Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – Vietnamese Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh met with a delegation led by Wei Tao, Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, in Hanoi on the 26th. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on deepening cooperation in transportation infrastructure connectivity.
I. Fruitful Existing Cooperation Minister Tran Hong Minh introduced that since 2013, Vietnam and China have completed cross-border infrastructure projects such as the Ta Long No. 2 Highway Bridge in Cao Bang Province and the Bac Lun No. 2 Bridge in Quang Ninh Province. Currently, the two sides have opened 19 freight routes and 23 passenger routes, achieving interconnection through five pairs of land border crossings, forming an efficient and convenient cross-border transportation network.
Regarding railway transportation, since May 25th this year, the railway departments of the two countries have resumed international through train operations via the Dong Dang border crossing, significantly improving cross-border logistics efficiency. Data shows that the freight volume of the Dong Dang-Pingxiang border railway reached 394,000 tons in 2024, and increased to 698,400 tons in the first 10 months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 77.3%, fully demonstrating Guangxi's role as a crucial gateway between Vietnam and China.
Wei Tao stated that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries and with the strong support of the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction, bilateral cooperation has yielded significant results. Currently, the international intermodal railway is operating stably, seven land ports are connected to the highway network, 34 container shipping routes from Beibu Gulf Port connect Vietnam's five major ports, shipping routes from Nanning to Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong City are already operational, and the Nanning-Hanoi route is about to resume, forming a comprehensive land, sea, and air transportation network.
II. Key Areas of Cooperation Defined
Wei Tao proposed three key areas of cooperation:
1. Upgrading Railway Interconnectivity
Promoting the construction of the Dong Dang-Hanoi standard-gauge railway to achieve seamless connection between the railway networks of the two countries.
Jointly developing the Mong Cai-Ha Long-Haiphong railway project to create a new regional logistics channel.
2. Expanding the Highway Network
Accelerating the construction of the Tra Linh-Dong Dang and Chi Leng-Hui Nghi border expressways to add new expressway routes to Guangxi.
Promoting the construction of smart cross-border ports to achieve "24-hour" customs clearance.
3. Port and Shipping Logistics Collaboration
Strengthening cooperation in areas such as port operations and logistics transportation.
Supporting the construction of a China-Vietnam joint laboratory to promote technological innovation in intelligent disaster prevention and infrastructure operation and maintenance.
Exploring a new multimodal transport model of "inland waterway + sea transport."
III. Vietnam's Positive Response and Suggestions
Chen Hongming responded that Vietnam attaches great importance to the cooperation initiatives proposed by China and is actively promoting the following:
The Dong Dang-Hanoi and Mong Cai-Ha Long-Haiphong railway projects have been included in Vietnam's national plan, and Vietnam is conducting preliminary feasibility studies, striving to commence construction before 2030. These two railways will adopt the Chinese standard gauge, completely resolving the track gauge difference between the two countries and significantly improving transportation efficiency.
The Tra Linh-Dong Dang and Chi Linh-Youyi Border Crossing Expressway projects will significantly enhance connectivity along the Vietnam-China border, promoting trade and tourism cooperation. Vietnam is accelerating preliminary work on these projects.
Regarding the bottleneck in Vietnam's agricultural exports, Chen Hongming suggested that China add a quarantine system at Pingxiang Station to address the issue of Vietnamese agricultural exports needing to be transshipped through Puzhai, further facilitating agricultural trade.
The Ministry of Construction supports shipping companies from both countries to increase the number of routes between Beibu Gulf ports and major Vietnamese ports, piloting a new "inland waterway + sea transport" model between Nanning and Can Tho, and promoting practical cooperation in areas such as port investment and logistics warehousing.
IV. Signing of Important Cooperation Agreements During the talks, Vietnam Shipping Corporation and Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group signed a cooperation agreement to jointly operate new shipping routes, strengthen port logistics cooperation, and provide a more convenient maritime passage for bilateral trade. This is an important measure to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and will further deepen cooperation between the two sides in the port and shipping sector.
V. Profound Strategic Significance
In recent years, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China has continued to deepen, especially since General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam in December 2023 and the announcement of building a strategically significant China-Vietnam community with a shared future, marking a new stage in bilateral cooperation.
Guangxi maintains regular cooperation mechanisms with Vietnamese provinces such as Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, and Tuyen Quang, promoting deeper and more practical cooperation through platforms such as the provincial party secretaries' Spring Festival meeting and joint working committees, injecting strong momentum into regional economic integration.
This meeting has charted the course for deepening Vietnam-China cooperation in transportation infrastructure, further enhancing connectivity between the two countries, facilitating trade and investment, and laying a solid foundation for building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.
