China builds more amicable, vibrant neighborhood with Belt and Road Initiative

"The bridge has brought tangible changes to my life," said a middle-aged restaurant owner who identified himself as Malaikhan.

"Now we could buy almost all we need here, and the prices are much cheaper, perhaps 30 percent to 50 percent lower than they used to be," he said.

With a beaming smile on his face, the man said he bought a car after the bridge was open to traffic in 2014. "I heard the Chinese company will build a second bridge linking the island with the west bank of Mekong. I will definitely drive to Cambodia if the new bridge opens," he said.

According to Soukaseum Pakdimanivong, head of the Transportation Bureau in Champasak Province, the planned construction of the bridge will not only be a powerful boost to the tourism industry of both Laos and Cambodia, but also bear great significance to inter-connectivity within ASEAN.