The Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge opened in 2006, carrying road traffic and later rail freight across the Mekong between Savannakhet (Laos) and Mukdahan (Thailand). At 1.6 kilometres, it is a substantial structure, and the crossing gives good views upstream and downstream of the Mekong. For many travellers, the bridge is simply the entry or exit point for Laos, but the crossing itself is straightforward and well organised.
The bridge checkpoint is the busiest land crossing on the southern Lao-Thai border. On weekdays it is a working freight and passenger route; on weekends it carries the flow of Thai day-trippers coming to shop in Savannakhet and Lao visitors heading to Mukdahan's markets. A shuttle bus runs between the two immigration posts on either end of the bridge — private vehicles and bicycles cross on the shuttle, not under their own power.