This paper aims to suggest a sustainable strategy for the development of the rural areas of Lao PDR and Cambodia. To this end, authors conducted literature review on each country's current status of development, visited the fields to observe the residents' daily lives and reality, and commissioned writings to local experts.  For Lao PDR, while some areas'(especially around Mekong River Valley) poverty level dropped dramatically compared to 1990s, areas neighbouring Vietnam have still been suffering from lingering level of poverty rate due to, in part, the harsh environment for cultivation and agricultural trade, and under-developed infrastructure. Even though its policy-makers seemed to understand the significances of high poverty rate and low agricultural productivity, the concern for the unbalanced investment on rural areas is another issue. For Cambodia, agriculture sector still plays one of the most important roles for its economy and almost 80 percent of its population lives in rural areas. While rice productivity and the landmass for cultivation increased, Cambodia's insufficient infrastructure for milling continues to undermine its endeavor for agricultural development. In addition, lack of market access adds to the hardship of farmers living under poverty.