A view of the newly opened road linking northen Thailand and Vientiane.

New road between Vientiane and Chiang Mai cuts travel time by 3 hours

The journey time between Vientiane and Chiang Mai in Thailand has been shortened thanks to a new road that opened to traffic last week.
The opening of Road 11 has shaved more than 200 kilometres off the previous route, meaning that travel time has been reduced from 14 to 10-11 hours.
Motorists using the old route had to cross the Lao-Thai border in Thailand’s Nong Khai province, driving a distance of 863 kilometres.
The new route is 629 kilometres long and the road travels over mostly flat land, providing a much easier journey.
Road R11 has been designed in line with ASEAN highway standards. In Thailand, it starts in Chiang Mai and passes through Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae and Uttaradit before crossing the border into Laos and entering Paklai district in Xayaboury province. The road then runs south to Sangthong district in Vientiane.
The new road will boost trade and tourism between Laos and Thailand.
According to Laos’ Department of Immigration, there are now 31 full border crossings between Laos and its five neighbouring countries, which comprise Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar and China to the north.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update March 19, 2025)