On the rails

Editor's note: In this weekly feature China Daily gives voice to Asia and its people. The stories presented come mainly from the Asia News Network (ANN), of which China Daily is among its 20 leading titles.

On a high-speed train departing Lao capital Vientiane and heading north one morning, Vongthong Somphavath, a resident of the world heritage town of Luang Prabang, said she could now enjoy making round trips to the city and beyond, all within a day.

Vongthong, 27, said the China-Laos Railway was a game changer. She reminisced about her childhood when visits to other parts of the country were rare due to the treacherous and time-consuming mountain roads. Her story is not unique, but shared by many people living in the north.

"It was not just a month, or months; it could be a year or more before we got the chance to visit Vientiane," Vongthong said.

Those difficult days of travel have become a thing of the past since Dec 3, 2021, when the China-Laos Railway came into service after full-scale construction began in 2016.

It now takes about two hours to travel from Vientiane to Luang Prabang and another two hours to reach Boten in Luang Namtha Province that borders China, compared to at least eight and 15 hours, respectively, by road previously.