The first train of the China-Vietnam international passenger rail service arrived in Hanoi at 5:30 local time on Monday, marking its return after a five-year suspension.
The Nanning-Hanoi international train operates on a daily schedule, departing from Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, at 18:05 and arriving in Hanoi the following day. The return train departs from Hanoi at 22:20 and arrives in Nanning at 10:06 the following day.
"I came to take this train. It's a special experience to travel on this meaningful carrage. As a transportation enthusiast, I really want to try this cross-border train. You can see the ticket for this train is different from those for domestic trains," said Zhao Shuaiqi, a Chinese traveler.
Tickets for this train are currently sold offline only. Passengers can buy tickets with a passport at railway stations in Guilin, Nanning, Chongzuo and Pingxiang. Travelers must obtain a paper visa or prepare visa-free documents in advance and complete customs procedures at border stations.
"We hope this train will become the first choice for tourism, exchanges, visits, and business trips by people of China and Vietnam," said Nguyen Chinh Nam, Deputy General Director, Vietnam Railways.
As China expands visa-free entry for travelers, the route could also make it easier for foreigners to visit China.
Resumption of China-Vietnam train service offers new opportunities for tourism
China's domestically developed T1200-grade ultra-high-strength carbon fiber holds broad application prospects in strategic emerging industries, according to its developer.
The country on Wednesday unveiled SYT80, a domestically developed T1200-grade ultra-high-strength carbon fiber, marking a major breakthrough in the China's high-performance carbon fiber technology.
This new material has achieved a hundred-tonne-level annual production capacity, making China the first nation to mass-produce this caliber of fiber, according to its developer, China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd. (CNBM).
Featuring lightweight and high-strength properties, the fiber's diameter is less than one-tenth that of a human hair, and yet its tensile strength is 10 times that of ordinary steel and its density is only one-quarter of steel's.
"Compared with the previous-generation T1100, T1200 has seen its tensile strength increase by more than 14 percent. With its ultimate lightweight and high-strength characteristics, T1200 can achieve weight reduction of over 10 percent for equipment in related fields. It holds broad application prospects in strategic emerging industries such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, and humanoid robots," said Chen Qiufei, head of T1200 ultra-high-strength carbon fiber research and development at Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Company, a subsidiary of China National Building Material Group.
The new material also possesses many other outstanding properties.
As the fiber undergoes carbonization at nearly 2,000 degrees Celsius during production, its chemical properties remain stable and its corrosion resistance is excellent.
This fiber material also features strong fire and flame retardant properties, offering good safety performance.
The development of this fiber material demonstrates China's fully independent and controllable capabilities across the entire industrial chain of high-performance carbon fiber, spanning technologies and equipment as well as the transition from laboratory research to mass production, said Zhou Yuxian, chairman of CNBM.
China's high-strength carbon fiber shows strong potential in strategic emerging industries
