Catalog

The Mekong By Road

By Carolyn Dedolph (cdedolph@adb.org)
External Relations Officer

Seeing is understanding. And that was the main purpose of the Greater Mekong Subregion-GMS familiarization tour: to open the eyes of the participants to the progress of infrastructure projects and help them better understand the situations and opportunities of the diverse GMS countries.

Thirty-two participants took part in the tour of Cambodia, Viet Nam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic-Lao PDR, and Thailand from 23 to 27 July 2001. Sponsored by the Asian Development Bank-ADB, the tour included visits to infrastructure project sites and briefings on GMS development issues: tourism; transportation, roads and ports; energy; telecommunications; and human resource development.

But of even greater importance, it was an opportunity for the participants—22 senior government officials from the six Mekong countries (see map) and three representatives of the private sector and civil society, plus seven ADB staff members—to exchange views on common issues, discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in the GMS, and learn more about their neighboring GMS countries.

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The five-day journey started at ADB’s Cambodia Resident Mission in Phnom Penh with an overview on the GMS Program. “We are now entering into a full-fledged implementation phase,” stressed Toru Tatara, GMS Unit Head. “The GMS Program is increasingly taking a multisectoral approach to developing cross-border economic corridors to maximize impact and minimize cost.”

Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Veng Sereyvuth, then gave a presentation on Cambodia’s tourism potential in the context of the GMS. “Tourism can play an important role in development and in reducing poverty,” he said, with village-based tourism potentially being a key future component of Cambodia’s tourism strategy. The Minister advocated promoting the GMS as a single destination and developing water-based tourism centering around the Mekong River.

By midmorning we were on the road, traveling in two buses along the Phnom Penh-Ho Chi Minh City Highway, which ADB and the governments of Cambodia and Viet Nam are upgrading. The importance of this project became obvious as the potholes became larger and more numerous.

“This road was built during the French colonial period, maybe in the 1940s,” said Nida Ouk, Project Implementation/Programs Officer at the Cambodia Resident Mission. He explained that the only maintenance done on it since 1970 was in 1993, when some of the potholes were filled in. “You can’t call this an Asian highway,” he said.

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SOMBER MOMENT. The group at the Khe Sanh War Memorial, Viet Nam

After several hours of spine-wrenching bouncing, we reached the Neak Loeung ferry crossing, a hub of economic activity. A ride on the ferry costs passengers 100 riel ($0.02). On the ferry, 12-year-old Sovanara was selling bottled water to passengers. She said she earns 500 riel ($0.13) a day, which goes to support her family and pay for her schooling. On the other side of the Mekong, a vendor says she earns about 5,500 riel ($1.40) a day by selling goods such as bread, cookies, cigarettes, and canned milk.

For the next several hours, we were on a very bad road that had been severely damaged by the flood in 2000. But the road is being widened in some spots, evidence of good things to come.

The distance from Phnom Penh to the border town of Bavet is only 165 kilometers (km), but it took nearly six hours to cover. Then it took another 1.5 hours for us to complete the immigration process, with the same procedures having to be done twice: first in Cambodia and then in Moc Bai in Viet Nam.

“We see so many rules and regulations around the GMS,” remarked Thein Swe, then Deputy Head of Mission, ADB Viet Nam Resident Mission, as we were waiting in line. “We need to streamline them so border crossings are more efficient, and people and goods can flow faster.”

Once again in our buses, we noticed something strange: no more bouncing. The road was smooth and wide—and we were cruising at highway speed. For several years, the Government of Viet Nam has been upgrading and widening the road—a procedure that required resettling about 5,000 households.

“This road is an effective project for developing southern Viet Nam,” said Lę Long Dinh, Director General, Project Management Unit, Ministry of Transport, citing a large increase in traffic volume, skyrocketing property values, and the eventual increase in trade and cooperation between Cambodia and Viet Nam.

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PROCESSING PASSPORTS.Lao PDR officials

The next morning came the true logistical challenge of the trip: getting 32 people to the airport for a 6:50 a.m. flight to Hue in central Viet Nam. Defying Murphy’s Law, no one overslept or was left behind despite a predawn breakfast and hotel checkout.

