Delegates from Russia, China, and Vietnam met to discuss the development of rail freight connectivity between them. Since 2022, in fact, containers moved by rail on the Hanoi-Moscow axis have been dropping significantly.

Before 2022, roughly 1,500 containers were transported every year from Vietnam to Russia, as Vietnamese media Vietnam. However, this number fell to 1,015 in 2022 and it is currently at 555 for the first months of 2023. The issue of bringing back rail volumes along the Vietnam-China-Russia line was discussed at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia on 15 November.

Kazakhstan’s role for Vietnam

Another country that could play a key role in enhancing rail connectivity to and from Vietnam is Kazakhstan. Here, the Southeast Asian country is planning to develop various intermodal terminals thanks to a partnership between Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) and the Vietnamese investment group Sovico. This project aims at creating a more seamless rail connection to Russia, namely via Astana. Moreover, at the end of 2022, Vietnam launched its first intermodal service to Kazakhstan.

What about Vietnam-Europe freight traffic?

Concerning rail freight traffic from Vietnam to the rest of Europe, some trains are already running since July 2021 to Liege in Belgium, Hamburg in Germany, and Melzo in Italy. However, this is still a developing market that still presents some issues. Among them, an underdeveloped infrastructure and low rail freight demand from Vietnam to Europe. Moreover, most international rail freight developments in Vietnam involve China.

Also read:

• KTZ is building a new line to China to bypass congested Almaty
• Construction of joint Kazakh-Chinese terminal starts in Almaty
• China’s BRI plans signal a renewed opportunity for the Silk Road