On December 16, the inaugural train of the Asia-Chengdu-Europe Air&Rail International Train (Ho Chi Minh City–Chengdu–Tashkent) departed from the Chengdu International Railway Port. The train, loaded with general merchandise such as Vietnamese toothbrushes, originated from Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. After being marshaled at the Chengdu International Railway Port, it will head westward and will arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in Central Asia, in 12 days.

This is the first time that the China-Viet Nam freight train and the China-Central Asia freight train have "joined hands" in Chengdu. It marks the addition of a new transport artery to the Asia-Chengdu-Europe Air&Rail International Train, achieving, for the first time, direct freight train connectivity between Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

Pang Jianhua, Chairman of Chengdu International Railway Port Investment Development (Group) Co., Ltd., explained that previously, goods from Viet Nam destined for Central Asia had to be shipped by sea, transferred across multiple ports, taking nearly 40 days. This time, goods shipped from Viet Nam to Uzbekistan were transported via the seamless connection of the China-Viet Nam and China-Central Asia freight trains, reducing the transport time by more than half.

To meet the demand for cross-continental rail transport from businesses, Chengdu International Railway Port Investment Development (Group) Co., Ltd. is optimizing its scheduling based on market needs, focusing on identifying potential cargo sources and conducting research on key enterprises in regions from Southeast Asia to Central Asia and Europe. "We plan to gradually increase the frequency of services along the Asia-Chengdu-Europe Air&Rail International Train, enhance the transportation organization efficiency of the 'Viet Nam-Guangxi-Chengdu-Europe' and 'Lancang-Mekong-Chengdu-Europe' express routes, and promote the scheduled, fixed-point, and fixed-route connection between China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains and the southern corridor," stated Pang Jianhua. The Chengdu International Railway Port will, he added, develop a "Freight Train + Industry" product system to drive the deep integration of transport corridors with industrial clusters.

With the "handshake" between the China-Viet Nam and China-Central Asia freight trains, the Asia-Chengdu-Europe Air&Rail International Train has now established a multi-dimensional transport network connecting Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. This route expansion will build an efficient bridge for trade between Southeast Asia and Central Asia.