Sida Phengphongsawanh (C) learns to inspect a train from a Chinese instructor at the China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) railing base for the China-Laos railway, on the northern outskirts of Vientiane, capital of Laos, Sept. 12, 2021. Sida Phengphongsawanh, 22, is a trainee for China-Laos railway train driver. The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, is the first railway project built with Chinese investment, jointly operated by China and Laos and directly connected to China's railway network. While building the railway, the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. has opened training course for around 600 Lao trainees to learn train driving, scheduling and maintenance. Sida is one of them. "I heard about the Laos-China railway for the first time in 2015. In 2016, I went to Kunming to study the knowledge of railways. After returning home, I went straight to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. to apply for a position. I hope to be an excellent female driver on the Laos-China railway," Sida said. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Sida Phengphongsawanh (L) learns about the railway construction progress from a Chinese railway project manager at the China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) railing base for the China-Laos railway, on the northern outskirts of Vientiane, capital of Laos, Oct. 1, 2021. Sida Phengphongsawanh, 22, is a trainee for China-Laos railway train driver. The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, is the first railway project built with Chinese investment, jointly operated by China and Laos and directly connected to China's railway network. While building the railway, the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. has opened training course for around 600 Lao trainees to learn train driving, scheduling and maintenance. Sida is one of them. "I heard about the Laos-China railway for the first time in 2015. In 2016, I went to Kunming to study the knowledge of railways. After returning home, I went straight to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. to apply for a position. I hope to be an excellent female driver on the Laos-China railway," Sida said. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Sida Phengphongsawanh (C) learns hand gestures of train driving from a Chinese instructor at the China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) railing base for the China-Laos railway, on the northern outskirts of Vientiane, capital of Laos, Sept. 12, 2021. Sida Phengphongsawanh, 22, is a trainee for China-Laos railway train driver. The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, is the first railway project built with Chinese investment, jointly operated by China and Laos and directly connected to China's railway network. While building the railway, the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. has opened training course for around 600 Lao trainees to learn train driving, scheduling and maintenance. Sida is one of them. "I heard about the Laos-China railway for the first time in 2015. In 2016, I went to Kunming to study the knowledge of railways. After returning home, I went straight to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. to apply for a position. I hope to be an excellent female driver on the Laos-China railway," Sida said. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Sida Phengphongsawanh (C) learns to inspect a train from a Chinese instructor at the China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) railing base for the China-Laos railway, on the northern outskirts of Vientiane, capital of Laos, Sept. 12, 2021. Sida Phengphongsawanh, 22, is a trainee for China-Laos railway train driver. The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province with Lao capital Vientiane, is the first railway project built with Chinese investment, jointly operated by China and Laos and directly connected to China's railway network. While building the railway, the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. has opened training course for around 600 Lao trainees to learn train driving, scheduling and maintenance. Sida is one of them. "I heard about the Laos-China railway for the first time in 2015. In 2016, I went to Kunming to study the knowledge of railways. After returning home, I went straight to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. to apply for a position. I hope to be an excellent female driver on the Laos-China railway," Sida said. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)