Laos and Myanmar have begun the construction of the first bridge to link their countries, and expect to complete it in 2015.
The building of the Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River between Laos' Luang Namtha province and Shan state in Myanmar was launched after the two countries held a ground-breaking ceremony on Saturday, The Vientiane Times reported on Monday.
The construction cost is US$18 million (540 million baht) and the two governments aim to use it to boost trade and investment, and enhance cooperation.
Luang Namtha governor Phimmasone Leuangkhamma, Lao Public Works and Transport Minister Sommad Pholsena and Myanmar's Construction Minister Kyaw Lwin presided over the ceremony.
The bridge will be 690 metres long and 10 metres wide and will have two vehicle lanes and two sidewalks. Construction of the bridge will take 30 months to complete.
Xaysongkham Manotham, director of the Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge Project, said the bridge will be a new symbol of cooperation, relations and solidarity between the two countries.