Officials and executives of both sides join group photo.

Thanaleng Dry Port, Vientiane Logistics Park – a boon for Cambodia, the rest of the region

The Vientiane Logistics Park (VLP) and its associated Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP) are a boon for Cambodia and the rest of the region, the project developer has told Cambodia’s visiting Deputy Prime Minister and her delegation.
Ms Men Sam An and delegates from the Cambodian National Assembly visited Laos’ multimodal transport connector in Vientiane on Thursday.
Products manufactured in Cambodia that are shipped through Thailand’s railway and enter Laos at the Laos-Thailand Mekong Friendship Bridge through the dry port in Vientiane, then transported via the Laos-China railway and the China-Europe rail network, could reach Europe within 20 days.
“Goods from Cambodia destined for Europe, instead of being shipped by sea, which takes about 45 days, could instead be transported by rail through Thailand and into Vientiane. In no more than 20 days, products from Cambodia will reach Europe,” Chairman of Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. Mr Chanthone Sitthixay told the guests.
Open for service since December 4 last year – just 11 months after construction began, the dry port and logistics park are components of the packaged Lao Logistics Link project (LLL), which is part of the government’s strategy to transform landlocked Laos into a land-link country.  

Ms Men Sam An.

The Lao Logistics Link includes a planned logistics park in Laos’ central Khammuan province, the Vung Ang seaport in Vietnam’s central Ha Tinh province, and a planned railway linking the Lao capital Vientiane to the seaport, which leads to markets in the Pacific region.
PTL Holding Co., Ltd., – the parent company of Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. - has been given the green light to partner with the Lao and Vietnamese governments to develop and operate the landmark LLL project.
Mr Chanthone, who is also Chief Executive Officer of PTL Holding Co., Ltd., is confident that Laos’ infrastructure, including the logistics park and Thanaleng Dry Port, will bolster trade and economic cooperation between Laos and Cambodia.
Hosting the Laos-Thailand railway and Laos-China railway -- which is part of the global transport infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative -- the dry port is an important gateway between China and Southeast Asian countries.
“We have defined our dry port as a multimodal transport connector connecting Asean with China and Europe,” said Mr Chanthone, who is also Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Studied by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the dry port, one of nine dry ports planned for Laos, functions as an international border checkpoint for freight.
VLP Vice President Tee Chee Seng said the rail-to-road route via Laos provides a new and direct transport network to move freight between China and Cambodia. 
“This route is not far. We can reach one another,” he said.
“Fruit from Cambodia can be smoothly shipped to China via our dry port. It is the best opportunity.”
To maximise potential, Mr Chanthone informed the guests that he has asked the governments of the two countries to jointly establish a cross-border trading zone at Nong Nok Khiene on the Lao side and Tropaeng Kreal on the Cambodian side. It is envisaged that this zone would comprise a logistics park, industrial and free trade zone where local currencies are directly used for trading.

Mr Chanthone Sitthixay presents a souvenir to Ms Men Sam An.

Ms Men Sam An presents a souvenir to Mr Chanthone Sitthixay.

In addition, the logistics park and its associated investment zones would also provide investment opportunities for foreign investors to do business there.
The US$727 million project invested in by the Lao company comprises the dry port, the logistics park, a tank farm, a free trade zone and an export processing zone – all being developed on 382 hectares of land near the first Laos-Thailand Mekong Friendship Bridge that connects Vientiane with Thailand’s Nong Khai province. Construction of all project sites is expected to be completed in the next three years.
The Lao investor informed the guests that his company also plans to build another logistics park in northwestern Bokeo province.
Ms Men Sam An spoke highly of Laos’ transport and logistics infrastructure, saying a new transport route, if shorter, would provide a good option for freight transport.
“In this case, as much freight as possible should be shipped via Laos and Cambodia,” she said through an interpreter. 
She said she would report what she learnt to Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly President Heng Samrin.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update September 20, 2022)