Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone

The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (Lao: ເຂດເສດຖະກິດພິເສດສາມຫຼ່ຽມຄຳ, Chinese: 金三角经济特区; pinyin: Jīnsānjiǎo Jīngjìtèqū, abbreviated GTSEZ) is located along the Mekong River in the Ton Pheung District of Bokeo Province in Laos. The zone has an area of about 3,000 hectares; it was created in 2007 by the Lao government together with the Hong Kong-registered company Kings Romans Group, with the stated goal of generating regional economic development.

At the centre of the zone is the Kings Romans Casino and several hotels, which attracts mostly Chinese visitors. The local infrastructure is de facto Chinese, Mandarin is widely spoken and the Chinese yuan is the preferred currency. It is part of a wider trend of casinos emerging in the Mekong region, following the displacement of money laundering activities from Macao in 2014.

Since its inception, it has gained a reputation of being a Chinese colony rife with illegal activities such as drug, human and animal trafficking. In January 2018, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned Kings Romans, its owner, Zhao Wei, and the "Zhao Wei Transnational Crime Organization," alleging the casino was used to launder money and traffic drugs, among other serious crimes. Kings Romans' owner has denied the allegations, while Lao authorities have carried out some enforcement actions following the reports. Despite this, consignments of drugs and precursors still regularly transit near the Golden Triangle SEZ with near-impunity.