FESCO, Russia’s largest transport company , and Vietnam’s Ratraco have signed a cooperation agreement that will introduce the launch of regular direct railway services between Russia and Vietnam through China.
FESCO stated in a press release that “We signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi with the Vietnamese logistics operator Ratraco, within the framework of which we plan to launch a direct rail container service from Russia to Vietnam through China.”
The new service is expected to provide an overland route crossing from Russia into China at Tongjiang, bisect China north to south and enter Vietnam at the Dong Dang railway border.
![](https://russiaspivottoasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Russia-Vietnam-Map.jpg)
The agreement also provides for the development of maritime transport with FESCO’s Vietnam Direct Line (FVDL) service between the Vietnamese ports of Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong and Russia’s Far Eastern port of Vladivostok. Ratraco will help attract additional cargo flows from Vietnam for this service.
At present, freight transportation between Russia and Vietnam is carried out mainly along a multimodal route by sea through Russia’s Far Eastern ports. Delivery of goods to or from ports in Russian regions is carried out by rail. Vietnam has a Free Trade Agreement with Russia via the Eurasian Economic Union.
Further Reading
Russia – Vietnam 2024 Trade & Development
Russia’s trade and development with Vietnam is comprehensively discussed in our 2024 Russia’s Pivot to Asia guide. This is a complimentary download and may be accessed in English here and in Russian here.