Fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, connecting Thailand’s Bueng Kan province and Laos’ Bolikhamxay province, to open in December 2025
Thailand and Laos are set to inaugurate the Fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in December, marking a new milestone in regional transport and economic cooperation.
The countries are also moving forward with building a new Mekong railway bridge linking Thailand’s Nong Khai high-speed link to the Laos–China Railway.
The new friendship bridge, connecting Bueng Kan province in Thailand with Bolikhamxay province in Laos, is expected to significantly cut travel time and costs, enhance logistics efficiency, and stimulate trade and tourism.
The progress was announced following Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s official visit to Vientiane on Thursday, Government House said yesterday.
During talks with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and President Thongloun Sisoulith, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in economic, energy, and transport development.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said connectivity projects form the backbone of regional growth.
“These are more than infrastructure projects — they are bridges of friendship and opportunity for communities on both sides of the Mekong,” he said.
Key initiatives include upgrading the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge (Nong Khai–Vientiane) to handle heavier U20 axle loads for improved freight capacity. Meanwhile, a new Mekong railway bridge will be built beside the existing one, with construction expected between 2027 and 2030.
The two governments are also studying a 10-kilometre Vientiane Capital rail link to connect Thailand’s metre-gauge line with the Laos–China standard-gauge network.
Transport Ministry permanent secretary Chayatham Phromsorn said the joint projects aim to make logistics faster, safer, and more cost-effective, establishing Thailand and Laos as a logistics hub in the Greater Mekong subregion.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3122594/thailand-laos-set-to-open-fifth-bridge
