Laos’ media have recently run news articles praising the support and assistance that Vietnam ’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint-stock Company (HAGL Group) has provided to Lao people.
The “Lao Nation” newspaper, owned by the Laos News Agency (KPL) and the “Lao Phatthana” newspaper of the Lao Journalists Association explored wide-ranging changes in Attapeu, a poor province in southern Laos, which were made thanks to HAGL Group.
HAGL has poured massive investment in developing rubber and sugar-cane farms in the province, helping local people eradicate backward farming customs and make wealth on their once infertile soil, the papers quoted Attapeu’s Party Committee Secretary and Governor Khanphan Phommathat as saying.
HAGL was lauded for granting a non-refundable aid worth 35 million USD to help Xekong and Attapeu provinces ensure social welfare.
The aid was used to build a district administrative center, a 200-bed hospital, 1,000 apartments for workers, roads and bridges, and electricity grids – the work generated jobs for more than 20,000 locals, the papers noted.
Lao people in general and those in the two benefiting provinces shared the view that the Vietnamese company pays attention to the life of local laborers, respects local law, protects the environment, and makes its investment efficient.
With total investment capital of nearly 1 billion USD, HAGL is seen as one of the most successful foreign investors in Laos .
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavath once commented that HAGL does not attach importance to immediate interests but long-term ones. The group has brought practical benefits to Attapeu’s people and helped the province thrive./.