Inauguration of Friendship Bridge 3, connecting Laos with Thailand
(Baonghean) -On November 11, the Lao and Thai governments inaugurated the Friendship Bridge 3 connecting Khammouane province, Laos with Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand.
Attending the ceremony were Vice President Bounnhang Vorachit, Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong from Laos; Princess Somdet Ratraxasuda from Thailand, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and many high-ranking officials from the two countries. The Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Savannakhet; and leaders of the Vietnamese provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh also attended the inauguration ceremony.
Friendship Bridge 3 is the largest bridge connecting Laos and Thailand today, with the design of two ends of the bridge being modern border gates according to Lao and Thai architecture meeting international standards, in a spacious and spacious campus. The bridge is 1,400 meters long and 13 meters wide, with a total cost of 60 million USD by the cooperation of Thai and Italian designers. Construction funding is provided by the Thai government.
This is the third bridge across the Mekong River connecting the province of Khammouane in Laos and Nakhon Phanom in Thailand. Thus, up to now, there have been three large bridges connecting the three regions between Laos and Thailand. The Friendship Bridge 3 has an important strategic position, not only connecting Laos and Thailand but also contributing to connecting eight provinces of the three countries that share Highway 8 and Highway 12, including Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh (Vietnam), Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Noong Khai (Thailand), Khammouane and Bolikhamxay (Laos). Accordingly, this bridge also contributes to connecting the eight provinces mentioned above with countries in the ASEAN region.
It is worth mentioning that the Northeastern provinces of Thailand have thousands of overseas Vietnamese living. The cooperative relationship between the three countries of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam is increasingly developing, so the inauguration of the bridge is more meaningful and valuable. Besides, Na Khon Pha Nom province also has Ho Chi Minh relics in May village. Previously, to visit Uncle Ho relics, it took 2 days, but now with the bridge, the distance is shortened to half a day.
National Day
