DPRK President Kim Jong-un took a train to Vietnam

The fact that the train stayed in Pingxiang (China) during the US-DPRK summit, about 40 kilometers from the Vietnam-China border, instead of Yen Vien station (Vietnam), which is nearer to Hanoi, raised questions. Experts explained that the problem was in the difference in railway design.

Two railroad gauges exist in the China-Vietnam rail transport corridor, including the 1,000 mm gauge of the Kun Ming – Lao Cai – Hai Phong route and the 1,435 mm gauge which mostly serves trains carrying imports from China to Vietnam and through the Pingxiang-Dong Dang border gate to Yen Vien station.

Analysts said a railway route that links the Republic of Korea (ROK), DPRK, China and Vietnam sounds practical, as international transport between Vietnam and China has developed well for many years.

Vietnam Railway Corporation since 2016 has been carrying import/export goods by rail, with transport output of 692,000 tons in that year. The goods mostly come from and to China on two railway transport corridors.

However, the volume of goods from Vietnam to third countries with transit in China remains very modest. In 2016, the figure was 2,100 tons, mostly tea and food, from Vietnam to Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Kyrgyz.

Vietnam Goods Owners Association’s secretary general, Phan Thong, said the efficiency of cargo transport by rail was not good, including the difference in railroad gauge, complicated procedures, high carriage-changing costs, and high rate of goods losses during changing.

Thong said that railway is less competitive than road and sea transport. The rail transport cost is now double that of sea transport.

However, experts said railway has certain advantages. It takes 40-45 days to carry containers of goods from Vietnam to Moscow by sea, while it takes 18-20 days only by rail. And railway transport can carry valuable goods which need special preservation conditions.

They said that even without the ROK – DPRK – China – Vietnam route, the development of logistics services on the Vietnam – China – Kazakhstan – Russia – EU international route has high potential.

The Ministry of Transport is restructuring the transport system, planning to raise the proportion of railway-carrying goods from 0.59 percent in 2015 to 4.34 percent by 2020.

RELATED NEWS

Some 130 railway bridges need upgrading

Railway sector strives for better service