China-Laos Railway is cutting journey times and raising living standards

She noted that the tourism industry in the province was preparing to receive more Chinese tourists after the train's international passenger service opened.

Chen Ruifen, a 66-year-old from East China's Zhejiang province, took the cross-border passenger service from Kunming to Vientiane in April. It was her first trip overseas since the pandemic ended. "The journey by rail is more comfortable, and Laos is not far from China," she said, adding that train tickets and hotel accommodations are less costly in Laos compared with other international destinations.

She joined a group tour and was happy with the journey.

The railway is extremely good news for local people in the tourism business. In Luang Prabang and Vientiane, paintings and photos of bullet trains and the railway hang in prominent places on the street, highlighting the convenient and comfortable journeys.

Bouncier Tangsinsomyong, a 50-year-old tour guide in Vientiane, said that he and his peers were excited to see more Chinese tourists visiting Laos following the end of the pandemic and the reopening of the border.