Thanaleng Dry Port
| Thanaleng Dry Port | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Thanaleng Dry Port | |
| Location | |
| Country | Laos |
| Location | Dongphosy Village, Hatsayfong District, Vientiane, Laos |
| Coordinates | 17°54′41″N 102°42′27″E / 17.91139°N 102.70750°E |
| Details | |
| Opened | 4 December 2021 |
| Operated by | Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. |
| Owned by | Thanaleng Dry Port Sole Co., Ltd. |
| Employees | 247 (as of 2022) |
| Statistics | |
| Website thanalengdryport | |
Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP, also known as Thanaleng International Border Checkpoint – Cargo Terminal) is a multimodal logistics facility located in Vientiane, Laos. Situated approximately 1 kilometre from the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River.
The railway gauge in Thailand (1000 mm) is different from those of Laos and China (1435 mm), so cargo both countries must be transshipped at the dry port.[1]
It is one of nine dry ports of "international importance" designated under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports.
History
The concept for Thanaleng Dry Port originated from feasibility studies conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2015, followed by additional assessments by Royal HaskoningDHV of the Netherlands, which were approved by the Government of Laos in 2020.
Land acquisition for the 55-hectare dry port site began in 2014 through a government-led resettlement process, with affected residents relocated by 2015.[2] In July 2020, the Government of Laos awarded a 50-year public-private partnership (PPP) concession to Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. (VLP Co.), a special purpose vehicle under PTL Holding Company Limited (part of the Phongsavanh Group), to develop and operate the facility.[3]
Construction of the broader Vientiane Logistics Park, encompassing the dry port, broke ground in 2021, with a total investment of US$727 million. The dry port was officially inaugurated on 4 December 2021 by Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, coinciding with the operationalization of the Laos–China Railway.[4] A trans-shipment yard connecting the differing rail gauges was completed and inaugurated in July 2022. Financing included a US$67 million package arranged by the International Finance Corporation in June 2022, alongside support from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The project builds on the earlier Thanaleng railway station, established in 2009 as Laos' first international rail link with Thailand.
The TDP project includes the under-construction Vung Ang seaport in Vietnam’s central Hà Tĩnh province, which will be connected by a planned railway link, and a proposed dry port in central Khammouane province, through which the railway will run.[5]
References
- ^ BTL Celebrates Opening of Thanaleng Dry Port’s Transhipment Yard
- ^ "Lao PDR: Thanaleng Dry Port". Early Warning System. Archived from the original on 2025-03-26. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
- ^ Ruoxue, Goh (2025-09-10). "No sea, no sweat: Dry ports turn landlocked Laos into land corridor, eye trade to Middle East, Europe". The Business Times. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ "Thanaleng Dry Port and Vientiane Logistics Park Hold Grand Opening". Laotian Times. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
- ^ "Thanaleng Dry Port links South-East Asia to the world, developer tells Timor-Leste president". The Star. 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2025-10-01.