Bridge turns Khammuan province into new freight, tourism hub
Bridge turns Khammuan province into new freight, tourism hub
Of the approximately 400 vehicles that cross the third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Khammuan province every day, 60 percent are trucks passing through Laos to carry goods between Thailand, Vietnam and southern China.
Road Nos. 8 and 12 have become significant transport routes for carrying goods through the region since the bridge opened in 2011, connecting Thakhek provincial town in Laos to Thailand's Nakhon Phanom province.
Deputy office head of Khammuan province Mr Vannavong Vongphachanh told Vientiane Times on Tuesday the number of vehicles from last year had doubled this year.
“When the third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge opened in 2011 only 80 or 100 vehicles used it to cross the border but now the figure has increased to around 400 per day, or several thousand vehicles per month,” Mr Vannavong said.
He was optimistic that the route would facilitate more trade, investment and logistics growth between the four countries.
“Thailand carries agricultural products to China while China exports clothes to Thailand through this route,” he said.
He said the construction of this bridge in Khammuan province created the shortest current route between north-eastern Thailand and Vietnam.
Mr Vannavong, who is also head of the border checkpoint at the bridge and the Lao-Vietnam border checkpoint, said Khammuan province was looking into building rest points along Road No. 12.
The rest points will include facilities for traders and tourists stopping to take a break from their journeys.
The provincial authorities also plan to develop and open new tourism sites to attract more tourists to the province.
Meanwhile the Thai Commerce Ministry has suggested that Thai traders and investors take advantage of the new routes to do more business in Laos, Vietnam and southern China.
Among the businesses that may stand to benefit from the new routes along Road Nos. 8 and 12 are restaurants, vehicle maintenance shops, convenience stores, hotels, spas and language and computer-training institutes, according to a report from Thai news service The Nation.
Thailand has sent a team to survey the roadways in search of new business opportunities.
Transport officials said it was about 300 kilometres from Thakhek to the closest seaport in Vietnam, so businesses both in Laos and other countries would benefit from easier access to international shipping routes.
Khammuan province has strong potential for agriculture, mining and tourism. The province is currently building up infrastructure to capitalise on this potential and attract more investment.
Local and foreign businesses have become interested in investing in the province after learning that they can export their products easily through this route.
A Chinese company is investing in a potassium project and expects to export 4 million tonnes of potassium by 2015. The project is expected to generate about US$100 million for Laos.
The rate of annual economic growth in the province has climbed to 12.7 percent and annual per capita income stands at US$1,366, with authorities hoping to raise that figure to between US$1,800 and US$2,000 by 2015.
vientiane times
