Laem Chabang as the most important deep-sea port has a daily feeder
connection to Singapore. Main line ships also call at Laem Chabang for the
Trans-Pacific trade on a weekly basis. It is worth noting that there are no
mainline ships destined for Europe. All the cargo for the Middle East and
Europe must be transhipped in Singapore first.
When analysing the inland leg from Vientiane to Laem Chabang, the port
charges only represent 12 percent of the inland transport cost compared to 26
percent for Bangkok port. The transit charge between Thanaleng and
Nongkhai (including Customs and document charges) still represents around 17 percent of the total inland transport cost. The trucking rate is 13 percent
higher than when going to Bangkok at 362 USD compared to 315 USD but with
no real difference in transit time.