GMS Contents

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Viet Nam plan to upgrade two local border crossing points to international border crossings this year. The plan was announced during the 29th annual border meeting of the two neighboring countries on 26 December 2019 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. 

The Dak Ta-Ok (Lao PDR)–Nam Giang (Viet Nam) between Xekong (Lao PDR) and Quang Nam (Viet Nam) provinces will be the first international crossing point in Xekong. The neighboring countries plan to open this upgraded international border crossing in the first quarter of 2020.

Together We Deliver: Grants for a Brighter Future is a special edition of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) annual publication featuring stories of lives uplifted across Asia and the Pacific through grant financing by the Asian Development Fund (ADF). The ADF provides grants to support activities that reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in “ADF countries”—the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the region.

Blessed with rich natural resources and a strategic location at the heart of the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has emerged from decades of turmoil and isolation to become one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia since 2011.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have identified 19 priority infrastructure projects to enhance regional connectivity and mobilize investments. Fifteen of the projects are in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Thailand is embarking on several projects in its northeastern region to improve travel to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has issued a law to guide railway development and ensure integration of its rail services with regional and global networks.

The People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Thailand have agreed to build a railway bridge that will be part of a high-speed rail line connecting the three countries.

Japan and the five Southeast Asian countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion adopted the Tokyo Strategy 2018 at the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Tokyo on 9 October.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic will start building a section of National Road 11 that will make it easier to travel to northern Thailand.