Route 13 is the most important highway in
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
. It begins at
Boten
Boten (, ; zh, 磨丁) is a town in Laos located in Luang Namtha Province, situated on the China–Laos border opposite the Chinese town of Mohan. Although Boten is part of Laos, most of its inhabitants speak Mandarin Chinese as their native l ...
in northern Laos at the Chinese border. It connects the city of
Vientiane
Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...
to
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang (Lao language, Lao: wikt:ຫຼວງພະບາງ, ຫຼວງພະບາງ, pronounced ), historically known as Xieng Thong (ຊຽງທອງ) and alternatively spelled Luang Phabang or Louangphabang, is the capital of Lu ...
in the north and roughly follows the line of the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...
down to the border with
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
. The road then continues at
National Highway 7
The following highways are numbered 7. For roads numbered A7, see list of A7 roads.
Route 7, or Highway 7, may refer to:
International
* AH7, Asian Highway 7
* European route E07
* European route E007
Afghanistan
*Kunduz-Khomri Highway (A7)
...
in
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
. Route 13 passes the
New Laos National Stadium
The New Laos National Stadium (also known as Lao National Stadium KM16) is a multi-use stadium in Vientiane, Laos that was built in 2009. It is used mostly for football matches. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2009 Southeast ...
at
Vientiane prefecture
Vientiane Prefecture (, ''Nakhônlouang ViangChan'', , ) is a prefecture of Laos, in northwest Laos. The national capital, Vientiane, is in the prefecture. The prefecture was created in 1989, when it was split off from Vientiane province ...
and all three international airports in Laos:
Vientiane Airport,
Luang Prabang Airport, and
Pakse Airport. Between Boten and
Nateuy a 20 km segment of Route 13 is part of the
Kunming-Bangkok Expressway, (
Asian Highway
The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via hig ...
AH3). From Nateuy to Vientiane, Route 13 is part of
AH12 and from Vientiane to the border of Cambodia,
AH11
Asian Highway 11 (AH11) is a road in the Asian Highway Network running 1567 km from Vientiane, Laos to Sihanoukville, Cambodia connecting AH12 to AH1 and continuing to Gulf of Thailand. This international highway connects capitals of Laos ...
. It roughly runs parallel to
Vientiane-Boten Expressway.
Route 13 passes through the cities of Vientiane,
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng (Lao: ວັງວຽງ, ) is a town in Vientiane Province, northern Laos. Situated along the Nam Song River and surrounded by karst limestone formations, it lies approximately 130 kilometers (81 mi) north of the national capital, V ...
,
Phoukhoune district where is intersection of
Route 7 (Laos)
Route 7
of Laos, ເສັ້ນ ທາງ ເລກ 7 ຂອງປະເທດລາວ (ທ. 7) is a provincial road served from east to west in Xiangkhouang province, Laos. It runs from Nong Het in the east to Phoukhoune District in the ...
, and Luang Prabang. The road is mostly paved, though the pavement is in poor condition at places, it is relatively narrow with sharp curves and there are no markings or lighting on the road everywhere. Several daily buses run from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, the journey taking 8–10 hours.
Travel in northern Laos
/ref>
File:Laos Route N13.jpg, N13 Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...
from Chinese border at Boten
File:Oudomxay.JPG, Laos Route N13 at Muang Xay
File:RueVangVieng2011-b.jpg, Laos Route N13 at Vang Vieng
File:NR13S, Laos.jpg, Laos Route N13 at Pakxan
File:Savannakhet1.JPG, Laos Route N13 at Savannakhet
References
{{Highways in Laos
Roads in Laos
Mekong River