NANNING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The China-Vietnam freight train service operated 173 trips in the first half of 2022, up 19.3 percent year on year, according to China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd.

Over the period, 5,196 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers were transported by the freight trains, marking a year-on-year rise of 26.3 percent.

The China-Vietnam freight train goods collection and distribution sites cover more than 20 cities in and outside of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with over 240 types of commodities transported, according to the China Railway Nanning Group.

As fruit from Southeast Asian countries enjoys widespread popularity in the Chinese market, more and more have arrived in China by China-Vietnam freight trains via Guangxi's Pingxiang port.

Statistics show that in the first half of 2022, some 38,000 tonnes of fruit was transported through the Pingxiang port by freight trains, up 164.95 percent year on year.

Huang Shuwei, manager of a cross-border fruit trading company based in Guangxi, said that the company chose to use China-Vietnam freight trains after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership took effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

"The railway department made tailored transportation plans for us, and the customs clearance time has been continuously shortening, which provides convenience for our company to expand its import scale," Huang said.