“Weaved in Silk” is exploring the socio-economic transformation unfolding in Laos, a landlocked, communist country in mainland Southeast-Asia. Laos is rapidly shifting from a traditional agrarian society to a modern economy. This transformation is heavily influenced by China, which views resource-rich, low-income Laos as an ideal partner to expand its economic reach across the region.

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Since moving to Laos in 2017 to work as a geography researcher, I’ve been living in the country and closely witnessing its changes. Over time, my fascination with Laos’s transition only deepened, leading me to leave my full-time research job in 2020 to tell this story through photography.

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“Weaved in Silk” is the result of countless trips across the country, using the newly constructed Lao-China Railway as a central theme. Opened in 2021, this railway is the first ever built in Laos and links Vientiane, the capital, with Boten, a mountainous town on the Chinese border that serves as China’s gateway to Southeast-Asia.

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The photographs depict everyday scenes within a changing landscape, revealing the contrast between traditional ways of life and the uncertain future, shaped by economic ambition and filled with promises of prosperity, connectivity and modernity- where Laos is heading, only time will tell.