[Vnbiz] Laos, Vietnam open gateway to the past

[Phan, Tai]

Laos, Vietnam open gateway to the past

Vientiane Times/Asian News Network - 5/9/07
PHNOM PENH, May 8: The Laos and Vietnamese governments have opened another international border checkpoint between Phongsaly province, Laos, and Dien Bien province, Vietnam, with the aim of promoting tourism in this area.
The official opening ceremony of the Sobhoun-Taichang International Border Checkpoint was held last Friday under rainy skies, which did not deter dance performances from both countries to mark this historic event, according to a press release from Phongsaly province authorities. 
Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Phongsavat Boupha, and his Vietnamese counterpart, Mr Le Cong Phung, cut the ribbon alongside high-ranking Lao and Vietnamese officials to mark the checkpoint's opening.
According to the press release, the new border checkpoint was opened in response to the aspirations of Lao and Vietnamese people for increased communication and cooperation in relation to tourism and trade. Easy communication will facilitate the all-round development of the Lao and Vietnamese border provinces. 
The checkpoint also represents an important gateway linking northern Laos with Thailand, China and Myanmar, the press release said. Tourism officials said the international border crossing would also give tourists in northern Vietnam the chance to visit Luang Prabang province in Laos, the country's first World Heritage-listed site.
At the same time, the checkpoint will make it easier for tourists in northern Laos to travel to the well-known historic battlefield of Dien Bien Phu, the site of the French army's defeat in 1954. The French defeat marked the end of French control in Indochina, which has made the Dien Bien battlefield one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. 
An official from the International Relations Office in Phongsaly, Mr Pheng Chenthaphoum, told the Vientiane Times that the border would now welcome people carrying passports who wanted to travel to Vietnam or enter Laos. He said the Lao and Vietnamese governments had deployed immigration officials to facilitate travel for tourists who wanted to cross the border at this checkpoint, as the border area was not well-developed, and had no modern facilities. 
There are daily buses travelling from the checkpoint to the main towns in Phongsaly and Oudomxay provinces, he added. Phongsaly is around 190 km from the checkpoint, on an unsealed road