This guidance note documents how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected the transport sector in developing Asia and the Pacific region, from personal mobility and public transport to the aviation industry, among other facets.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Viet Nam offers nature-discovery tours and adventures. The GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project supported tourism businesses operated by local people around the National Park. Photo by ADB.
The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, in cooperation with the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), will hold the 47th Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Working Group (GMS TWG-47) and MTCO Board Meetings on 27 May 2021. The Meetings will gather together members of the GMS Tourism Working Group consisting of National Tourism Organizations of Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The MTCO and other Development Partners, including the Asian Development Bank, will also attend.
This study provides analysis and recommendations for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries—Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC, specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam—to move forward and realize its development ambitions by taking advantage of the opportunities that regional cooperation offers to its members.
Mr. Sun Chanthol, Cambodia Senior Minister and Minister of Public Works and Transport, has requested the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for further support for the development of Cambodia's cross-border facilities. Cambodia aims to ease logistics and boost transportation to expand within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the ASEAN region.
A planned 873-kilometer China-Thailand High Speed Rail will connect Bangkok, Thailand, to Kunming city in Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China (PRC). On 29 March, transportation authorities from the Government of Thailand and construction firms from the PRC signed the construction agreement for the first phase of the railway.
Thailand Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-O-Cha congratulated newly-elected Lao PDR Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh in a phone conversation on 8 April. The Lao PDR Prime Minister lauded the government of Thailand's efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and thanked them for the support extended to Lao PDR. He also expressed gratitude for Thailand's support in Lao PDR's human resource development.
Lao PDR President Thongloun Sisoulith congratulated newly-elected Viet Nam President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in a telephone conversation on 5 April. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to work closely and deepen their bilateral relations.
First container ship received at Vung Ang Port (Lao-Viet International Port). Photo by Nhan Dan Newspaper via Viet Nam Times
Vung Ang Port (Lao-Viet International Port), a sea port in Ha Tinh, Viet Nam, that will facilitate cargo transportation from Viet Nam to Lao PDR, Thailand's northeastern region, and Viet Nam's central provinces, received its first container ship on 10 April. The shipment was transported from Tan Cang Port in Hai Phong, Viet Nam. The Vung Ang Port can accommodate cargo ships of up to 50,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) and container ships of up to 2,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
The watershed of the Nakai Reservoircontains Lao PDR's largest biodiversity area with an outstanding collection of plants and animals endemic to Southeast Asia. Photo by ADB
Jiarun Agricultural Development Co, Ltd., of the People's Republic of China, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the feasibility study for a forest restoration and ecological agriculture development project. The MoU states that the feasibility study will be conducted for 5,000 hectares of land in Sanamxay district of Attapeu province in southern Lao PDR. The project is envisioned to generate over 50,000 local jobs, promoting the local economy and raising the people's living standards.
This is the summary of proceedings of the 4th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Urban Development Working Group held via web-based conferencing on 17 December 2020.
