The Boten–Houayxay road in the Lao PDR connecting Chiang Rai and Yunnan
Province was one of the weakest road links in NSEC. Given the good road conditions
from Chiang Rai to Bangkok and from Mohan to Kunming in Yunnan Province, the
improvement of this road link in the Lao PDR, which was completed in 2007, has
provided a reliable transport route from Kunming to Bangkok. The earlier road was
unpaved and only a single lane at some points. Economic activity along the road was,
therefore, limited to subsistence agriculture, small-trading activities, and logging.
The construction of the Fourth Mekong International Bridge between Houayxay in
the Lao PDR and Chiang Khong in Thailand addresses the last remaining link in the
Western Subcorridor of NSEC and is expected to further increase the attractiveness of
this route. In the Central Subcorridor, the weakest link is the Lao Cai–Ha Noi section,
which is currently hindered by narrow and winding roads in the northernmost
provinces of Viet Nam. The construction of an expressway from Lao Cai to Ha Noi,
which is planned for 2008–2011, will greatly facilitate the flow of traffic, as well as
increase the capacity of this route for subregional traffic.