Laos is working to unify fee collection procedures on transit cargo and cross-border tolls across the country’s key trade corridors, officials report.
The push comes as Laos’ Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Works and Transport held a joint meeting on 26 August, to address inconsistencies in the collection of transit cargo transport fees at the Thanaleng Dry Port development zone, alongside toll collection issues at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge checkpoint.
Thanaleng Dry Port, located near the 1st Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Vientiane, forms part of the broader Vientiane Logistics Park area. The facility links Southeast Asia and China rail networks to markets beyond Asia, with around 2,000 vehicles passing through daily.
In late June 2026, Laos and Cambodia opened a new agricultural transit route through Thanaleng, cutting the journey for Cambodian produce bound for China from nearly 20 days to about one week.
The meeting placed fee collection inconsistencies at the facility at the center of its agenda, alongside broader efforts to unify revenue management across transit and toll systems.
Officials described the discussions as an important step toward organizing revenue collection and strengthening the finance sector’s specialized work, aiming to ensure consistency, transparency, and legal compliance.
Authorities also discussed the toll collection system for the bridges crossing the Mekong River between Laos and Thailand, which currently number five, located in Vientiane, Savannakhet, Khammouane, Bokeo, and Bolikhamxay.
The participants also reviewed the open bidding process for procuring a company to develop and install systems for managing tolls on National Road No. 9 in Savannakhet Province, which connects Thailand in the west to Vietnam in the east.
That project combines a LAK 3.23 trillion (USD 148.7 million) highway rehabilitation contract with electronic toll collection targeting trucks of 12 tons or more.
