China-Vietnam freight train service drastically boosts regional trade

HANOI -- The Dong Anh railway station in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi remains busy in the wee hours as container handling vehicles are moving back and forth, loading containers onto a timber express bound for Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The timber was purchased by a Chinese paper-making company as raw material from southern Vietnam. Speaking of the China-Vietnam freight train service, Zhang Cunwei, head of VTO International Port Development Joint Stock Company, said that like the timber express, a single train might have 10 or 20 containers all carrying the same type of product.

"We often launch trains reserved for transporting agricultural products, fruits, or other goods," Zhang said.

In the past, a consignment might be made up of miscellaneous goods.

The China-Vietnam freight train service began in 2017, and has expanded from transporting basic goods to over 300 types of goods, said Nguyen Hoang Anh, deputy general manager of Railway Transport and Trade Joint Stock Company of Vietnam Railways.

Vietnam exports mainly agricultural products, fruits, electronics, textiles, and footwear, while China sends raw materials, steel, and construction materials for manufacturing to Vietnam, according to him.

He said that Vietnamese goods are delivered through the freight train service to over 20 provinces and cities in China, and to Central Asia and Europe by connecting with the China-Europe freight train service.

"Meanwhile, Chinese goods are not only transported to Vietnam but also pass through Vietnam to reach Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and other ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries."

With the promotion and support by both countries' railway authorities, more and more companies on both sides have ordered the freight train service for shortened transport time, simplified procedures, and reduced costs, he said.

At the Pingxiang Railway Port on the China-Vietnam border in Guangxi, freight trucks shuttle back and forth on the bridge, while China-Vietnam freight trains sound horns as they depart beneath it, reflecting a vibrant two-way trade between China and Vietnam.

"With stable capacity, pricing, and timing, the market appeal of this service has increased. Now the service is covering China's southwestern market and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," said Peng Weijun, deputy director of the freight logistics service center of the Nanning Railway Administration.

According to data from the Nanning Railway Administration, as of Sept. 30, the China-Vietnam freight trains departing from Guangxi had shipped a record 10,380 containers this year.

The rapid growth of the freight train service is attributed to the efforts by both countries to facilitate the process.

In 2023, the Nanning Railway Administration completed railway upgrades from Nanning to Pingxiang, raising the freight train's speed to 90 km per hour.

In January 2024, the entire China-Vietnam freight train service schedule was finalized, significantly reducing transport time. The total transit time from Nanning south station to Hanoi's Yen Vien station has been cut from over 40 hours to 14 hours.

In the future, the Vietnamese government and relevant departments plan to further invest in improving the railway infrastructure, including stations and freight yard systems to achieve seamless connectivity with China's railways and enhance transport capacity between the two countries, said Nguyen Hoang Anh.

In recent months, Zhang has traveled frequently to the coconut farms in southern Vietnam, preparing to launch a special train of fresh coconut shipment as China and Vietnam in August signed a protocol for exporting fresh Vietnamese coconuts to China.

"As the operator of the freight train service, we're working hard in preparation for shipping fresh Vietnamese coconut exports to China by creating a fast channel," he said.