Prime Minister Mr Bouasone Bouphavanh has issued a decree on the management of foreign currencies and the promotion of the use of the kip.
The PM's decree, which came into effect on May 18, is said to be more concrete in its promotion of Lao currency use, after the Bank of the Lao PDR issued an order requiring all shops and business organisations to advertise their products in kip in April.
According to the decree, the Prime Minister advises the Bank of the Lao PDR to issue a regulation that will make it easier for people to sell their foreign currency and buy it back in the future.
The decree also requires commercial banks to expand their currency exchange units to facilitate the process of changing foreign currency into Lao kip. In addition, banks will have to allow the private sector to provide money exchange units, helping to increase the number of units nationwide.
All state organisations should encourage the payment of taxes, tariffs and services in kip, except in cases where foreign currency payments are approved by law or the government.
The Bank of the Lao PDR should play a central role in coordinating all sectors concerned at both central and local levels to promote and inspect the implementation of the decree.
The bank should also monitor and evaluate problems and obstacles which are making the use of the Lao kip inconvenient, and report the results to the government to direct future strategies.
Under the decree, the Bank of the Lao PDR will be authorised to bring anyone who violates these directives in line with the regulations and other laws concerned.
Prime Minister Bouasone also called for all ministers, heads of authorities and governors to increase their efforts to campaign and educate their officials about foreign currency management.
The efforts will improve public awareness of the importance of protecting the Lao currency, and increase the value of the Lao kip, which will gradually eliminate the uncontrolled use of foreign currencies throughout the country.
Prime Minister Bouasone stressed that all sectors concerned, including ministers, the Vientiane Mayor and provincial governors, should acknowledge the decree and work to enforce it strictly and effectively.
The main message of the decree is that the widespread use of foreign currencies needs to be stopped, including the payment of debts, while all goods and services should be advertised in kip.
In recent times, there has been widespread use of foreign currency in Laos , while goods and services have been advertised and debts have been paid in foreign currency. These have become an obstacle to implementing the national currency policy, violating the decree on the management of foreign currency and precious metals issued on August 9, 2002, according to the PM's decree.
The enforcement of regulations on foreign currency management is important as it gives a legal guideline to ensure national economic stability. The enforcement of the regulation also promotes a patriotic spirit, independence and a self-reliant economy, according to the decree.
The "kip", the currency of little value. Nobody wants to use it If I give the Prime Minister to pick up a one kip or a one dollar (someone had dropped on the floor), I bet he would have picked the dollar (if noone saw him).
coz some of us here still think that foreign currencies are better than lao one, our econ. won't development. i think laos has the right PM at this time
Kip is too much to carry, dollars and Baht are easier to carry. If you exchange $500 you get 5 million kips, your wallet won't fit 5 million kips, you need a basket or a sack to carry that money around, being a visitor, you don't have a bag that big, plus it's heavy and dangerous. The government should concentrate on the inflation rather than local currency. Most of the goods are very expensive, since prices are not monitoring by the government, the shop owners can put up any prices they like. With low wages and high inflation, most working class people cannot afford to buy anything much. Some goods are more expensive than what they sold in US, France and Australia. No wonder a lot of Lao people who live in overseas are broke everytime they visited Laos.
The "kip", the currency of little value. Nobody wants to use it If I give the Prime Minister to pick up a one kip or a one dollar (someone had dropped on the floor), I bet he would have picked the dollar (if noone saw him).
I think if the PM pick up just a dollar he must be a stupid PM, If I were him i will pick both a dollar and a kip :P
Because Lao Kip has least value that's the reason that Lao people should use Kip to improve its value. It is not only improving the country economic but this action will also upgrade the honor of Loa in the international community. It does not make sense that people have difficulty to carry alot of money if use Lao Kip instead of Bath or Dollar. If you have to buy expensive thing, you just bring bigger bank note. For example, if you want to buy motobike, you should use bring 20000 or 50000 Kip note then you see 1 note is already equal to about 19 or 47 USD.
every time when we have some problem occured then we always seriously quarrel and fight about all kind of issue, but why dont we stop talking and fighting, and concentrate to the action, the actionable view is the most important point to overcome this kind of problem, stop talking or diccusion, but now we have to harmonize or corperate with each other in using our lao currency, eventhough as we think that, when we exchange to other currency , we will obviously see that, our currency is comparatively too low, oppositly, if we have helply advertise to use our currency both of vendor and vedee, i think there is not beyon our ability to overcome the mentioned currency inflation in our country once again, the action is the more important than just uselessly oral talking
every time when we have some problem occured then we always seriously quarrel and fight about all kind of those issues , but why dont we try to stop talking or fighting, but strongly concentrate to the action, the actionable view is the most important point to overcome this kind of problem, stop talking or diccusion, but now we have to harmonize or corperate with each other in using our lao currency, eventhough as we think that, when we exchange to other currencies , we will obviously see that, our currency is comparatively too low or inferior , oppositly, if we helply advertise to use our currency both of vendor and vedee, i think there is not beyon our ability to overcome the mentioned inflated currency in our country, though, when we take Kip, it seems so heavy but we take it by our dicnity, and poudly sense that, we also have sufficient ability to help our country, right? once again, the action is the more important than just uselessly oral talking from love laos
every time when we have some problem occured then we always seriously quarrel and fight about all kind of issue, but why dont we stop talking or fighting, but strongly concentrate to the action, the actionable view is the most important point to overcome this kind of problem, stop talking or diccusion, but now we have to harmonize or corperate with each other in using our lao currency, eventhough as we think that, when we exchange to other currency , we will obviously see that, our currency is comparatively too low, oppositly, if we have helply advertise to use our currency both of vendor and vedee, i think there is not beyon our ability to overcome the mentioned currency inflation in our country once again, the action is the more important than just uselessly oral talking
carrying kip problem?why not using check to purchase thing that requested big amount of moneys?. 
