Strengthening Vietnam-China railway connectivity

Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam on March 19 chaired a meeting with several ministries, central and local agencies on Vietnam-China railway cooperation.

Developing cooperation in the railway sector has been chosen as a symbolic highlight of the practical and strategically significant cooperative relationship between Vietnam and China.

This is an important aspect that contributes to guiding trade relations into a new, more substantive, effective, and sustainable phase of development, while also creating impetus and opening up more space for economic development in accordance with Party resolutions.

Photo: Ministry of Construction

During the meeting, the Ministry of Construction reported on cooperation in railway connectivity between Vietnam and China, especially investment on three railway lines (Hanoi - Dong Dang; Lao Cai - Hanoi - Haiphong; Haiphong - Halong - Mong Cai); progress in connecting agreements; and passenger transport connectivity with China.

Delegates focused on discussing and clarifying issues related to planning, institutions, standards, and regulations for various types of railway transport.

Party General Secretary To Lam said that cooperation between Vietnam and China in the railway sector was both a necessity and an opportunity. If implemented well and managed properly, this will be one of the practical and effective areas of cooperation between the two countries for many years to come.

Cooperation on Vietnam and China's railway infrastructure will reduce logistics costs and transport time, encourage trade and border economic development, improve customs clearance capacity, reduce congestion at land border crossings, and connect Vietnam with the Eurasian railway network, thereby diversifying international transport routes.

Railway lines will facilitate the formation of industrial zones (IZs), logistics centres, and industrial cities along the routes, strengthening regional economic linkages, especially in northern Vietnam, enhancing regional economic connectivity and improving Vietnam's position in the Asian supply chain.

The general secretary stated that it was necessary to solve the problem of capital mobilisation, build diverse and sustainable capital mobilisation, and combine resources.

Unified coordination at the national level is needed for strategic infrastructure connection projects, ensuring centralised leadership and clear assignment of responsibilities among ministries, sectors, and localities.

Strengthening inter-sectoral coordination must ensure synchronised integration between transport infrastructure development and regional economic development planning, logistics systems, and IZs along economic corridors.

He requested that the development of railway lines should go hand in hand with the planning of IZs, urban areas, logistics centres, and production clusters along the economic corridor, to create new value chains and increase domestic value.

In addition, new railway lines and economic corridors will pass through many localities, with synchronised regional development planning necessary, especially regarding land use, urban development, IZs, and logistics infrastructure,

It is also critical to avoiding fragmented development, lack of linkages, or inefficient competition among localities.

The general secretary emphasised that infrastructure connectivity, especially the railway connecting Vietnam and China, must be identified as a strategic breakthrough in bilateral economic cooperation, and an important component in Vietnam's infrastructure, logistics, and regional development strategy.

He added that it was necessary to ensure the principles of strategic cooperation, such as independence, self-reliance, and diversification of capital sources.

The Party Committee of the government, and directly the Ministry of Construction, needs to develop a strategy for the development of the Vietnam-China railway within the overall strategy for the development of Vietnam's railway system for 2026-2030 and beyond.

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