Railway connectivity will likely remain the top agenda for discussion when the newly appointed leader of Vietnam, To Lam, meets President Xi Jinping next week. As the neighboring countries aim to improve export and supply chain connections, improving the railway infrastructure is one of the features. At this moment, Vietnam and China are connected by two railway lines from southern China, which extend to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and its industrial north. Nevertheless, the current railway system of Vietnam, established during French colonization, does not have a compatible track gauge with the China high-speed railway, thus requiring passengers and goods to be transferred by the border –the main again bottleneck of the trade.
They had fought a short but brutal border war in the late 1970s and remain locked in a dispute regarding territorial claims to parts of the South China Sea, which has made any enhancement of rail connection more difficult in the past. However, in the last few months, one has noticed an emerging tendency to deprioritize security issues while economic problems have started to dominate.
To improve and update railway systems in Vietnam, President Xi Jinping extended grants and credit facilities for this purpose in December, and the two countries signed several memorandums of understanding for enhancing railway relations. These are the agreements that To Lam is expected to advance during his first international visit to China since ascending to the party chief in August this year. Vietnamese foreign minister Bui Thanh Son said that the purpose of the visit is to contribute to making the relations ‘new substantial and practical cooperation outcomes’, particularly in sectors developing railway connections.
China’s ambassador to Vietnam, Xiong Bo, recently indicated that both sides are accelerating plans for three major rail lines: there are three main routes – one from Lao Cai to Haiphong through Hanoi, another from Lang Son to Hanoi, and the final being from Mong Cai port to Haiphong. Vietnamese officials expect the signing of fresh deals during Lam’s visit, including railway and other infrastructural investments.
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