MOIT VIETNAM | Significant Progress on the Shortest Route between Thailand and Vietnam, Surpassing Initial Expectations
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Significant Progress on the Shortest Route between Thailand and Vietnam, Surpassing Initial Expectations
In 2020, work began on the 5th Thai-Lao friendship bridge, which would link the provinces of Bueng Kan (Northeast Thailand) and Bolikhamxai (Laos). The project was estimated to cost 3.6 billion baht, with 2.6 billion baht coming from Thailand and the remaining cost coming from Laos.
Deputy Spokesperson of the Thai Government Tipanan Sirichana said on January 28, 2023, that the bridge had been 60% constructed, which was a significant improvement over the initial design. The bridge is being constructed using a cable-stayed design. The remaining component, the middle section, is expected to be finished by the middle of this year and will be opened to traffic in early 2024, according to the present timeline.
Once the bridge is operational, border trade between Laos and Thailand will be greatly enhanced, and the province of Bueng Kan will soon emerge as the regional trading hub.
In particular, according to Ms. Tipanan, the bridge would open the quickest transit route from Vietnam to Thailand via Laos, cutting the distance between the two nations to just 150km while crossing the bridge. Great prospects for the exchange of commodities between Vietnam and Thailand have arisen as a result of this occurrence.
Construction of the bridge is anticipated to have a positive impact on trade growth within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which encompasses Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi.
In addition to sending a strong signal for commerce between the two nations, completing the construction of the shortest route from Vietnam to Thailand also provides a major boost to trade in the whole area.
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