Transportation Development in Indochina

For the first time in history the three countries in Indochina—Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam—have started a massive effort to upgrade their transportation systems, particularly those linking each one to the others. Despite the fact that the great Mekong River runs through all three countries, natural barriers formed by the massive Annamite Mountains, which extend from the Himalayas, effectively divide the peninsula, preventing both the Chinese civilization from the east and the Indian civilization from the west from crossing the barrier. Such seclusion suited the region's socialist regimes well in the 1970s and 1980s. Since the 1990s, however, circumstances have induced these three countries to adopt more market-oriented and outward-looking policies, which created interest in expanding and strengthening the region's transportation network. In addition to the drawing up of plans for domestic transportation networks, frequent international conferences have been convened to seek cooperation among the Indochinese countries and from abroad. Many projects have been identified, and some are being implemented. The extreme neglect under which the transportation network has operated during the past two decades has made such efforts daunting. The task of upgrading transportation infrastructure in Indochina will be a priority for some time to come.