Improved infrastructure makes land travel in Indochina a much more enjoyable experience. Maida Pineda hits the road for a conference in Laos
At 7am one morning, I boarded a van for a 737km drive from Bangkok to Pakse. My road trip companions were fellow delegates to the Mekong Tourism Forum – Scott Murray, a Bangkok-based editor of travel magazines and Magnus Bartlett, publisher of Hong Kong-based Odyssey Guides. Prior to this trip, I had not been to this southern town in Laos, but Murray recounted visiting it in 1999, making a stop at the ancient Khmer temple of Wat Phu as part of a personal pilgrimage.
Disappointingly, our land trip was not as picturesque as I had wished, but at the Thai border in Ubon Ratchathani province at Chong Mek, my entry into Laos was a breeze. Holding a passport from an ASEAN country, I did not need a visa. But my companions, with Canadian and British passports, needed to wait for their entry paperwork to be processed. Eleven hours after our departure from Bangkok, we finally reached Pakse.
Building Bridges
The next day, as we gingerly walked up the steep steps of the Wat Phu ruins, Murray shared with me how much progress he has witnessed since his last visit.
“In 1999 when I first came here, accessibility was very difficult. There were very few paved roads. It was hard to get here – buses were never on time. But they’ve improved the infrastructure. There are a lot more paved roads, and there are a lot more access points.”
In 2007, the Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge opened to connect Mukdahan province in Thailand with Savannakhet, the second largest city in Laos after Vientiane. “That is the gateway to Vietnam; from there you can head on to Hue, then Hanoi,” Murray said. “Previously, you had to travel to Nong Khai, then to Vientiane. But the second bridge has given people a new option.”
By November, a Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, funded by China, will be completed to link Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom Province with Tha Khaek in Khammouan province, Laos. This bridge will also strengthen transport between Thailand, Vietnam and southern China.
“They have also extended the train from Nong Khai,” Murray continued. “In the old days, if you were taking a train from Bangkok to Laos you had to get off in Nong Khai and then take a bus. But now, you can take the train all the way to Vientiane. They’ve made getting into Laos a lot easier.”
Nick Ray, Lonely Planet author for Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Mekong guides, is also thrilled by the region’s improved transport system. For the past decade, this British writer has been living in Cambodia and frequently taking long trips on his motorbike to explore the region. Ray observes that the progress in infrastructure projects seems to have sped up in the past five years. He attributes this partly to funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) combined with the self-interests of some countries for their own trade and development. He notices the changes clearly in Vietnam.
“When I first went there in 1995, the national highway down the coast was a single-lane, French-style road. There were no bridges in places like Vinh. We had to take a ferry and it took forever. Now, they have a four-lane highway.”
For many years, there has been a missing link in northeastern Cambodia, referred to by serious bikers as “Death Highway”. Ray describes this area as a tough ride on sand and mud trails. But he happily reports: “I was just there three weeks ago, and they are bulldozing the road completely. They’re building a new road there.”
Better Tourist Experiences
The Mekong Tourism Forum was abuzz with talk of the potential of the Economic Corridors in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), namely: the north-south road connecting Kunming, Bangkok and Hanoi; the route from Danang in Vietnam to Mawlamyine in Myanmar through Laos and Thailand; and the route connecting Bangkok with cities in Cambodia and Vietnam. Undoubtedly, it is the “north-south economic corridor”, once known as the opium smuggling route, that is getting the most attention. Not only is it impressive for its distance, stretching 1,800km, but it also links China to Indochina by traversable road, effectively connecting it by land all the way to Singapore.
Steven Schipani, ADB’s social sector specialist for Southeast Asia, reported the positive progress of the many roadways that have been completed in the GMS, making travel between capital cities and provincial capitals fast and easy. He noted the fruits of these developments: “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the number of GMS regional travellers. Most of the growth in the Mekong is coming from the increase in travellers from within ASEAN or travellers that live here within the GMS.” (There has been a 112.9 percent increase, from 13,640,888 tourist arrivals in 2000 to 29,045,625 in 2010.) GMS residents don’t have the luxury of time that long-haul travellers do, but because travel is now much faster, they can come up from central or northeast Thailand to Luang Prabang or go to Vientiane for the weekend. They can also quickly travel from northeast Thailand across Laos to reach Vietnam for popular destinations like Hue or the beaches to the south.
Schipani explained that the first phase of overland development has been initially to link the major economic centres of the Mekong region by upgrading all the roadways. “Primarily, we upgrade roads, but it can also be river ports or river piers, or small airports. ADB helped finance the small airport in northern Laos and Luang Namtha. We are involved in partially financing the airport in Siem Reap as well as some other air links we hope to support, but mostly the investment has been overland transport corridors. Now that those are in place, we are ready to branch out to secondary destinations, or what we call the last mile access infrastructure.”
