HẢI PHÒNG —The Ministry of Transport and Hải Phòng’s People’s Committee on Monday launched a pilot programme to promote passenger transport on the Hải Phòng – Hà Nội – Kunming route, aiming to promote cross-border travel between Việt Nam and China.

Under the pilot programme, it will take about 11 hours to travel the 780 kilometres by coach from Hải Phòng’s Thượng Lý Coach Station to Kunming — the capital and largest city in Yunnan province in southwest China.

Deputy Transport Minister Nguyễn Văn Công said at the launch ceremony that the two countries had started their comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership in 2018, and since 2014, China had been Việt Nam’s largest partner with trade revenue of US$93.63 billion last year and $46.81 billion in the first six months of this year.

“Road transportation contributes to the trade co-operation between the two countries,” Công said.

The two countries have 29 international road transportation routes. Last year, about 90,000 passengers used the routes and over 6.15 million tonnes of cargo crossed over, with yearly growth of 15.9 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

Vũ Đức Hoàng, vice director of Hoàng Long Transport Company, said that under the pilot programme, the company would provide coaches for the new route.

Hoàng said that the transport firm hoped the Chinese Embassy to Việt Nam would grant one-year multiple entry visas  for drivers and conductors working on the route instead of single entry visas only.

Pingxiang, Nanning, Dongxing and Hekou accept entry and exit permits instead of visas for Vietnamese visitors.

Besides the Hải Phòng – Hà Nội – Kunmming  cross-border route, other international road transportation routes between Việt Nam and China include Hà Nội – Nanning, Hà Nội – Shenzhen Province, Cao Bằng Province – Baise City in Guangxi. — VNS