The Chinese side hands over the draft preliminary feasibility study report for the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng railway project to Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction at the meeting. Photo: nhandan.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and China have signed a technical cooperation agreement on planning two standard-gauge railways Hà Nội – Đồng Đăng and Hải Phòng – Hạ Long – Móng Cái, marking progress in bilateral railway connectivity.

The signing took place during a meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyễn Danh Huy and representatives of the International Economic Cooperation Agency of China’s Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.

At the meeting, the Chinese side handed over the draft preliminary feasibility study report for the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng railway project to Việt Nam’s Ministry of Construction.

Huy noted that Việt Nam and China had recently signed four cooperation documents in the railway sector. The Ministry of Construction has directed relevant agencies to actively coordinate with their Chinese counterparts to study and implement relevant regulations, procedures and cooperation contents, achieving encouraging initial results.

He said that in the coming time, relevant agencies will continue to promote cooperation in line with the common direction of high-ranking leaders of both Parties and States on developing standard-gauge railways between the two countries, he said.

Zhang Guanbin, director general of the Chinese agency, emphasised that the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng railway is one of the key projects in bilateral cooperation.

Recognising the importance of the project, China has prepared the feasibility study, which was assessed as high-quality and reflective of the advanced research capacity of China’s railway sector.

Regarding the Hà Nội – Đồng Đăng and Hải Phòng – Hạ Long – Móng Cái projects, Zhang said China will follow the model of the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng line, while ensuring quality and progress with the highest level of responsibility.

At the meeting, the Việt Nam Railway Authority and the Chinese agency co-chaired discussions on the implementation of technical assistance projects for railways connecting Việt Nam and China. The two sides exchanged views and reached a broad consensus on outstanding issues while agreeing to strengthen coordination in the coming period.

Earlier, in September 2025, Huy attended the first meeting of the Việt Nam–China Joint Committee on Railway Cooperation, which aimed to promote railway collaboration and turn the sector into a symbolic highlight of the practical and strategic cooperation between the two countries. — VNA/VNS