Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment aims to commence construction on two high-speed railway lines connecting Hanoi with China before 2030. This underscores the strengthening relationship between the two neighboring communist nations.
China is Vietnam’s primary trading partner and a crucial source of imports for its manufacturing sector. The existing highways and railway lines linking the two countries require upgrades on the Vietnam side.
One of the proposed high-speed routes will extend from Vietnam’s port cities, Haiphong and Quang Ninh, through Hanoi to Lao Cai province, which shares a border with China’s Yunnan province. Another line will connect Hanoi to Lang Son province, neighboring China’s Guangxi region, passing through an area densely populated with global manufacturing facilities.
Vietnam is looking to gain insights from China’s experience developing its inaugural high-speed railway network and has engaged with Chinese railway companies for this purpose.
During a visit to Beijing, Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with executives from Chinese railway firms, following a series of cooperation agreements signed during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi.
According to Vietnamese government data, trade between Vietnam and China in the first quarter of this year saw a 22% increase from the previous year, reaching $43.6 billion.
While Vietnam and China have been embroiled in a maritime dispute in the South China Sea for years, recent tensions have eased.