Affected families and local stakeholders gather at the Thongyai Village office in Pakxan district to review the proposed compensation rates for displaced households.

Vientiane-Hanoi Expressway advances as Laos accelerates compensation for residents

Construction of an expressway linking the Lao and Vietnamese capitals is moving forward as Laos accelerates compensation for residents affected by the mega-project.
Authorities in central Bolikhamxay province have issued a draft compensation plan for families affected by the 203.8-km Paksan–Thanh Thuy section. The route will link the provincial capital of Paksan with the Thanh Thuy–Nam On international border crossing between Laos and Vietnam. The section forms part of the planned Vientiane–Hanoi Expressway, which the Lao and Vietnamese governments agreed to develop in 2016.
The draft plan was circulated at the Thongyai Village office in Pakxan district, allowing affected families and other stakeholders to review the proposed rates and give their views, according to the Pasaxon newspaper.
The compensation scheme covers land, buildings, fruit trees and crops, as well as possible changes to customs and traditions resulting from the project.
The plan requires the project owner to pay full compensation into the bank accounts of affected people within 60 working days after the instrument is approved and takes effect.
The road will run from Thongyai village in Pakxan district to the Laos-Vietnam border in Xaychamphone district, passing through 28 villages in Pakxan, Bolikhan, Viengthong and Xaychamphone districts before reaching Thanh Thuy district in Vietnam.
The expressway will eventually connect with National Road 13 South in Bolikhamxay Province. As the central province offers a shorter route between Vietnam and Thailand via Laos, the expressway is expected to strengthen regional connectivity and boost trade, investment, and tourism.
The Lao and Vietnamese governments have agreed to work together to expedite the project.
President Thongloun Sisoulith discussed the project with Vietnam’s Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc during the latter’s official visit to Laos recently, agreeing to push it ahead.
On the Vietnamese side, construction of the US$910 million Vinh–Thanh Thuy Expressway began on May 18, according to Vietnamese media outlet VnExpress. The project forms the other side of the planned cross-border highway corridor.
The roughly 60-km expressway will run from the Hung Tay interchange in Nghe An province to the Thanh Thuy–Nam On border gate, where it will link with the Lao section.
The Vietnamese section is scheduled for completion in 2029 and will feature six interchanges, 51 bridges, 58 underpasses, and a 485-metre tunnel through the Dai Hue mountain range.
The two governments have identified transport and energy links as important areas for strengthening economic cooperation and connectivity between Laos and Vietnam.
The publication of the draft compensation rates allows affected families to understand the proposed arrangements before the rates are finalised, while helping the project move towards the next stage of development.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 30, 2026)