Containers are loaded onto a China-Vietnam freight train at Nanning International Railway Port in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 21, 2021. (China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)

In the first seven months of 2024, a total of 6,850 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers of goods were shipped via China-Vietnam freight trains departing from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, marking a 16-fold increase year on year, according to China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd.

In July, a total of 1,922 TEU containers were shipped, surpassing the total shipment volume for the entire first quarter of this year.

The China-Vietnam freight train service, launched at the end of November 2017, has seen the number of trains rise from fewer than five per month to three trains per week.

"Initially, we exported PVC to Vietnam by sea, but now we use the China-Vietnam freight train due to its punctual and convenient service, saving us three to five days of transportation time. This transport efficiency helps us better explore the ASEAN market," said Zhu Shiqiang, business manager at Sinotrans Guangxi Co., Ltd., which has recently exported large quantities of chemical products to Vietnam.

China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd. has continued to expand the China-Vietnam freight train transportation market by leveraging trade sources from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which has helped establish a new and efficient cross-border logistics channel for exporting goods from the Greater Bay Area to Vietnam.