After a briefing on transport, roads, and port development, we took a break from traveling and became tourists ourselves in this World Heritage Site, enjoying an afternoon in the citadel as well as the sites along the Perfume River.

Up early again the next morning, we left Hue bound for Savannakhet in the Lao PDR via Lao Bao along Route 9—part of the East-West Economic Corridor. The prosperity so tangible in the lowlands quickly vanished as the road began to wind through the hills.

At the border, several young women—their faces covered by handkerchiefs like bandits—greeted us with shouts of “change money!” as we got off the buses. Waving thick stacks of kip, the enterprising money changers said they offered good rates.

We had to show our passports to Vietnamese officials at several checkpoints. We then walked a couple of hundred meters along a curving road littered with huge logs. Reaching the Lao outpost, we were processed again. The facility looked new—and will soon be computerized. In the meanwhile, the immigration officials meticulously recorded our details in large ledgers.

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NO GO.A flat tire provided a chance to stretch our legs

Route 9 in the Lao PDR quickly turned into a muddy, rocky road. Our top cruising speed was 20 km an hour. We discovered that there’s not much along Route 9 for the traveler: no gas stations, no rest rooms, no restaurants, no telephones—and definitely no internet cafes.

Road construction was everywhere, the first step of which involves the dangerous task of removing land mines. ADB is financing the upgrading works along this major section of the East-West Economic Corridor.

Lunch was in Sepon, where Oxiana Resources NL officers briefed us on their gold and copper mining activities. Production is scheduled to start in late 2002.

Enroute, there was plenty of time to think about and discuss GMS issues. “The GMS Program has only been in existence for 10 years, which is a blink in the development world,” said Paul Turner, ADB’s Resident Representative in the Lao PDR. “The GMS’s regional approach is more valuable than individual projects because it contributes to developing a region.”

After 10 hours of bouncing and being jarred on the road, we were thrilled to hear that we were nearing Savannakhet. Then the real treat—a beautiful asphalt road, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. It was hard to imagine that in a few years, the ordeal we had just experienced would be no more than a memory.

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The final leg of the journey began with us setting off for Northeast Thailand. We left Savannakhet early the next day and crossed the Mekong in a small boat. Fifteen minutes later, we were in Mukdahan, Thailand, where immigration was efficient and fast. A brightly painted tourist bus took us to see the site of the planned second international bridge spanning the Mekong River. Funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the bridge will be built by 2005.

We then drove a few hours on an inter-national standard highway to Khon Kaen University, where we visited the Mekong Institute, which offers courses designed specifically for GMS needs. “It’s important that GMS countries drive training in the subregion,” stressed Yan Flint, Director of the Mekong Institute, during his briefing on human resources development.

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ON THIS SPOT.Second international bridge spanning the Mekong

During the wrap-up session, it became obvious that the long road trips had provided rich time for thinking about the GMS.

“It’s good to see the real situation,” said Areewan Haorangsi, Chief of the Foreign Affairs Subdivision in Thailand’s Department of Land Transport, who works on legislation to facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and people. Until this trip, she said she’d never been to places like Moc Bai and Lao Bao—and now she will never forget them.

The key message that emerged is that the GMS countries think highly of the GMS Program because it has gone beyond talk and is actually delivering effective assistance.

The participants spoke of the importance of the GMS Program, especially in building infrastructure. Several participants expressed interest that coordination and complementarity issues between the GMS Program and other initiatives, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade Area, should be addressed as a priority. Others felt that the “soft” aspects of development must be emphasized to maximize the impact of infrastructure investments in facilitating trade and investment, promoting tourism, and in developing the human resources.

“The tour succeeded very well in fostering better understanding among the participants of the development potential of the GMS,” said C.R. Rajendran, ADB Programs Manager.

Seeing really is believing—and the participants saw a lot to change the way they view the subregion and its future. Rather than looking at the obstacles, the tour helped this diverse group of people look at the opportunities—and commit to working together to make them a reality.

Learn more about subregional cooperation

Visit our Greater Mekong Subregion site

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