First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is a 1,174-metre road-rail bridge spanning the Mekong River between Mi Chai Subdistrict in Mueang Nong Khai, Thailand, and Thanaleng near Vientiane, Laos. Opened in 1994 as the first bridge across the lower Mekong, it was funded by Australia and serves as the main international border crossing between the two countries. Notable for its combined highway and metre-gauge railway, it is a landmark for cross-border travel and river views.

Visitors can expect a large steel truss bridge over the Mekong River with separate lanes for vehicles and a central metre-gauge railway track. The Thai side has an immigration and customs checkpoint, parking and viewing areas where the bridge and river can be photographed. Visitors not crossing can view the structure from the riverbank and approach roads. Those crossing experience formal border procedures, vehicle traffic and occasional cross-border shuttle trains.