This is faster and more convenient

Van Hoeun, farmer

It is expected to boost trade in the country and improve links with Laos and Vietnam.

The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, said the bridge, which is 75km north-east of the capital Phnom Penh, would help develop Cambodia and the Mekong region.

"This bridge will enable us to attract more foreign investment and tourists to visit our country," he said at the opening ceremony in Kompong Cham province.

As Tuesday's ceremony ended, thousand of residents marked the bridge's opening by running along its length.

Faster travel

The bridge connects east and west Cambodia by road for the first time. Before it was built it took more than an hour to cross the Mekong by ferry.

There are no plans to charge people to use the bridge, said officials. They want to encourage Cambodian farmers to bring their produce west to markets in Phnom Penh rather than east to markets in Vietnam.

"Before we had to travel by boat," said one farmer Van Hoeun. "This is faster and more convenient."

Former ferry workers also welcomed the new bridge.

"Even though the bridge has been built, my ferry team is moving to a new location on the river," said ticket seller Sun Nil.

"We still have our job."

The two-lane bridge is named Spien Kizuna - "spien" meaning bridge in Khmer and "kizuna" meaning bond between nationalities in Japanese. Work began on the bridge in February 1999.