East China's Zhejiang Province launched a rail freight service on Saturday linking the city of Yiwu with the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

It is the first time that Zhejiang has opened an international railway logistics channel to Southeast Asian countries.

A train carrying 70 standard containers of goods left Yiwu, the country's small-commodity hub, at about 10:10 a.m., starting a journey of 2,168 km to its destination of Hanoi.

Goods aboard the train include spare parts for electronic products, color-coated steel sheets, and plastics products made in the Yangtze River Delta.

In the future, once the supply of goods has been scaled up, the train is scheduled to make a round trip once a week.

The service will help facilitate trade between Vietnam and China, Vietnam's largest trading partner. Zhejiang exports large quantities of machinery, electronic products, and clothing to Vietnam, while Vietnamese products such as tropical fruits, rice, coffee, and nuts are popular among Chinese customers.