Vietnam plans to launch high-speed rail line to China in 2030 | Wilnesh News

Vietnam plans to start building two high-speed rail lines linking the capital Hanoi with China by 2030, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said, another sign of recent warming between the communist-ruled neighbors.

China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and an important source of imports for Vietnam’s manufacturing industry. The two countries are already connected by a highway system and two railway lines, which are old and in need of upgrades on the Vietnamese side.

One of the planned high-speed lines will run from the Vietnamese port cities of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh through Hanoi to Lao Cai province, which borders China’s Yunnan province, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Another would run from Hanoi to Lang Son province, which borders China’s Guangxi region, passing through an area densely populated with global manufacturing facilities, some owned by Chinese investors.

The ministry did not provide further details about the projects.

Earlier this month, Vietnam said it was seeking to learn from China in developing its first high-speed rail network, sending officials to work with Chinese railway companies.

The country is also planning a major high-speed rail line linking the capital, Hanoi, with the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with senior officials of China Railway Corporation during a visit to Beijing on Monday and was received by Xi Jinping.

Previously, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi in December last year, Vietnam and China signed dozens of cooperation agreements, including railways.

According to Vietnamese government data, trade volume between Vietnam and China increased by 22% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, reaching US$43.6 billion.

The two countries remain embroiled in a years-long maritime dispute in the South China Sea, although tensions appear to have eased recently.