The Prime Ministers of Laos and Thailand attended a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the 5th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, linking Thailand’s Bueng Kan province with Bolikhamxay province in Laos, on October 28.

The 5th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge will link Thailand’s Bueng Kan province with Bolikhamxay province in Laos. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

The ceremony was held on both sides of the river, in Bolikhamxay province of Laos and then in Bueng Kan in Thailand.

The two sides signed a construction contract agreement for the bridge in 2019 and started construction since 2021.

The bridge is 1.35km long, and is expected to open to traffic in 2024.

The 5th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge project is part of the five-year action plan for steady growth and development (2022-2026) that Laos and Thailand signed in June 2022.

The two leaders were confident the fifth bridge would stimulate economic development in both countries and facilitate trade among Thailand, Laos, and Viet Nam.

Source: VNA