General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping began his two-day State visit to Viet Nam from April 14-15, at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm and State President Lương Cường.
Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh accompanied the leaders of the Party and Government of Vietnam to attend important events during the visit such as the State-level welcome ceremony, talks between General Secretary To Lam and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, the launching ceremony of the Vietnam-China railway cooperation mechanism, and the introduction of signed documents.
During the visit to Vietnam of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping from April 14-15, with the agreement of competent authorities, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh signed 7 important documents in the field of railways and roads with Chinese partners. Of these, there are 2 documents that are international treaties at the government level; 2 agreements on ODA capital between the two governments and 3 ministerial-level agreements.
In the railway sector, Vietnamese Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh signed four documents, including:
(1) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Construction of Viet Nam and the National Development and Reform Commission of China on the establishment of a Viet Nam–China Joint Railway Cooperation Committee to accelerate project implementation.
(2) The minutes of the working session between the Ministry of Construction of Viet Nam and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) regarding field surveys and technical support for preparing a feasibility study report on the investment project for the Lao Cai–Ha Noi–Hai Phong railway line in Viet Nam.
(3) An exchange letter on China's provision of technical support for planning a standard-gauge railway routes: Dong Dang–Ha Noi and Mong Cai–Ha Long–Hai Phong.
(4) An exchange letter on China's provision of technical support for preparing a feasibility study report on the investment project for the Lao Cai–Ha Noi–Hai Phong standard-gauge rail line.
On the morning of April 15th, 2025, at the Launching Ceremony of the Vietnam - China Railway Cooperation Mechanism, under the witness of two comrades General Secretary, Minister Tran Hong Minh and Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China Zheng Ceqie exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Construction and the National Development and Reform Commission of China on the establishment of the Vietnam - China Railway Joint Cooperation Committee to accelerate the project implementation progress.
Minister Tran Hong Minh presented a cooperation document with Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China Zheng Ceqie.
These railway documents play a significant role in accelerating the preparation of railway projects connecting Vietnam and China, a matter of great concern to the leaders of the two countries' Parties and Governments in recent times.
For road transport, three documents were signed, including:
(1) An agreement between the two governments on jointly developing a cross-border transportation project at the Thanh Thuy (Viet Nam)–Tianbao (China) international border gate area;
(2) A protocol between the two governments on simplifying import and export procedures at the Thanh Thuy–Tianbao international border gate for personnel, vehicles, construction equipment, and building materials involved in the joint construction of the cross-border transportation project
(3) A MoU on technical cooperation in road transport between Viet Nam's Ministry of Construction and China's Ministry of Transport.
The two documents on the construction of cross-border transportation infrastructure will serve as an important legal foundation for Viet Nam's northern province of Ha Giang and China's Yunnan Province to implement investment and construction of a cross-border transport project at the Thanh Thuy–Tianbao international border gate area. It is expected to promote goods trade and meet the growing travel demand for local people at these two localities, in particular, and between the two nations, in general, via Thanh Thuy–Tianbao international border gate pair.
In addition, the signed Memorandum of Understanding on Road Engineering Cooperation will promote cooperation between the two ministries on road engineering, development of technical standards and regulations, research on new technologies, new materials, construction management, maintenance, etc.
It can be said that the signing of the above documents contributed to the success of the State visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, while promoting cooperation between the two countries in the field of transportation.
Source: International Cooperation Department - Translator: Mai Anh