The Vietnam Railway Authority has proposed allocating over VND2 trillion (US$80 million) for the construction of a dual-gauge railway connecting Lao Cai Station in Vietnam and Hekou Station in China to facilitate freight transportation.

Railway lines are among major cargo transportation routes between Vietnam and China. Source: VGP

The project will connect Lao Cai Station to Hekou Station, starting from Lao Cai on the existing 1,000 mm gauge railway and ending at a new bridge, Ho Kieu. The project includes upgrading and converting 200 meters of the existing 1,000 mm gauge line into a dual-gauge line (1,000 mm and 1,435 mm) from Lao Cai Station to the beginning of the new line; constructing 2.7 km of new dual-gauge railway up to the new Ho Kieu bridge; and building 2.5 km of dual-gauge railway tunnels.

The total investment is estimated at  VND2.15 trillion ($90 million), funded through medium-term public investment for the period 2026-2031.

Currently, Vietnam's railway gauge is 1,000 mm, while China's is 1,435 mm. Vietnamese trains can only reach Hekou, Son Yeu, and Hekou North when crossing into China. At Hekou North, goods must be transferred to new carriages to continue into China. Conversely, Chinese trains cannot enter Vietnam and must return to the Chinese railway network.

This technical difficulty has resulted in additional costs for transferring cargo from Vietnamese to Chinese trains.

Completing the rail link between the two countries will meet the demand for freight transport between the Lao Cai border gate and Haiphong port, aligning with the planned standard-gauge railway from Lao Cai to Hanoi, Haiphong, and Quang Ninh.