Yeah, one of the things Trong neglected was preparing a line of succession. I expect his "anti-corruption" campaign to be used as a weapon for Party infighting (assuming that it hasn't already been).
Continue writing our story of peace.Laos' debt has nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, the majority of it is owed to China thanks to B&R.
The debt crisis is now so severe that debt is now 108% than Laos' GDP.
The hydroelectric dam did not yield as much energy export revenue as Laos has hoped for (which I find strange, considering that it is next to three industrialized and energy-hungry countries). Laos' currency (kip) is also experiencing a staggering 31% inflation.
Continue writing our story of peace.U.S. will delay the decision whether to recognize Vietnam as a "market economy."
The decision was supposed to be reach at the end of this month, but Nguyen Phu Trong's death and funeral made the timing awkward.
The decision will affect whether U.S. will impose tariff and anti-dumping laws on Vietnam.
Edited by RAlexa21th on Jul 24th 2024 at 7:46:27 AM
Continue writing our story of peace.Among the invited foreign delegates, U.S. Anthony Blinken was the only one to miss Trong's funeral,
due to being busy with the president of another... certain... country. He made up for it by visiting Trong's house to pay respect.
Vietnam experienced a series of earthquakes at the Highland area, with Kontum getting hit with the largest recorded at 5.1 magnitude.
Thankfully, no one was seriously injured (due to not having many tall buildings there), but houses and roads suffer various degrees of damage.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-arrests-ex-navy-chief-for-disobeying-orders.html
Admiral Zwe Win Myint of the Myanma navy was arrested for not following orders to use artillery on deserted hotels used by the Arakan Army. He didn't want to destroy them (unnecessarily). The admiral proposed using artillery to pin AA forces first before sending it landing forces in the beaches of Ngapali.
He also didn't want to call in artillery to bomb Thandw, where his wife is from.
A joint operation between Lao and Vietnamese police
has busted a massive fraud ring consisting of 153 Vietnamese operating in the famous "Golden Triangle" area (the border area between Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar)
Looks like the Thai junta is trying to grip into power Myanmar-style.
Continue writing our story of peace.Inspirational: this woman continues her family's tradition of becoming prime minister through completely legitimate means
CNA: Thai lawmakers vote Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra to be next PM.
The move came after the Constitutional Court sacked Pheu Thai's erstwhile PM, Srettha Thavisin, for appointing a cabinet member with a criminal conviction as well as ordering the dissolution of the progressive Move Forward Party over its challenge to the kingdom's lèse-majesté laws.
Cambodia: controversy is brewing over the CLV-DTA (Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area). Many people fear that the four Cambodian provinces in that area will be ceded to Laos and Vietnam. The opposition parties have been fearmongering about losing territories to the neighbors (particularly Vietnam and Thailand) for decades now.
The Hun Manet government is warning about "color revolution" and threatening to arrest dissidents.
CW spooky
SCMP: Paranormal perils plague Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara amid fears of black magic.
As the Indonesian government embarks on a moonshot project to move its capital to East Borneo, disapproving locals turn to their ancestral spells to turn it away.
It's as if the natives want their leaders to stay in sinking Jakarta.
ᜇᜎᜈ᜔ᜇᜈ᜔|I DO COMMISSIONS|ᜇᜎᜈ᜔ᜇᜈ᜔Yeah, assimilation policies and the resulting separatist movements are more common than you think in the region.
Continue writing our story of peace.

At least he was the man behind Vietnam's current bamboo diplomacy. I believe he was the one talking with Biden and Xi last year.
He was also behind the current years-long "anti corruption" campaign, which caused quite a big shakeup to say the least.
Continue writing our story of peace.