Vietnam's Can Tho Port Prepares to Receive First Cargo Vessel via China's New Pinglu Canal

Vietnam's Can Tho Port is preparing to receive the first cargo vessel arriving from China's newly operational Pinglu Canal, which opened on Wednesday to provide China's landlocked southwest with a logistics shortcut to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets.

The 134.2-kilometer canal, built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about 10.83 billion U.S. dollars), runs from Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf — the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China. It stretches along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade route linking China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets. It is the first river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

After days of voyage, the first export-oriented shipment via the canal — including steel, sheet materials, auto parts and chemical materials from southwestern China — will arrive at Can Tho Port, one of southern Vietnam's most important ports and inland river hubs. Can Tho is Vietnam's fifth largest city and a core city in the Mekong Delta. Port staff are making preparations for the incoming cargo.

The canal's opening coincides with Vietnam's efforts to boost the handling capacity of Can Tho Port and develop it into an international seaport. Infrastructure connecting the port with other parts of southern Vietnam is also being accelerated. The port is further working to link up with Vietnam's national logistics information platform and to promote the construction of bonded warehouses, cold chain facilities, inspection and certification centers, and lighting facilities.

Vietnam Maritime Corporation is currently cooperating with China's Beibu Gulf Port Group to open multiple routes for river-sea transportation via the Pinglu Canal. Vietnam expects to export more fruits and aquatic products to China through these routes.

China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for many consecutive years, with annual trade volume reaching 7 trillion yuan (1.04 trillion U.S. dollars) and continuing to grow at a faster pace. Vietnam has become China's largest trading partner within ASEAN and ranks among its top four global trading partners, with bilateral trade exceeding two trillion yuan (298.2 billion U.S. dollars) annually.