Two towns in Laos, Xammeua and Kaysone Phomvihane, have each received awards from ASEAN for their environmentally sustainable practices. Xammeua district won the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities Award for 2021 for its good air quality and environmentally-friendly development, while Kaysone Phomvihane received a certificate of recognition for implementing a prototype urban plan in line with ASEAN’s environmental sustainability model. The awards were presented to authorities of the two provinces and cities by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mrs Bounkham Vorachit, at a ceremony held in Vientiane last week. The ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award programme recognizes and rewards exemplary efforts on environmental sustainability. Laos submitted Luang Prabang, Xamneua, and Kaysone Phomvihane cities as award candidates to the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities in July.