This article concerns the systems of transportation in Laos. Laos is a country in Asia, which possesses a number of modern transportation systems, including several highways and a number of airports. As a landlocked country, Laos possesses no ports or harbours on the sea, and the difficulty of navigation on the Mekong means that this is also not a significant transport route.
Because of its mountainous topography and lack of development, Laos has few reliable transportation routes. This inaccessibility has historically limited the ability of any government to maintain a presence in areas distant from the national or provincial capitals and has limited interchange and communication among villages and ethnic groups.
The Mekong and Nam Ou are the only natural channels suitable for large-draft boat transportation, and from December through May low water limits the size of the draft that may be used over many routes. Laotians in lowland villages located on the banks of smaller rivers have traditionally traveled in pirogues for fishing, trading, and visiting up and down the river for limited distances.
Otherwise, travel is by ox-cart over level terrain or by foot. The steep mountains and lack of roads have caused upland ethnic groups to rely entirely on pack baskets and horse packing for transportation.
The road system is not extensive. A rudimentary network begun under French colonial rule and continued from the 1950s has provided an important means of increased intervillage communication, movement of market goods, and a focus for new settlements. As of mid-1994, travel in most areas was difficult and expensive, and most Laotians traveled only limited distances, if at all. As a result of ongoing improvements in the road system started during the early 1990s, it is expected that in the future villagers will more easily be able to seek medical care, send children to schools at district centers, and work outside the village.
Laos has two railway lines: the standard gauge Boten–Vientiane railway spanning northern and central Laos, and a shorter metre gauge spur line connecting Thanaleng with the Thai railway network.
Rail transport has not played a significant part in Laos's transport sector, since the country largely lacks the required infrastructure, though that is expected to change after the opening of the Boten–Vientiane railway. [1] [2]
In Laos, there are 21,716 kilometres (13,494 mi) of roadway, of which 9,673.5 kilometres (6,010.8 mi) are paved, leaving 12,042.5 kilometres (7,482.9 mi) unpaved.[ when? ] Right-hand traffic (RHT) is observed in Laos.
Laos constructed a new highway in 2007 connecting Savannakhet to the Vietnamese border at Lao Bao, with funding from the Japanese government. [3] This has greatly improved transport across Laos. This highway can be traversed in a few hours, while in 2002 the trip took over nine hours.
Laos is connected across the Mekong River to Thailand by First and Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges. Vientiane is linked to Nong Khai by the First Friendship Bridge. The Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge began construction in March 2009 linking Nakhon Phanom Province in northeastern Thailand and Khammouane Province in Laos. It was completed on 11 November 2011.
Laos opened a highway connection to Kunming in April 2008. The Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge opened to the public on 11 December 2013 linking Kunming to Bokeo, Laos and Chiang Rai. It reduces travel time to five hours.
On 20 December 2020, the Vientiane–Vang Vieng Expressway, the first expressway in Laos, was completed. [4] Construction began at the end of 2018 and was initially scheduled to finish in 2021. The road, which includes twin tunnels almost 900 metres long through Phoupha Mountain, shortens the route by 43 km as compared with the existing Route No 13. The expressway toll is 550 kip per kilometre, or about 62,000 kip for a one-way trip between Vientiane and Vang Vieng. The Vientiane-Vang Vieng expressway is the first section of a planned expressway from Vientiane through the northern provinces to Boten in Luang Namtha Province, which borders China. [5]
About 4,587 kilometres (2,850 mi) of navigable water routes exist in Laos, primarily the Mekong and its tributaries. There are an additional 2,897 kilometres (1,800 mi) of water routes, which is sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in).
Laos has an ocean-going merchant marine consisting of one cargo ship of 2,370 gross tonnage (GT).[ citation needed ]
Laos has 136 kilometres (85 mi) of pipelines for the transport of petroleum products.
Laos possesses 52 airports, of which nine have paved runways. Of the airports with paved runways, Wattay International Airport in Vientiane has a runway length of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Of the remainder, four have runways 1,524 metres (5,000 ft) to 2,437 metres (7,995 ft) length, and a further four have lengths between 914 metres (2,999 ft) and 1,523 metres (4,997 ft).
Of the airports without unpaved runways, one has a runway length of more than 1,524 metres (5,000 ft). Seventeen have runway lengths between 914 metres (2,999 ft) and 1,523 metres (4,997 ft), leaving 25 with a lengths below 914 metres (2,999 ft).
Evidence for modern human presence in the northern and central highlands of Indochina, that constitute the territories of the modern Laotian nation-state dates back to the Lower Paleolithic. These earliest human migrants are Australo-Melanesians—associated with the Hoabinhian culture—and have populated the highlands and the interior, less accessible regions of Laos and all of South-east Asia to this day. The subsequent Austroasiatic and Austronesian marine migration waves affected landlocked Laos only marginally and direct Chinese and Indian cultural contact had a greater impact on the country.
