More tourists and freights cross Lao-Vietnam border checkpoint
More tourists and freights cross Lao-Vietnam border checkpoint
More and more tourists and freight journeys are crossing the Bo Y/PhouKeua international border gate in Attapeu province daily in the decade since the Hanoi Agreement was reached by Laos and Vietnam in 2007.
Authorities from both nations have coordinated to ensure the movement of people and goods crossing the border as part of efforts to boost the economic growth of Laos and Vietnam.
A joint team from Laos and Vietnam organised a working trip to the border gate recently to inspect the implementation of the Hanoi Agreement, which was created to facilitate the travel of people and transport of goods via the border checkpoint.
According to Vietnam News report, in the first four months of this year, more than 63,500 people and over 9,000 vehicles traversed the border gate with import-export turnover reaching nearly US$65 million.
The improvement of border gate under the Hanoi Agreement did not only contribute to boost economic activities between the two nations, but also help attract more tourists to southern Laos.
Director of the Attapeu Provincial Department of Information, Culture and Tourism MsBounnanBounnaseng told Vientiane Times on Wednesday that more and more tourists are coming to Attapeu at the moment.
“About 300,000 tourists visit our province annually, of which 80 percent are Vietnamese,” she said.
“As you know, many more Lao people are also visiting Kon Tum province of Vietnam because it’s not very far from the border gate. Conversely, many Vietnamese people visit and do businesses in our province.”
MsBounnan said the visitors can apply for a border pass which is available at the border checkpoint. The border pass is valid within a 3-day period.
Under the Hanoi Agreement, both nations agreed to develop services for tourists at an area 15 km from the borderline.
“In the Lao side, we have built market, restaurants and shops where local people sell local products and food for visitors and traders,” MsBounnan said.
He said more goods sourced from Vietnam are also entering Attapeu markets.
Over the past ten years, the two sides also exchanged information regarding relevant policies and administrative procedures in each country.
Authorities of Kon Tum and Attapeu provinces suggested upgrading Road 18B connecting Bo Y and Attapeu in order to ensure swifter and safer movement of goods to maximize benefits from its links to Bo Y-Gia Lai expressway and the Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang route.
At the same time, it was agreed the agreement should be amended and supplemented to create more favourable conditions for trade and transportation, thus fostering trade cooperation between the two countries.
