Investment/Thai-Lao bridge

Chatrudee Theparat

The 5th Friendship Bridge as option for ferry services to flow goods from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam to China.

The 5th Friendship Bridge between Thailand and Laos will be an alternative to transport goods between Thailand and Laos, and also facilitate travel to Vietnam and China’s Guangxi autonomous region.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh laid the foundation stone of the fifth Friendship Bridge over Mekong River on October 28. The 1.1-billion-baht bridge will stretch for 15 kilometres, crossing the Mekong River and linking Thailand’s Bueng Kan province to Laos’s Bolikhamxai. Its construction began since 2020 and will be completed by April 2024.

The bridge was built under the Greater Mekong Subregion economic collaboration agreement between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. It will be an option for ferry services between Thailand and Laos, making even easier a flow of goods from Thailand to Laos, to Vietnam by R8 road to China’s Guangxi autonomous.”

The project would not only strengthen economic activity of Bueng Kan province, but also boost the expansion of trade and investment between neighboring countries. Currently, the province’s economy is contributed by 52% from farm sector, 22% from industry and 26% from services

Gen Prayut said the bridge is a significant project to enhance relations between Thailand and Laos, which has showed its progress after an official visit of Lao Prime Minister to Thailand in June this year.

“The bridge is Thailand’s strategy to build a linkage to Laos and regionally. It is in line with a strategy of Laos which is developing its country to become a gateway of the region.”

At present, there are now four Thai-Lao friendship bridges linking- Nong Khai-Vientiane, Mukdahan-Savannakhet, Nakhon Phanom-Khammouane, and Chiang Khong-Huay Sai - which were operated since 1994, 2006, 2011 and 2013 respectively. The government also has planned to construct the sixth bridge linking between Ubon Ratchathani and Salavan of Laos

Transport Minister Mr Saksayan Chidchob said previously the ministry planned to complete the construction of the sixth Thai-Lao Bridge by 2025. The 1.02 km bridge links Thailand’s highway 2112 in Na Tan District of Ubon Ratchathani with Lao highway 13 in La Khone Pheng town. Its construction cost is estimated at around 4.36 billion baht. Its construction is projected to start in 2023 via cost-sharing scheme between Thailand and Laos.