Shifting cultivation
The province is one of the main sugarcane and rubber producing areas of Laos with numerous plantations. Viengphoukha Coal Mine Co. Ltd., which is mining for lignite, is a major operating company in the province in the mineral sector, as of 2008. Other industries are agriculture, wood processing, lignite and copper mining, handicraft production, transportation and tourism. Shifting cultivation is widely practiced as an economic necessity. Food items such as rice, corn, casava, peanuts, cardamom, rattan, bamboo, jewel orchids, eaglewood, and ginger are used for internal consumption and sale. A wide range of wildlife is consumed or sold. The province has been the site of significant investments by China as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.