Chiang Mai trip report

[News: 1 Oct 2025] North Bail Airport, Laos plans railway to Vietnam and Vientiane–Champasack, Kota Kinabalu port area redevelopment, Thailand's ‘unfeasible’ Land Bridge, Da Nang-Hoi An rail plan

James Clark
September 30, 2025

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter features transport and urban development news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark.

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• Chiang Mai construction and transport report – 2025 edition (Premium)

The big Night Bazaar redevelopment, turning the old women’s prison into a park, an unusual abandoned mall waiting for a developer, a modern apartment tower in a potential future hotspot, the light rail plan, the two airports plan, and waterway rehabilitation.

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News

• Jakarta digs deep (archive) [The Jakarta Post]

"The "normal" level of congestion in Greater Jakarta is already worse than in most other major cities, causing at least Rp 100 trillion (US$6 billion) in direct and indirect economic losses per year."

• Equitable transportation ensures equal access for all citizens: Govt [Antara News]

"Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said transportation policy must go beyond infrastructure development and function as a tool for social justice, ensuring equal access for all citizens."

🇱🇦 Laos

• Major infrastructure push targets road, rail, and waterway upgrades in Laos [The Laotian Times]

"Key projects include the Laos–Vietnam and Vientiane–Champasack railway lines. The plan aims to enhance regional connectivity, facilitate cross-border trade, and support sustainable urban development."

• President advises Vientiane Party Committee to create a modern capital city [Vientiane Times]

"The Vientiane Party Committees, he said, must allocate duties with the aim of making Vientiane a “liveable, sustainable, and modern city”."

• Vientiane-Boten Expressway set for completion by 2030, says Deputy Prime Minister [The Laotian Times]

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Budget 2026: why rail deserves priority over roads [FMT]

"If the government is serious about reducing accidents, cutting logistics costs and improving efficiency, it must invest substantially in rail infrastructure."

• KL–Singapore HSR remains in play amid Johor rail progress [New Straits Times]

• Kuala Lumpur leads as Asia Pacific’s most connected airport in OAG Megahubs [Bernama]

• Govt allocates RM700m to restore seven heritage sites in KL [The Edge Malaysia]

• New Gombak terminal set to drive East Coast connectivity [The Sun]

"The newly opened Terminal Bersepadu Gombak (TBG) is set to become the Klang Valley’s main gateway for public transport to the East Coast, following in the footsteps of Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS)."

• Abandoned Putrajaya monorail bridge to be repurposed for use by cyclists [FMT]

• Snøhetta unveils tropical masterplan for the port area of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia [World Architecture]

🇵🇭 Philippines

• DPWH receives 8 local, foreign bidders for Bataan-Cavite bridge Phase 1 [GMA Network]

• DOTr: No funding for Mindanao railway in 2026 budget [GMA News]

• New Antique Airport terminal to open before end of 2025 – DOTr [Inquirer]

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Last of Singapore’s first MRT trains retires after over 35 years of service [The Straits Times]

• Lee Kuan Yew and the making of Changi (the world's best airport) [SatPost by Trung Phan]

"The story behind Changi Airport, which Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew called one of the country's best investments ever."

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Time to bury ‘unfeasible’ Land Bridge, says opposition [Bangkok Post]

"MP says Anutin government wasting time promoting project that has not drawn any credible investors."

• Phiphat outlines four-month transport plan, proposes southern double-track rail and Phuket expressway projects [The Nation]

"Transport Minister Phiphat unveils 38-billion-baht projects including Red Line metro expansions, Phuket expressway, and southern double-track rail lines."

• Sinkhole repairs to meet Oct 8 deadline [Bangkok Post]

• Through the Lens: Massive sinkhole in Bangkok (archive) [Nikkei Asia]

• Thai transport minister touts plan to convert 1,520 public buses to EVs [Bangkok Post]

• Plan to fix tap water shortage in Phuket 'going nowhere' [Bangkok Post]

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Lotte seeks exit from $884m Smart City project in Việt Nam, sparking investor confidence concerns [Viet Nam News]

• Long Thành Airport to gradually take over international flights from Tân Sơn Nhất [Viet Nam News]

• Investors outline plans for Danang-Hoi An rail [VIR]

• Haiphong - Ha Long - Mong Cai Railway planned post-2030 [VnEconomy]

• Drone photos of Can Gio sea reclamation urban project in Ho Chi Minh City nearly 6 months after groundbreaking [Tuoi Tre News]

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