The Vientiane to Vang Vieng expressway linking the nation’s capital with the resort town of Vang Vieng is expected to be ready for use by December this year.
According to a report in Vientiane Mai, the completed expressway, which stretches some 113 kilometers, will be officially handed over on the occasion of the 45th National Day (2 December) this year.
The expressway will allow motorists to travel at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, linking the flat stretches from Naxaythong District in Vientiane Capital with Phonhong, Hin Heub and Vang Vieng districts in Vientiane Province.
The expressway project began at the end of 2018 and was scheduled for completion in 2021, however, it is now 90 percent complete, ahead of schedule.
Chinese investors will operate the expressway under a 50-year concession agreement, valued at USD1.2 billion, with the Lao government holding a five percent stake.
The expressway toll is expected to be charged at approximately 550 kip per kilometer, meaning around LAK 60,000 for a one-way trip from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, cutting the travel time to under two hours.
The Vientiane-Vang Vieng expressway is the first section of the planned Vientiane-Boten expressway, which the Lao government and the Chinese developer, a state construction enterprise from Yunnan province, plan to jointly build to link Vientiane with the northern province of Luang Namtha, which borders China.
