The first bridge over the Mekong river in Cambodia has been opened.

It is nearly 1.5 kilometres long and cost $56m to build, with funding from the Japanese Government.

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.

The bridge - known by its Khmer-Japanese name, Spien Kizuna - connects east and west Cambodia by road for the first time.

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

Before the bridge was built it took more than an hour to cross the Mekong by ferry.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service