Mekong River Bridge between Thailand and Laos

The Mekong River Bridge is located 20 km southeast of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and is the only crossing in the river's 2,400 km length between the Chinese border and the sea. Until the late 1980s this part of the river marked the political divide between East and West. In January 1989 the government of Australia offered to build a bridge as part of its overseas assistance programme to the area and the offer was accepted by both Thailand and Laos. The project design was carried out by Australian consultants and construction was undertaken by an Australian main contractor, with local suppliers and sub-contractors.