On November 26th, 2025, in Hanoi, Minister Tran Hong Minh had a meeting and worked with Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) Vi Thao and a high-ranking delegation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region who visited and worked with the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Vietnam Ha Vi; leaders of units under the Ministry of Construction attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Chairman Vi Thao expressed his joy that the Vietnam-China friendly cooperation has achieved many important results in recent times, especially since the visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam and talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam in April 2025. At this meeting, the leaders of the two Parties agreed on several major orientations, including strengthening infrastructure connectivity, promoting trade and expanding border economic cooperation - areas in which Guangxi has outstanding advantages.
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Minister Tran Hong Minh spoke at the meeting.
Chairman Vi Thao highly appreciated the practical contributions of Minister Tran Hong Minh who used to hold the position of the Secretary of the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee in promoting effective cooperation between Cao Bang and Guangxi. He also noted that, thanks to the attention of the leaders of both countries and the support of Minister Tran Hong Minh, transport infrastructure connecting the two countries has developed strongly, as many border gates between Vietnam and Guangxi are now linked by expressways, creating favorable conditions for boosting trade and developing border regions.
To further expand bilateral cooperation in the coming period, Chairman Vi Thao proposed that the two sides soon implement several key initiatives, such as building the standard-gauge Dong Dang - Hanoi railway line; accelerating the progress of the Tra Linh - Dong Dang expressway and the Chi Lang - Huu Nghi section; and studying the addition of expressway routes directly connecting Vietnam and Guangxi. At the same time, Guangxi wishes to work with the Ministry of Construction to develop multimodal waterway and maritime transport along the Nanning - Can Tho Port corridor, and to promote cooperation in seaport operations, logistics, and investment in the wharf areas of Lach Huyen Port (Hai Phong).
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Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Vi Thao spoke at the working session.
Chairman Vi Thao expressed his hope that the Ministry of Construction would support the implementation of the China-Vietnam Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention Technology in Transportation, to be carried out by Guangxi Beibu Gulf Investment Group and Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. This initiative would enhance expert exchanges and strengthen scientific and technological capacity for both sides.
Speaking at the working session, Minister Tran Hong Minh affirmed that the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China continues to be strengthened across all fields. In this context, Guangxi holds a particularly important role as the only Chinese locality that borders Vietnam by both land and sea, and serves as a crucial gateway connecting Vietnam with the Chinese market and the wider region.
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Minister Tran Hong Minh and Chairman Vi Thao witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between Vietnam Maritime Corporation and Beibu Gulf Port Group.
Minister Tran Hong Minh stated that in recent years, trade between Vietnam and Guangxi has grown strongly. In 2024, bilateral trade reached 42 billion USD (an increase of 16.4%); in the first nine months of 2025, it reached 32.8 billion USD (an increase of 8.2%), accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total Vietnam-China trade volume. This is compelling evidence of the dynamism, effectiveness, and great cooperation potential between the two sides.
In addition, the two sides have also strengthened political exchanges, diplomatic activities, and trade connectivity. In the field of transportation, since May 2025, the railway sectors of both countries have resumed international passenger train services through the Dong Dang border gate. Freight transport has increased significantly, with cargo volume through the Dong Dang - Pingxiang border gate reaching 394,000 tons in 2024 and 698,400 tons in the first ten months of 2025.
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Meeting scene.
Emphasizing the important achievements in bilateral cooperation, Minh also pointed out several difficulties that need to be addressed, particularly the absence of inspection and quarantine facilities at Pingxiang Station, forcing goods (especially fresh agricultural products) to be transshipped to Po Chai for quarantine procedures, increasing costs and time for businesses of both countries. Therefore, the Minister proposed that the leadership of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region consult with the relevant Chinese authorities to promptly establish on-site quarantine facilities, thereby facilitating bilateral trade.
The working session also recorded an important step forward in cooperation between enterprises of the two countries, as Le Anh Son, Director General of the Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC), and Ma Zhengguo, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Beibu Gulf Port Group, signed a cooperation agreement covering four key areas: launching a direct container shipping route between the port systems of both sides; cooperating in the investment and operation of logistics centers and ICDs; developing river-sea-river multimodal transport; and promoting strategic investment in Can Tho Port and logistics projects in China. This is a practical move aimed at strengthening supply chain connectivity between Vietnam, Guangxi, and ASEAN.
Minister Tran Hong Minh and Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Vi Thao took a photo at the working session.
Concluding the working session, Minister Tran Hong Minh and Chairman Vi Thao agreed that the two sides would continue to strengthen cooperation, particularly in transport infrastructure and logistics. These efforts will contribute to deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China in general, and between the Ministry of Construction and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in particular, in the new period.