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Southeast Asia · China-Laos Railway

Rail and road freight from China to Laos

China to Laos

Kunming · Mohan – Boten · Luang Prabang · Vang Vieng · Vientiane · Thanaleng

Corridor map: China to LaosMap of land corridors between China and Laos, drawn on one real projection with places at their latitude and longitude: Kunming · Mohan – Boten · Luang Prabang · Vang Vieng · Vientiane · Thanaleng. Laos is outlined and shaded. Lines join the listed places and are not surveyed tracks or schedules. LAOSCHINAVIETNAMTHAILANDMYANMAR 20°N25°N95°E100°E105°E110°E KunmingMohan – BotenVientianeThanalengLuang PrabangVang Vieng 200 km Lines join the listed places; they are not surveyed tracks. Border crossingOrigin / destination
Corridor map: China to LaosMap of land corridors between China and Laos, drawn on one real projection with places at their latitude and longitude: Kunming · Mohan – Boten · Luang Prabang · Vang Vieng · Vientiane · Thanaleng. Laos is outlined and shaded. Lines join the listed places and are not surveyed tracks or schedules. LAOSCHINAVIETNAMTHAILANDMYANMAR 18°N20°N22°N24°N26°N100°E102°E104°E KunmingMohan – BotenVientianeThanaleng 200 km
  1. Kunming
  2. Mohan – BotenBorder crossing
  3. Luang Prabang
  4. Vang Vieng
  5. Vientiane
  6. ThanalengBorder crossing

The China-Laos Railway runs on standard gauge from the border town of Boten to Vientiane, so a container from Yunnan arrives without a gauge change. The inspection regime, not the track, is the Lao feature of this corridor.

Ask about Laos All rail & road corridors

At a glance

Laos: three facts that shape the lane

Inspection

Two places, two inspections

Goods are checked by Chinese authorities leaving at Mohan and by Lao authorities entering at Boten; for cargo in transit through Laos or bound for the Vientiane area, Boten does a partial check and the full inspection follows at Thanaleng.1

Dry port

Thanaleng links two railways

Thanaleng Dry Port, near the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, is connected to the Laos-China and the Laos-Thailand lines, and a Smart Customs single window was announced there in July 2025.2

Legal regime

Laos is outside ADR

Laos is not an ADR contracting party,3 so a truck leaving the Vientiane railhead is governed by Lao rules and the haulier's own acceptance.

The corridor

Fast on paper, strict at the counter

Mengla customs describes a pre-declaration model with clearance in two to five hours when no inspection is needed.4 A study has proposed a joint control area at the border, but the August 2025 draft agreement on "One Door, One Time" concerns passengers and not freight.5

We do not quote times for this corridor. Lithium batteries are screened case by case, subject to operator and country acceptance; the main preparation is a consistent set of documents so that the Thanaleng inspection finds what the declaration says.

An elevated electrified railway line with overhead wires beside green trees

Places on this page's map

  • Mohan – Boten. The Chinese–Lao rail border crossing.
  • Luang Prabang. A main station on the railway north of the capital.
  • Vang Vieng. A station between Luang Prabang and Vientiane.
  • Vientiane and Vientiane South. The capital and the freight yard of the railway.
  • Thanaleng. The customs supervision area and dry port.

Route pages

Lanes to Laos from inland Chinese cities

Rail route

Kunming → Vientiane

Kunming to Vientiane on the China-Laos Railway: two inspections at Mohan and Boten, Thanaleng customs, Lao road rules and what lithium battery cargo needs to be screened.

Read the Kunming to Vientiane route

Questions

Laos: questions we are asked

No. It is built to 1,435 mm gauge, as China's network is.6,7

No. Laos is not an ADR contracting party.3

By sea instead

Compare with sea freight from China

Sea routes

Nine Chinese ports, one hub

Sea freight leaves from Shenzhen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Dalian and Lianyungang. See all sea routes from China.

Choosing a mode

Each mode accepts lithium batteries on its own terms

Rail, road and sea operators apply different acceptance rules, and a shipment that is refused on one mode can sometimes be planned on another. We screen the cargo first and name the mode afterwards.

References

Where these points come from

  1. 中老铁路口岸实施“一地两检”通关方案研究 (Study on one-place-two-inspections clearance at the China-Laos railway port) (Higher Education Press journal, 2025)
  2. ‘Smart Customs’ introduced to facilitate cross-border trade at Laos port (The Star / Vientiane Times, 27 July 2025)
  3. Status of ADR – United Nations Treaty Collection, chapter XI-B-14 (United Nations Treaty Collection)
  4. China-Laos Railway releases new drivers for foreign trade growth (People's Daily Online, 23 September 2025)
  5. Laos and China finalize draft agreement on “One Door, One Time” inspection at international railway checkpoint (KPL – Lao News Agency, 7 August 2025)
  6. Transshipment yard at Vientiane South Station of China-Laos Railway put into operation (China State Railway Group (English site), 8 July 2022)
  7. Mongolia Railway Assessment, Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments (Logistics Cluster (WFP))

Next step

Ask about China → Laos

Ask about China → Laos

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check operator and country acceptance for China → Laos before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All rail & road corridors · Sea routes from China

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