Viet Nam is set to begin construction of a new 417-kilometer railway line connecting the northern port city of Haiphong to Kunming, People’s Republic of China (PRC), via Hanoi and Lao Cai Province. The initiative, with an estimated investment of about US$11 billion, aims to bolster trade and tourism between the two countries by enhancing connectivity and facilitating smoother transportation of goods and people.
The fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge spanning the Mekong River, connecting Borikhamxay province in Lao PDR with Bueng Kan province in Thailand, is now 96% complete. Its official opening is being planned for May 2025, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The new bridge will facilitate easier travel and trade between the two countries, as well as strengthen connections within the Greater Mekong Subregion, particularly benefiting businesses engaged in trade between Thailand and Viet Nam.
Photo credit: Bank of Lao PDR
On 9 January, Laos and Viet Nam officially launched a cross-currency transaction service, connecting their cross-border retail payment systems via QR codes.
Photo credit: People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Great efforts have been made by the general border inspection station in Guangxi to promote the high-quality development of Guangxi and maintain border security and stability in 2024, officials announced during the Jan 8 press conference.
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Joint Transport and Customs Sub-Committee meeting was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 10-11 September 2024 to promote the Early Harvest (EH) Implementation of the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA).
An Outreach and Training event for the transport operators and government officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was held on 29–30 September 2024 in Qingdao, PRC.
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Joint Transport and Customs Sub-Committee meeting was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 10-11 September 2024 to promote the Early Harvest (EH) Implementation of the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA).
The successful completion of the trial run under the 'Early Harvest' (EH) implementation of GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) from June 22-27, 2024, marked a historic milestone in GMS cooperation. The convoy, consisting of five semi-trailer trucks and two buses, traveled from Kunming, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, via Lao PDR and Thailand, covering approximately 5,000 kilometers round-trip.
Since 2020, the coronavirus disease pandemic have caused various constraints on global supply chains and logistics, significantly affecting the supply of goods, their prices, and people’s livelihoods. The key will be how to secure supply chains and logistics, without being affected by these external factors.
This is the statement issued by the Joint Committee for the Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement during its eighth meeting in Hainan, PRC on 13 December 2023.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226