on the restoration of the ancient Shiva temple began in June 2009, and the project, undertaken by the ASI, is in its second phase. That phase commenced in November 2018 and is to continue till 2028, with a financial implication of Rs. 24.8 Crore.

The late Mr. Bounlap Keokangna, who was Deputy Director of the World Heritage Management Office, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Champasak Province, was awarded the Padma Sri in 2018 for his contribution to the restoration project.

Defence cooperation

India and Lao PDR signed an Agreement on Cooperation in Defence on 06 November, 2002 and an MoU on Defence Cooperation on 11 October 2024.

An Indian Army Training Team (IATT) was established on 10 Aug 1995 at the Kaysone Phomvihane Academy of National Defence (KAND), Vientiane, through a bilateral MoU under the ITEC programme. The brief states that the permanent teams deployed at the College of National Defence/KAND were from India, China, Vietnam and Russia. India and Lao PDR have recently signed a sub-agreement on re-stationing the IATT in Lao PDR.

The Indian Army conducted three training capsules on UXOs and De-Mining in Laos in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Under ITEC, 7 officers from the Laos medical military department took part in the first CLMV e-ITEC defence medical course on COVID-19, held from 06-09 July 2020. Lao Army officials have also attended courses in India, including English language training, a short course on Information Warfare and long-term courses at Army institutions such as NDA and DSSC.

Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh paid an official visit to Lao PDR from 20-22 November to attend the ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), during Lao PDR's ASEAN chairmanship. He held a bilateral meeting with his Lao counterpart, Mr Chansamone Chanyalath.

Health and humanitarian assistance

On 04 August 2020, a consignment of medicines and medical supplies gifted by India was handed over to the Minister of Health of Lao PDR to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. On 02 March 2023, India gifted 50,000 doses of Covovax vaccines to Lao PDR.

To help Lao PDR deal with the floods after typhoon Yagi, India sent emergency flood relief supplies worth about USD 100,000, including water purification tablets, blankets, mosquito nets, disinfectants, sleeping bags and a 30 KV genset. They were flown in on a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force on 15 September 2024 and handed over to Leepao Yang, Vice Minister of Labour and Social Welfare.

The brief's list of agreements also includes an MoU on Recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia, signed on 3rd June 2026.