Fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge to Provide Shortest Route between Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam
The Friendship bridge built with Australian funding and completed and opened in 1994, crossing the Mekong River and connecting Thailand to Laos. Photo [2] by Jim Holmes / AusAID via Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)
The fifth friendship bridge between the Lao People‘s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand is set to further enhance Lao PDR’s connectivity with its neighbors in the Greater Mekong Subregion. It will link Borikhamxay province (Lao PDR) to Bueng Kan province (Thailand), becoming a vital road link between Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Spanning over 150km, it promises to be the shortest connecting link between the three countries and opens another regional trade and transit route.
The construction includes (i) a bridge across the Mekong River, (ii) an access road, and (iii) immigration facilities. To date, 32% of project work has been completed. Works are expected to conclude by end of 2023.
Thailand’s Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) and the Government of Lao PDR agreed on the project in August 2019. Thailand NEDA loaned Lao PDR 1.38 billion baht for the project.
Last Updated: 30 May 2022
