Laos ປະເທດລາວ
55 places across 4 territories, 11 nationwide
Laos joins the atlas with a civic space that CIVICUS rates as closed: associations depend on state permission, the ASEAN civil society forum met in Dili in 2016 and 2024, the years Laos chaired the bloc, and Sombath Somphone, a leading figure of participatory development, was the victim of an enforced disappearance in Vientiane in 2012. The commons appear mostly in villages that manage fishing zones, forests and wetlands, in public and donor programmes, and in markets and old towns being reshaped by concessions.
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Places by territory
Chao Anouvong Parkສວນເຈົ້າອະນຸວົງ
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Vientiane
A riverside park opened in 2010 on land reclaimed from the Mekong, under a South Korean-funded project whose second phase ended in 2026.
VerifiedSee place →Art and territorySpaceFanglao Black Box
Vientiane (Xaysettha) · Vientiane
The venue of the Fanglao company ("listen to Laos"), founded in Vientiane in 2013 and presented as the country's first collective creating and teachi…
Partially verifiedSee place →Participatory urbanismSpaceNam Phouສວນນ້ຳພຸຊຽງຍືນ
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Vientiane
A square with a fountain on the old esplanade of the morning market.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectSangthong Communal Land Titles
Sangthong · Vientiane
Five villages in Sangthong, within the capital's prefecture, received the country's first collective land use certificates in 2011 and, in 2012, comm…
VerifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceTalat Khua Dinຕະຫຼາດຂົວດິນ
Vientiane (Sisattanak) · Vientiane
A wholesale and fresh produce market next to the morning market, opening before dawn with an almost entirely local clientele.
VerifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceTalat Saoຕະຫຼາດເຊົ້າ
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Vientiane
Vientiane's great central bazaar, on this site since 1961.
VerifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceTalat Thongkhankhamຕະຫຼາດທົ່ງຂັນຄຳ
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Vientiane
The capital's great popular fresh produce market burned almost entirely in March 2014.
Partially verifiedSee place →Civic foodSpaceVientiane Organic Farmers' Marketຕະຫຼາດກະສິກຳອິນຊີ ຂອງນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ
Vientiane (Xaysettha) · Vientiane
A direct-sale market for certified organic farmers, set up in 2006 on the That Luang esplanade by the project behind the national organic standard.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectVientiane Rescue 1623ໜ່ວຍກູ້ໄພມູນນິທິ 1623
Vientiane · Vientiane
A free, round-the-clock volunteer rescue and ambulance service, born to fill the gap in emergency care for road accident victims in the capital.
Partially verifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceWat Sok Pa Luang Herbal Sauna
Vientiane (Sisattanak) · Vientiane
A wood-fired herbal steam sauna next to the Wat Sok Pa Luang monastery, where the nuns originally massaged the monks.
Partially verifiedSee place →Ban Mano Pond Committee
Luang Prabang · North
Luang Prabang has a network of urban ponds being filled in or polluted in a city without sewers: according to Gret, there were 183 in 1999 and 120 re…
Partially verifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceBig Brother Mouseອ້າຍຫນູນ້ອຍ
Luang Prabang · North
A publisher of children's books in Lao, also free to download, that holds book parties in schools and, according to its website, now runs nine school…
Partially verifiedSee place →Art and territoryProjectHouaphanh Silk Promotion Association
Xam Neua · North
In Xam Neua and Xam Tai, the heartland of Lao hand weaving, all Lao-Tai women know how to weave, according to a 2015 ethnography.
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectHouaphanh Village Bamboo Forests (BNDA)
Sop Bao (Houaphanh) · North
Sop Bao district allocated about 4,950 hectares of bamboo forest to 29 villages (2018 figure).
Partially verifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectKomaen Tea Promotion Association
Komaen (Phongsaly) · North
A growers' association in Komaen, a village of century-old tea trees, that sought and now manages the geographical indication for its tea.
Partially verifiedSee place →Art and territorySpaceChildren's Cultural Centre (Luang Prabang)ສູນວັດທະນະທຳເດັກ
Luang Prabang · North
A public centre in the heritage old town where children and teenagers learn traditional dance and music, ipok rod puppetry, drawing and crafts.
VerifiedSee place →Third placeNeighbourhood or villageLuang Prabangຫຼວງພະບາງ
Luang Prabang · North
A historic town between the Mekong and the Nam Khan, with its monasteries and the neighbourhoods (ban) that live around them, World Heritage since 19…
VerifiedSee place →Participatory urbanismProjectMaison du Patrimoine (Luang Prabang)
Luang Prabang · North
A technical office created by decree in 1996, after the town's World Heritage listing, with the cooperation of Chinon and the Centre region.
VerifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectMeung Tea Producers Cooperative (MTPC)
Meung (Bokeo) · North
A cooperative of Hmong, Khmu, Akha and Lahu smallholders that jointly processes tea from old gardens and forests.
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectNam Ha Ecotourism Project
Luang Namtha · North
A pioneering model of community tourism in Laos, launched in 1999 in the Nam Ha protected area: guides from minority groups, village lodges, sites th…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectNam Nern Night Safari
Muang Hiam (Houaphanh) · North
A 24-hour boat trip on the Nam Nern river, guided by villagers, some of them former hunters.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectBan Nampheng Bitter Bamboo Group
Namor (Oudomxay) · North
A village group that manages a bitter bamboo forest under its own rules: shoots are harvested only from December to March, then the forest is closed,…
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectNorthern Mekong Fish Conservation Zones
Xayabury · North
Six no-fishing stretches of the Mekong, guarded by committees from nine villages in Xayaboury, Luang Prabang and Vientiane province, protect the spaw…
Partially verifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectNyot Ou Tea Cooperative
Nyot Ou (Phongsaly) · North
In Nyot Ou, Phongsaly, more than a thousand families grow forest tea, bought mostly by traders from Yunnan.
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectOma Cultural Intellectual Property Rights
Phongsaly · North
The Oma, fewer than 2,000 people in seven villages of Phongsaly, are known for their embroidery.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectPlain of Jars Village Site Contractsທົ່ງໄຫຫີນ
Phonsavan (Xiengkhouang) · North
Day-to-day care of the eleven groups of stone jars, World Heritage since 2019, is delegated by contract to neighbouring villages: each forms a team t…
VerifiedSee place →Art and territorySpaceTraditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC)
Luang Prabang · North
An independent ethnographic museum with fair-trade shops that, according to its website, work with more than 600 artisans from 20 ethnic groups.
VerifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceTalat Phosiຕະຫຼາດ ໂພສີ
Luang Prabang · North
Luang Prabang's largest market, outside the old town and mostly covered, with fresh produce, Mekong fish, clothes and household goods; it is busiest…
Partially verifiedSee place →Association Ecotouristique de Konglor-Natane (AEKN)ສທກນ
Kong Lor (Khammouane) · Central
An association of some 400 residents of Kong Lor and Natan, the villages at either mouth of a 7.5 km river cave, which runs the site through eight vi…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectFOMACOP Village Forestry (Dong Sithouane and Dong Phousoi)
Savannakhet · Central
In the state production forests of Dong Sithouane and Dong Phousoi, FOMACOP tested village forestry: 33 associations from 51 villages agreed with the…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectKaeng Nyui Waterfall (Ban Naduang)
Vang Vieng · Central
A waterfall about 7 km from Vang Vieng that, according to the Ministry's tourism website, has belonged by tradition to the village of Ban Naduang.
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectNam Theun 2 Reservoir Fisheries
Oudomsouk (Nakai) · Central
The 16 villages on the shore of the Nam Theun 2 reservoir, many of them resettled for the dam, hold exclusive fishing rights until 2028, with protect…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectPak Peung Wetland Fishway
Pakxan (Bolikhamxay) · Central
Six villages fish in this Mekong wetland, which an irrigation sluice gate had cut off from the river.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectSavannakhet Eco-guide Association (Katang Trail and Dong Natad)
Kaysone Phomvihane (Savannakhet) · Central
An eco-guide association, linked to the provincial tourism office, that ran the Katang Trail (through Katang villages in the Dong Phou Vieng protecte…
VerifiedSee place →Reuse of vacancyNeighbourhood or villageSavannakhet Old Town
Kaysone Phomvihane (Savannakhet) · Central
A colonial old town on the Mekong, with Lao, French and Franco-Chinese architecture, almost all private and badly run down in 2018.
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectXe Champhone Crocodile Village Committees
Champhone (Savannakhet) · Central
In Xe Champhone, the largest Ramsar wetland in Laos, villages do not hunt the Siamese crocodile because of traditional belief.
VerifiedSee place →Ban Sai Lao-Lao Cooperative
Saysetha (Attapeu) · South
In Ban Sai, a village the government classes as poor, women distilled lao-lao (rice spirit) separately and sold it cheaply.