Pakse is a great example of an emerging secondary destination. It can now be accessed by bus, boat and plane, making it easier to experience its once hidden attractions. Schipani points out that a newly built 4km road now makes Khone Phapheng waterfall and Si Phan Don, the “4,000 islands”, easily reached from the main highway.
Mainstream Appeal
For Schipani, the improvements are astounding. “When I first arrived here in 1998, I used to work in northern Laos. Getting from the border town of Huai Xai to the southwestern border village of Boten took two days. You drove the bumpy road, slept, then you drove the other half the next day. Now it takes just five hours. The road is completed and it’s arguably the best drive in the Mekong region. You drive through mountains, forests, interesting villages, caves and archaeological sites along the way.”
For many years, only adventurous backpackers and bold bikers travelled the inner wilderness of Indochina. But the demographic seems to be changing. These countries are now attracting more mainstream travellers; even the accommodation has changed, from simple guesthouses to chic boutique hotels in Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, even in the sleepy town of Pakse.
Tourists from China are perhaps the most excited by the new developments. A 24-hour bus ride will now take them from Kunming to Bangkok. This four-lane highway offers great scenery, traversing hillsides filled with tea and rubber tree plantations. According to Ray, bus services in the region are also keeping up with road enhancements. “They vary in every country, but generally Thai buses are better. The buses in Vietnam are much improved with imported Korean buses. They’ve turned down the karaoke, and turned up the comfort. You also have Vietnam as the pioneer of the open ticket, where you buy a ticket from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi for about US$50, which allows you to jump off and on along the way at places like Nha Trang and Dalat.”
However, one tricky detail remains: navigating through land border crossings. Ray has crossed through at least half of the borders in Indochina. He cannot emphasise enough the necessity of checking which ones are open to foreign passport holders, and the hours of operation. He consults travel online forums for the latest news from fellow travellers on border conditions.
Currently, you must secure your visa for Vietnam prior to travel, as visa-on-arrival is not possible. While China and Myanmar are trying to relax their visa-on-arrival rules, passage through certain land borders remains complicated (see latest visa-on-arrival news for Myanmar at www.myanmarvisa.com). The best advice is to obtain your visa prior to arrival to China and Myanmar to prevent problems. Visa on arrival is available in Cambodia for US$20 and in Laos for US$30, with some nationalities charged a higher fee. Have several passport photos ready, too. Thailand has relaxed its tourist visa requirements – since 2008 they have granted visa-free entry for nationals from 40 countries, and a 15-day stay if you arrive by overland crossing.
In 2015, there will be another way to get to Indochina: a high-speed train connecting the 421-kilometre stretch from China to Vientiane. Construction has begun for this project, with an expected influx of tourists pouring in from China as soon as it opens.
The folks at ADB and the national governments are not resting on their laurels. With land travel now entering a new phase, Schipani declares of the future: “There’s not so many more of the 200-kilometre highways to be built. But the two- to three-kilometre access roads, we need a lot of those. We’ve done a great job of strengthening the main and even the secondary destinations. Now we need to focus on product development to match the market demand, reaching for higher markets and linking them up through multi-country thematic circuits.”
Bus or plane?
Before booking your flight, consider this. While airplanes cover large distances quickly, they don’t necessarily get you there faster on short-range routes. Some carriers only travel three times a week around the region. Buses, on the other hand, may be slower, but travel more frequently. Land travel can get you to your destination faster, plus give you a glimpse of country life, a taste of authentic local cuisine, souvenir shopping, and the chance to meet locals along the way. You will also be spared waiting in airports. One added perk worth considering: some buses (like the VIP overnight buses from Laos to Bangkok) offer free wifi on board. Always check your schedule and see what suits you best.
BUS TRAVEL 101
Buses are a great way to enjoy the scenery without the hassle of learning the roads and peculiarities of fellow drivers in a foreign country. Some routes to consider on your next visit to Indochina:
Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, 6 hours, 240km, Mekong Express, direct, deluxe bus, departing from Phnom Penh Station , costs Kip 87,900 (US$11) tel +855 23 427 518
Phnom Penh to Bangkok, 15 hours, 779km, Mekong Express, departing from Phnom Penh Station to Poipet, change bus at border, costs Kip 127,800 (US$16) tel +855 23 427 518
Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City (via Phnom Penh), 11 hours Mekong Express, direct, deluxe bus, departing from Phnom Penh Station (no bus change at border), costs Kip 175,700 (US$22) tel +855 23 427 518
Luang Prabang to Kunming, China, 28-30 hours, VIP bus, departs 0700 and 2200, costs Kip 450,000 (US$56)
Luang Prabang to Vinh, Vietnam, 18-20 hours, Express bus, departs 1830, costs 210,000 kip (US$26)
It is sometimes easier to purchase bus tickets from a hotel or travel agent, instead of the bus station.
For the latest border information, consult fellow travellers on these forums:
www.travelfish.org
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree
