An international train connecting China's Nanning city, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with Vietnam's Hanoi has recorded over 400,000 passenger trips over the past 10 years.

As a measure catering to China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the train was launched on Jan 1, 2009, for exchange between China and ASEAN. The train has seen an average annual growth of 20 percent in passenger trips during the past 10 years, according to China Railway Nanning Group.

The rail route stretches 396 kilometers, and a single journey takes about 12 hours.

The train is staffed with attendants who can speak Vietnamese and English and it offers a broadcasting service both in Chinese and Vietnamese.

Railway cop Yang Tieming is on duty outside a Nanning-Hanoi train at the Nanning Railway Station on Jan 1. [Photo by Lu Bo'an/Xinhua]