A special night at Dong Dang Station
On May 25, the area in front of Dong Dang International Railway Station was brightly decorated with rows of red flags with yellow stars and standees to welcome passengers on train T8701/MR2. The immigration, security, and health check areas were busier than usual.
Vu Thanh Binh, Director of Dong Dang International Station, said that after a five-year hiatus, the Viet Nam-China international passenger train service officially resumed. This news brought great excitement to the staff and workers at the station.
“Over the past month, we have exerted effort to renovate the station grounds, infrastructure and accommodations to welcome international passengers,” Binh said.
He added that the resumption of the Viet Nam-China international passenger train service is expected to become a driving force for Dong Dang station to become a cultural and tourism centre of Cao Loc District in particular and Lang Son Province in general.
Dong Dang is currently an attractive destination for international tourists, especially visitors from China. During peak periods, the station welcomes between 300 and 500 Chinese tourists. Travel tours also consider Dong Dang a must-visit destination in Lang Son.
“We hope that restarting the train service will help promote cultural exchanges and trade between the two countries; especially in boosting railway tourism with a promising market like China. We expect an increasing number of railway tourists at Dong Dang border gate, which will boost station workers' income,” the Dong Dang station director shared.
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| Members of the train crew and passengers waited to complete immigration procedures at Dong Dang station on the evening of May 25. |
Passengers’ joy on the resumption of the Viet Nam – China train service
At 11:20 p.m. on May 25, the train T8701/MR2 entered Dong Dang station. Viet Nam Railways Corporation (VRC) organised a welcoming ceremony for passengers on the train. VRC General Director Hoang Gia Khanh presented flowers and greeted the passengers.
After the welcome ceremony on the platform, all passengers were instructed to complete customs procedures. In less than one hour, the entire train crew and passengers completed immigration procedures.
Expressing appreciation for the warm welcome from Vietnamese friends, Li Minghan, a 24-year-old passenger from China, shared that this was his first time traveling to Viet Nam by train.
“Since 2024, I have been working at a company in Binh Duong Province. As soon as I heard that the international passenger train service resumed after five years of suspension, I decided to book a ticket. The ticket price is very reasonable,” Li said.
“This is a wonderful experience, and I will definitely travel on this train again on my future trips,” Li added.
Meanwhile, Shao Hua, a passenger from Nanning, Guangzhou, China, said this was his first trip to Viet Nam for tourism. Instead of flying or taking a car, he decided to travel by train to gain more experience.
“I am happy to see the warm reception from the Vietnamese people and station staff. Traveling by train also allows me to enjoy the scenery along the way. The cost is much lower than flying and it is safer and less tiring than traveling by car,” he shared.
According to representatives of Viet Nam Railways Corporation, the resumption of the international passenger train service is the result of cooperation between the railway sectors of both countries, with approval from functional agencies.
This event is also significant in strengthening economic cooperation, improving railway infrastructure utilisation, and expanding opportunities to attract international tourists by train.
It is anticipated to boost bilateral trade, tourism development, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Viet Nam and China, while providing a safe, convenient, economical, and environmentally friendly travel option for people from the two countries.
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| Immigration procedures were carried out quickly and conveniently for passengers |
Every day, there are two trains - MR1 and MR2 - departing from Ha Noi's Gia Lam Station to China's Nanning Station and vice versa daily.
Train MR1 will depart from Gia Lam at 9:20 p.m. and arrive at Nanning at 10:06 a.m. the next day. In the opposite direction, train MR2 will depart from Nanning at 6:05 p.m. and arrive at Gia Lam at 5:30 a.m. the next day.
Passengers will complete immigration procedures at Dong Dang - Lang Son station (Viet Nam) and Pingxiang - Guangxi (China).
From May 27, the railway industry of the two countries will operate direct trains from Gia Lam Station to Beijing Station and vice versa.
A one-way ticket for the Ha Noi - Nanning route is about 1 million VND (38.5 USD) and the Ha Noi - Beijing route about 9.37 million VND.
Free tickets are available for children under 4 years old, and 50% off for those from 4 to 12 years old. Each adult is allowed to bring one child, groups of six or more people enjoy 25% off ticket fares.
The Viet Nam Railways Corporation now sells tickets for the cross-border routes at Ha Noi, Gia Lam, Bac Giang, and Dong Dang stations.
