Southern Laos Joins Vietnam, Thailand to Push East-West Economic Corridor Forward

This Week

Top officials from Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand met in Pakse on 3 April to revive East-West Economic Corridor, a 1,450-kilometer route linking the region.

With nearly 400 delegates, the provinces of Champasak, Attapeu, Sekong, Salavan, and Savannakhet represented the Lao side, Thailand sent a team from Ubon Ratchathani, and  Vietnam sent officials from 19 different areas.

This corridor first started in 1998.

It connects Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The path runs from the port of Mawlamyine in Myanmar all the way to Da Nang in Vietnam. Leaders designed it to open trade and reduce poverty.

However, the project has faced slow progress for years. Missing roads and too much paperwork at borders held it back.

The 2026 Investment, Trade and Tourism Cooperation Forum aimed to fix these gaps.

Travel and Trade Boost

Delegates highlighted tourism as a major goal.

To make this happen, partners signed over 20 new agreements to work together through 2030.

These deals create a roadmap through 2030 to boost tourism and help small businesses sell local products across borders.

Infrastructure is also reaching a turning point.

In March, the Lao National Assembly approved a vital railway project linking Thakhek to the Mu Gia border. This rail line will eventually connect the capital, Vientiane, to Vietnam’s Vung Ang Port, finally giving landlocked Laos a direct “land bridge” to the ocean.

Local provinces are already preparing for this growth.

Attapeu Province is inviting investors to build wind power plants and high-tech “clean” farms to export organic food.

Meanwhile, the Lao Bao International Border Gate in Vietnam remains the busiest “doorway” on the route. It connects directly to the Dansavanh International Border Gate in Savannakhet, Laos, where trade activities reached 103.7 percent of the annual goal last year.

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