Despite existing bans on rare earth mining in Laos, in 2024, the government started quietly encouraging the industry as a strategy to diversify the economy. Besides flowing into Vietnam, some rare earth mining pollution from rivers in Laos — such as the Nam Ngiep and Nam Khan—are contaminating the Mekong River. Quick and Quiet Mining Rises in LaosChinese and rare earth mining operations have spread rapidly along mountainous riverbanks in Northeast Laos since 2024. One lawyer, who previously worked with Chinese rare earth companies, explained that “despite bans on rare earth mining, some national leaders have allowed Chinese companies to excavate the rare earths without full feasibility studies.” Figure 1: An overview of the in-situ rare earth mining process.