The transport ministers of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand gathered at a conference in Hanoi on February 21 to discuss objectives and solutions to enhance trilateral transport cooperation in the coming time. 

Transport Ministers of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand sign the deal, Ha Noi, February 21, 2013

 At the first-ever event, the ministers agreed to quickly complete internal procedures for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among the three Governments on adding national roads No. 8 and No. 12 on Vietnamese and Lao territories to Protocol No.1 of the Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (GMS-CBT).

The opening of these routes to cross-border movement will reduce transport time and costs, thus attracting transit goods from northeastern Thailand and central Laos to Vietnam ’s Vung Ang and Hon La ports, especially those transported to Northeast Asia .

The ministers also agreed on an action plan to realise the agreement between the three Governments on land tourism transport. The plan mentions the establishment of subcommittees on transport, tourism, immigration and customs to assist the operation of the three countries’ Joint Committee.

Concluding the conference, the Vietnamese, Lao and Thai transport ministers signed the amended MoU on the implementation of the GMS-CBT.

 Once implemented, the MoU will facilitate the movement of the three countries’ vehicles from the East-West Economic Corridor to Vietnam’s Hanoi and Hai Phong cities, Vientiane of Laos and Leam Chabang of Thailand.

TTO