Road for truck transport to link Laos, Vietnam, Thailand in June

Three neighboring Southeast Asian countries will jointly open highway routes for truck transportation aimed at facilitating lower-cost freight transport beginning June 19, the Thailand News Agency has reported.

The route will link Thailand’s northeastern province of Mukdahan with Savannakhet city and the Dansavan border trade zone in Xepon District of Laos’ Savannakhet Province, and continue to Lao Bao Town in Vietnam.

The total distance from Mukdahan to Lao Bao is about 500 kilometers and takes about 10.5 hours to travel, the report said.

Thai officials will cooperate with Lao and Asian Development Bank (ADB) authorities to provide training on left- and right-hand driving as the three countries do not follow the same driving system, the report quoted a Thai official as saying.

The special driver training sessions will be held in late April in Mukdahan and in Savannakhet.

The road is part of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) accord agreed to by the three countries in Vietnam last month.

 Thanh Nien

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