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectBeung Kiat Ngong Wetland and Ban Kiet Ngong
Pathoumphone (Champasak) · South
Some 7,400 people from 20 villages live off the Beung Kiat Ngong wetland, where a 2010 district regulation sets zones, assigns conservation pools to…
VerifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectCoffee Producers Cooperative (CPC)
Bachiangchaleunsouk (Champasak) · South
A cooperative of smallholder coffee growers on the Bolaven Plateau that washes beans at village centres, exports organic and fair-trade coffee and sp…
VerifiedSee place →Participatory urbanismNeighbourhood or villageChampasak and Vat Phouວັດພູ
Champasak · South
A 39,000 ha cultural landscape, World Heritage since 2001, home to more than 50 villages and the town of Champasak.
VerifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectJhai Coffee Farmers Cooperative (JCFC)
Paksong · South
A cooperative of coffee-growing families from several Paksong villages that exports fair-trade arabica, with pulping in community machines and shared…
Partially verifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectKhong Fisheries Co-management
Khong (Champasak) · South
From 1993 to 1998, 63 villages in Si Phan Don approved their own fishing regulations in assembly, with 68 conservation zones in deep pools of the Mek…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectSekong Community Forests and Fish Protection Zones
Xekong (Lamam) · South
A programme of the Japanese NGO JVC with villages in Sekong, which map their boundaries by GPS, write their own rules and mark out community forests,…
Partially verifiedSee place →Third placeSpaceTalat Dao Heuangຕະຫຼາດດາວເຮືອງ
Pakse · South
The largest market in southern Laos, next to the Lao-Japanese bridge in Pakse, with fresh produce, river fish, food, textiles and household goods fro…
Partially verifiedSee place →Children's Cultural Centres Networkສູນວັດທະນະທຳເດັກ
Vientiane · Nationwide
A state network of centres where children and teenagers learn traditional dance, music and puppetry, drawing and reading.
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectCommunity Learning Centres (CLC)
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Nationwide
A state network of village centres for literacy and adult education, strengthened by a 2020 decree.
Partially verifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectCommunity Radio for Developmentສະຖານີວິທະຍຸຊຸມຊົນ ເພື່ອການພັດທະນາ
Khoun (Xiengkhouang) · Nationwide
A network of small district FM stations, born in Khoun, that broadcast programmes on farming, health or migration in Lao and local languages, made by…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectFish Conservation Zones (FCZ)ວັງສະຫງວນ
Vientiane (Xaysettha) · Nationwide
Pools and river stretches where the village bans or limits fishing under its own rules, signed by the district.
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectLao CSO Coordination Committee (LCCC)
Vientiane (Xaysettha) · Nationwide
The national network of Lao associations, with 94 members according to its website.
VerifiedSee place →Civic foodProjectLao Farmers' Association (LFA)ສະມາຄົມຊາວກະສິກອນລາວ
Vientiane (Sisattanak) · Nationwide
A national network of farmers' organisations founded in 2014 as the Lao Farmer Network, which says it brings together 210 groups, associations and co…
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectPADETC, Participatory Development Training Centre
Naxaythong (Vientiane) · Nationwide
A Lao training centre in participatory development for young people, teachers and local officials.
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectPAKA, Participatory Development Knowledge Agency
Vientiane (Xaysettha) · Nationwide
A small Vientiane organisation that trains young people for four months in community facilitation, critical thinking, leadership and inclusion, plus…
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectPoverty Reduction Fund (PRF)
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Nationwide
The country's largest community-driven development programme: villages set priorities in assembly, defend their proposals before the district and the…
VerifiedSee place →Commons and belongingProjectWomen's Savings Groups and CDECກຸ່ມທ້ອນເງິນແມ່ຍິງ
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Nationwide
A women's savings movement born in 2000 in Vientiane with Thailand's CODI, ACHR and the Lao Women's Union, a party mass organisation.
VerifiedSee place →Civic labs and participationProjectZero Waste Laos
Vientiane (Chanthabouly) · Nationwide
A group of young volunteers formed in 2019 that in 2023 registered as an association with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the firs…
VerifiedSee place →Territory by typology
| Territory | Third place | Participatory urbanism | Civic design collectives | Art and territory | Reuse of vacancy | Civic food | Commons and belonging | Civic labs and participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vientiane | 6 | 1 | · | 1 | · | 4 | 2 | · |
| North | 3 | 2 | · | 5 | · | 7 | 15 | 1 |
| Central | · | 1 | · | · | 1 | 3 | 7 | · |
| South | 1 | 1 | · | · | · | 7 | 7 | · |
| Nationwide | · | 2 | · | 2 | · | 2 | 4 | 8 |