GMS in the News


Parks and scenic areas in Beijing, PRC, have taken measures to control the number of visitors and limit them to 40% of the same period of previous years. Photo by ADB.

Fourth Meeting of the GMS Urban Development Working Group

The Fourth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Urban Development Working Group (UDWG-4) was held via web-based conferencing on 17 December 2020. Mr. Xu Jianping, Director General, Department of Regional Opening-up, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), chaired the meeting with Mr.


The Asian Transport Outlook is a multiyear program with potential to serve as the primary knowledge base on transport for Asia,

Asian Transport Outlook Data to Support Larger and More Sustainable Transport Sector in Asia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released a first batch of data as part of a new regional knowledge platform to guide sustainable transport development in Asia and the Pacific.


Lao PDR, Viet Nam to Open New International Border Crossing

The Governments of Lao PDR and Viet Nam will upgrade the Dakta-ok-Nam Giang border crossing between Sekong (Lao PDR) and Quang Nam (Viet Nam) provinces to international status, with the Sekong province opening its first international border crossing on 24 March. This upgrade will further ease the movement of goods and people between the two countries, and shorten the distance between Thailand and Viet Nam via the southern Lao PDR route by more than 100 kilometres.


The Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Tourism Development Project funded by ADB developed homestay service, catering services and tours in Viet Nam. Photo by ADB.

Experience Mekong Showcases 2021 Opens Voting for Nominated Mekong Businesses

The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) is inviting the public to vote for their favorite Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) small businesses to determine the six final businesses that will be recognized for the 2021 Experience Mekong Showcases. The public gets to learn about and choose from the 72 finalists from the Experience Mekong Showcases voting page.  


Photo by ADB.

Nominations for 2021 Mekong Hero Open

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Mekong Hero. Launched in 2020 by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and Destination Mekong, the ‘Mekong Heroes’ program aims to celebrate passionate individuals in Mekong tourism who work tirelessly behind the scenes to inspire and influence, modeling new ways of conceiving and doing tourism better. Nominees could be CEOs or senior government officials, or they might be entrepreneurs or small business owners -- leaders that have made a significant contributio


Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2021: Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners will collectively zero in on strategies and policy responses that countries can adopt to lay the groundwork for post-COVID-19 recovery at the upcoming Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery


Photo by the MTCO

46th Meeting of the GMS Tourism Working Group

The Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) with assistance of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) virtually convened the 46th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Working Group (TWG-46) on 3 December 2020. The meeting was attended by representatives of the National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) of the six GMS countries—Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam—the MTCO, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).


Thừa Thiên-Huế province, Vietnam. Photo by David McKelvey (CC BY 2.0).

GMS Project Enhances Biodiversity Conservation in Viet Nam

The Greater Mekong Subregion Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project, an Asian Development Bank supported project that was first approved in 2010 and given additional funding in June 2015, has significantly contributed to forest protection in Viet Nam’s Quang Nam, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.


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