Route 3 is an important link in the north of
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
between
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Thailand. The 197 km route begins in the provincial capital
Luang Namtha
Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district as well as the capital of Luang Namtha Province in northern Laos. The city lies on the Tha River (''Nam Tha'').
Luang Namtha is a popular tourist desti ...
,
Louang Namtha Province, Laos. It runs southwestwards reaching the provincial capital of
Ban Houayxay
Houayxay ( lo, ຫ້ວຍຊາຍ) (also ''Huoeisay'', ''Houei Sai'' or ''Huay Xai''), is a district in Bokeo Province, Laos, on the border with Thailand. Ban Houayxay is the administrative centre of the district.
The town lies on the Mekong ...
,
Bokeo Province, on river
Mekong. On completion of the
Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
it will end there. China is interested in improving traffic routes to
Southeast Asia, to be financed with together with Thailand. China has the main share in the expansion of highways in Laos. The Laotian section is part of the
Kunming–Bangkok Expressway
Kunming–Bangkok Expressway is a proposed international expressway running from Kunming, Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, to Bangkok, Thailand via Laos The first expressway sections were opened in 2008.
The expressway will be approx ...
, which is part of the
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
Asian Highway 3 (AH3) is a route of the Asian Highway Network which runs from Ulan-Ude, Russia (on AH6) to Tanggu, China; and Shanghai, China (on AH5) to Chiang Rai, Thailand and Kengtung, Myanmar (both on AH2).
Southeast Asian issues
By mid ...
.
References
* http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=11229
Roads in Laos
Mekong River
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