The paper has demonstrated that the best possible route for Laotian
garment exporters to Europe is via Port Klang in Malaysia, both on total
transport costs and transit time (see Table VIII). The only possible reservation
concerning such a route is the road haulage factor from Nongkhai to Lad
Krabang or Bangkok. This is due to the fact that most trucks are overloaded
and claims on road freight (damage, loss of goods, etc.) are excessively high for
some cargo. It might be possible to utilise the rail link between Nongkhai and
Lad Krabang or Bangkok but all this will depend on the frequency, reliability
and cost of the service offered. There is currently a project linking Nongkhai to
Vientiane but because of the 1997/1998 economic crisis the project has been
shelved by the Thai concessionaire.