Laos is a country in and the only landlocked nation in mainland Southeast Asia, northeast of Thailand and west of Vietnam. It covers approximately 236,800 square kilometers in the center of the Southeast Asian peninsula and it is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Luang Phabang, or Louangphabang, commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ as Luang Prabang, literally meaning "Royal Buddha Image", is a city in north central Laos, consisting of 58 adjacent villages, of which 33 comprise the UNESCO Town Of Luang Prabang World Heritage Site. It was listed in 1995 for unique and "remarkably" well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritage, a blend of the rural and urban developments over several centuries, including the French colonial influences during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Vang Vieng is a tourist-oriented town in Laos in Vientiane Province which takes about two hours through bus from the national capital Vientiane. The town lies on the Nam Song River. The most notable feature of the area is the karst topography surrounding the town.
Kunming–Bangkok Expressway is a proposed international expressway running from Kunming, Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, to Bangkok, Thailand via Laos The first expressway sections were opened in 2008.
Route 13 is the most important highway in Laos. It begins at Boten in northern Laos at the Chinese border. It connects the city of Vientiane to Luang Prabang in the north and roughly follows the line of the Mekong River down to the border with Cambodia. The road then continues at National Highway 7 in Cambodia. Route 13 passes the New Laos National Stadium at Vientiane prefecture and all three international airports in Laos Vientiane Airport, Luang Prabang Airport, and Pakse Airport. Between Boten and Nateuy a 20 km segment of Route 13 is part of the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway,. From Nateuy to Vientiane, Route 13 is part of AH12 and from Vientiane to the border of Cambodia, AH11. It roughly parallels to Vientiane-Boten Expressway.
Laos has 422 km (262 mi) of 1,435 mm standard gauge railways, primarily consisting of the Boten–Vientiane railway, which opened in December 2021. It also has a 3 km (2 mi) metre gauge railway at Thanaleng terminus connected to Thailand's railway system.
Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos. Comprising the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture, the city is located on the banks of the Mekong, right at the border with Thailand. Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule and, due to economic growth in recent times, is now the economic center of Laos. The city had a population of 1,001,477 as of the 2023 Census.
Thanaleng station, also known as Dongphosy station, is a railway station in Dongphosy village, Hadxayfong district, Vientiane Prefecture, Laos. It is 20 km (12 mi) east of the Lao capital city of Vientiane and 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the Lao-Thai border on the Mekong River. The station opened on 5 March 2009, becoming part of the first international railway link serving Laos. Originally intended for use as a passenger station, Lao officials have stated their intention to convert it to a rail freight terminal to provide a low-cost alternative to road freight, the main mode of transport for goods entering Thailand. The station provides a connection between Vientiane and the capital cities of three other ASEAN nations: Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, and several major Southeast Asian ports.
The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi)-long narrow-gauge portage railway on the islands of Don Det and Don Khon, part of the Si Phan Don archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos. Built by the Mekong Exploration Commission, the railway was operated by the Lao State Railway. It opened in 1893, and closed in 1940 or 1949.
Vientiane province is a province of Laos in the country's northwest. As of 2015 the province had a population of 419,090. Vientiane province covers an area of 15,610 square kilometres (6,030 sq mi) composed of 11 districts. The principal towns are Vang Vieng and Muang Phôn-Hông.
Khammouane province (Khammouan) is a province in the center of Laos. Its capital lies at Thakhek.
Luang Namtha is a province of Laos in the country's north. From 1966 to 1976 it formed, together with Bokeo, the province of Houakhong. Luang Namtha province covers an area of 9,325 square kilometres (3,600 sq mi). Its provincial capital is Luang Namtha. The province borders Yunnan, China to the north, Oudomxai province to the east and southeast, Bokeo province to the southwest, and Shan State, Myanmar to the northwest.
Champasak is a province in southwestern Laos, near the borders with Thailand and Cambodia. It is one of the three principalities that succeeded the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. As of the 2015 census, it had a population of 694,023. The capital is Pakse, but the province takes its name from Champasak, the former capital of the Kingdom of Champasak.
Visitors to Laos must obtain a visa from one of the Laotian diplomatic missions or online unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or qualify for visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
The Boten–Vientiane railway is the Lao section of the Lao–China Railway (LCR), running between the capital Vientiane and the northern town of Boten on the border with Yunnan, China. The line was officially opened on 3 December 2021.
The Vientiane–Vũng Áng railway is a proposed 1,435 mmstandard gauge railway that ran for 555 kilometres (345 mi) between the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and port in Hà Tĩnh Province via Mụ Giạ Pass on the border between Laos and Vietnam.
The Vientiane–Boten Expressway is a partially completed expressway between Boten, on the China–Laos border, and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It roughly parallels Route 13.
Route 7 of Laos, ເສັ້ນ ທາງ ເລກ 7 ຂອງປະເທດລາວ (ທ. 7) is a provincial road served from east to west in Xiangkhouang province, Laos. It runs from Nong Het in the east to Phoukhoune District in the west. This is where people change connections to go to Luang prabang or Vientiane.
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This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division.
