HCMC – The rail line linking stations in Vietnam and Kazakhstan via mainland China has been reopened thanks to China’s easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
The relaxation of China’s zero-Covid policy has made it easier for freight trains from Vietnam transiting via China to third-country destinations such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia.
The line uses part of the Trans-Asian Railway Network between regional countries, helping cut delivery time by half compared to conventional ocean shipping, which takes around 50 days.
It is part of a cooperation effort between the Railway Transport and Trade Joint Stock Company (RATRACO), a subsidiary of Vietnam Railways Corporation, and its partners in China and Kazakhstan.
In December 2022, RATRACO delivered around 70 containers of electronic products on the route to Kazakhstan’s Almaty.
As scheduled, freight trains travel between stations in HCMC, Hanoi and Lang Son Province in Vietnam, Xi An Province in China and Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan.
The railway line’s reopening is expected to promote trade between the Southeast and Central Asian nations.
