VIENTIANE, Dec 17 (IPS Asia-Pacific) — Every day, Nguyen Van Hoan returns to a silent home after work. There is neither a hug from his three-year-old daughter nor a kiss from his wife.

GENEVA, Apr 30 2012 (IPS) – After almost a decade of major economic transformation, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is on the brink of World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership. But the small country’s Herculean effort to join the exclusive trade club is a reminder to the ten other least developed countries (LDCs) now seeking membership of the cumbersome process involved.