Trang Bom District in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam welcomed a cargo train from China’s Shangdong Province for the first time on Thursday morning.

Addressing a ceremony to welcome the train, Wei Huaxiang, Consul General of China in Ho Chi Minh City, said the first arrival of the Chinese freight train will help promote rail transport cooperation and better trade between Vietnam and China.

The QiLu Eurasian freight train, operated by Shandong Hi-Speed Group, serves as a bridge linking Vietnam’s Dong Nai with China’s Shangdong and will open up trade and investment opportunities for both sides, the Chinese diplomat said.

“We hope that relevant parties will join hands to make the most use of the QiLu freight train, creating higher values and promoting cooperation and development between the two countries,” the Chinese consul general continued.

Nguyen Thi Hoang, vice-chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Dong Nai, the provincial government, said the Vietnamese province applauded the launch of the Shangdong-Trang Bom rail route and expected to receive more trains to the Trang Bom station.

The launch of the freight train will also contribute to strengthening economic cooperation and friendship between Dong Nai and its Chinese partners, Hoang added.

Dong Nai, which shares its border with Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, can be conveniently reached by road, sea, and air.

It holds great potential for economic growth through future transportation routes such as a North-South express railway, a light rail track linking Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Thiem New Urban Area with Long Thanh District in Dong Nai, Hoang said.

Given its enormous potential, Dong Nai is ready to foster win-win cooperation with investors to spur its economic growth, especially in the industrial and logistics sectors, the vice-chair stated.

Hoang told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the first freight train from China carried a wide range of goods, including farm produce, between the two countries.

Its arrival will pave the way for Dong Nai to speed up efforts to build a major transshipment facility covering over 614ha in Trang Bom.

It is projected to become a transshipment warehouse in Southeast Asia, said Hoang.

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