A new international road transport route has opened between China and Vietnam, starting from Nanning City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Kunming City in southwest China's Yunnan Psrovince to the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi.
At 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, convoys carrying electronic components, fresh vegetables and daily necessities departed simultaneously from Nanning and Kunming, heading for Hanoi in the hinterland of Vietnam.
The opening of the new cross-border transport route marks the first direct land link for Chinese freight vehicles operating under the Greater Mekong Sub-region Cross-border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) to reach Vietnam's inland regions.
The route represents a significant progress in facilitating international road transport between China and Vietnam, resulting in a notable improvement in transportation efficiency.
Compared with previous routes, the new corridor saves each truck approximately one day in transport time and reduces shipment costs up to 1,000 yuan (about 138.97 U.S. dollars) per vehicle.
China, Vietnam open new international road transport route
Some Iranians in Türkiye are crossing back over the border, driven by worry and desperation, as a nationwide communications blackout in Iran has left them cut off from their loved ones.
Protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.
At the Turkish-Iranian border, many are returning with no certainty about what awaits them, filled instead with questions and growing fear for those on the other side of the border.
"I went to Van yesterday for internet. I urgently needed to use the internet. I got it done. Now I'm heading straight back. There are protests everywhere. We can't get any news. We can't communicate with our families. And it's not just me, there are many Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families," said Feriste, an Iranian citizen.
With communications blacked out across Iran, those outside the country feel powerless to check on the situation back home. For some, this silence has prompted them to return across the border, even as tensions continue to rise.
"We can't get any news. There is no internet. Everything is shut down. I want to search. I want to find out. I want to see my brother. I'm going to see my family," said Husnu, an Iranian citizen.
"I work in Türkiye, and I have no news from Iran at all. I'm going back because I'm worried about my family. It's been days since I last heard from them, and because I'm worried, I'm returning to Iran now. Of course, we are concerned about our safety. We don't know what awaits us there," said another Iranian.
With protests escalating and government blackouts still in place, many Iranians are caught between staying in safety abroad and risking everything to reconnect with their families.
"We had to come to Türkiye because we couldn't reach our families. Schools were closed already. All official institutions were shut down. We have no information about other cities either, because there is no communication network there. There is no television, no internet. We can't even check Twitter," said Nazlican, another Iranian citizen.
Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran
Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran
