Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on December 20 attended the inauguration of a friendship bridge over the Mekong River linking Laos and Thailand, which is expected to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries as well as others in the region.
Construction of the 1.6km long and 12m wide bridge started in March 2003 at a cost of US$76.28 million.
The bridge – the second of its kind spanning the Mekong River, linking the Thai province of Mucdahan and the Lao province of Savanakhet and ending in Vietnam is expected to promote economic cooperation between the central region of Vietnam, the central region of Laos and the north-eastern region of Thailand.
Speaking at the ceremony, both Lao and Thai Prime Ministers Bouasone Bouphavanh and Surayud Chulanont said the bridge will help promote economics, trade, tourism and other services in the region.
The first friendship bridge linking the two countries was open to traffic in 1994.
Earlier, Mr Dung met with Vice President of Laos Bounnang Volachit in Savanakhet province. They shared the view that bilateral cooperation in economics, trade and investment has developed well in recent times.
Mr Volachit highly valued the economic agreements signed by the two countries in Vientiane on December 19 which he said would help beef up bilateral cooperation.
Meanwhile, Mr Dung said the second friendship bridge will give Vietnam, Laos and Thailand a good chance to enhance exchanges and promote trade and tourism.
Also in Savanakhet, Laos PM Bouasone Bouphavanh held a banquet in honour of Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung, Thai PM Surayud Chulanont and the Thai Princess, who attended the inauguration of the bridge.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left Laos on the afternoon of December 20 to begin an official visit to Thailand at the invitation of his Thai counterpart Surayud Chulanont. He is expected to pay a courtesy visit to the Thai King and hold talks with the Prime Minister in the evening.
