New cross-border bridge to boost China-Vietnam trade

The Second Beilun River Bridge opened to traffic on March 19. It connects the Chinese city of Dongxing with the Vietnamese city of Mong Cai, two important trade cities along the border between the two countries.

The new bridge spans 549 meters across the border river between China and Vietnam and is built to the first-class highway standard. Construction started in 2014 and was completed in late 2017, costing a total of 220 million yuan ($33 million).

A Vietnamese truck enters China via the Second Beilun River Bridge. [Photo by Zhou Longfu/gxnews.com.cn]

The bridge will greatly alleviate traffic burden on the First Beilun River Bridge three kilometers away, which was previously the only means of shipping personnel and cargo to or from Dongxing Checkpoint.

Statistics from immigration authorities show that 12.19 million people and 47,056 vehicles passed over the old bridge in 2018, far beyond its maximum capacity.

The new bridge is now designated for freight vehicles, while the First Beilun River Bridge is reserved for personnel. This could save 30 minutes or more in customs clearance time for each consignment, according to Huang Xiong, deputy chief of Dongxing Customs.  

A truck leaves China for Vietnam via the Second Beilun River Bridge. [Photo by Zhou Longfu/gxnews.com.cn]