HANOI, March 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnam is speeding up upgrading the Tay Trang border gate with Laos into an international one, a local official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

    The improvement of the national border gate in northern Dien Bien province, which began in late 2005 with an investment of 29 billion Vietnamese dong (VND) (over 1.8 million U.S. dollars), is expected to be completed in mid-2006, the official from the provincial People's Committee said, declining to be named.

    Located at a point leading to many important road routes linking Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and China, the gate plays an important role in extending trade and tourism between Vietnam's northern region and northern regions of Laos and Thailand, and the southwestern region of China, the official said, noting that the gate's development will help Dien Bien obtain an annual economic growth of 11-12 percent in coming years.

    The trade volume between Vietnam and Laos, which was 165 million dollars in 2004, stood at nearly 80 million dollars in the first half of 2005, according to the Vietnamese Trade Ministry.

    Laos exported nearly 48 million dollars worth of goods, mainly wood, tobacco materials, monosodium glutamate and dairy products, to Vietnam in the six-month period. Enditem