China, Thailand and Laos have agreed to build a bridge across the Mekong River that will directly link Yunnan province with Bangkok by road. This according to, the Asian Development Bank. The bridge will be completed in 2011 and jointly financed by Beijing and Bangkok.

The bridge will cross the Mekong between Chiang Khong, in northern Thailand, and Houayxay in Laos.

It will be the third to be built under a 15 year-old regional cooperation program to link the economies of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Asian Development Bank vice president Lawrence Greenwood, said, ‘When this vital bridge is completed, it will be possible for the first time to travel by land directly from Yunnan, China, through Laos to Thailand.’ He said in a statement this would open up ‘tremendous potential for increased trade, tourism and the further integration of the Mekong region.’

Nowhere is mention made of a problem which is small but significant.

Laos was part of French Indo-China and so everyone drives on the right. In Thailand and China as a general rule traffic goes on the left. The Australian government built the Friendship Bridge (seen in our illustration) over the Mekong at Nong Kai in northern Thailand. It connects to Laos. Laotian truck and bus drivers coming over the bridge make life interesting. Same with Thai truck and bus drivers going the other way.

Now imagine driving from China, keep to the left; through Laos, keep to the right; into Thailand, keep to the left. The mind boggles at the traffic problems this might present.