Relying on the close bilateral trade foundation, the construction of China Vietnam connectivity is once again undergoing a major upgrade. Vietnam has officially increased its investment in cross-border railway projects, and the huge capital investment will comprehensively optimize the cross-border transportation system, accelerating and increasing regional economic and trade exchanges.

Massive increase in railway investment

On August 24, 2026, the Vietnamese parliament officially passed an investment adjustment resolution, adding 86 trillion Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 3.36 billion US dollars, to the Lao Cai Hanoi Hai Phong Standard Gauge Railway. The original total investment of the project was 203 trillion Vietnamese dong, with an additional total of 289 trillion Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 11.1 billion US dollars. At present, the project has accumulated a total allocation of 148.48 trillion Vietnamese dong, and the newly added funds will be used for related work such as the purchase of engineering construction equipment and compensation for resettlement.

Channel connectivity across the entire domain

This cross-border railway has a total length of 363 kilometers, supporting branch lines of 63 kilometers, and an overall design speed of 160 kilometers per hour. The line starts from Lao Cai Province on the border between China and Vietnam, connects Hanoi and multiple industrial provinces, and finally reaches Haiphong Port. It is one of the core connecting railways between China and Vietnam. The high standard route layout has connected the major land logistics arteries between southwest China and northern Vietnam, highlighting the value of location connectivity. Keywords: investment upgrading, cross-border economic and trade

Empowering bilateral economic and trade relations

The railway upgrade will significantly enhance Yunnan's strategic hub position facing Southeast Asia and South Asia, expand China's southwest opening-up space, and help Vietnam consolidate its regional transportation and trade hub advantages. The bilateral trade volume between China and Vietnam reached 215.18 billion US dollars in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 33.7%. The strong trend of trade growth is also the core driving force for Vietnam to vigorously promote railway construction and strive for completion by the end of 2030.Editor/Min Jing