Vientiane

Passengers who took the China-Laos high-speed train arrive at the Vientiane station in Vientiane, capital of Laos. YANG YONGQUAN/XINHUA The line is carrying a growing number of cross-border tourists. Luo Wangshu reports from Vientiane. The high-profile China-Laos Railway is benefiting tourists from all over the world and also bringing more opportunities for people in the tourism sector. The 1,035-kilometer electrified line links Kunming, capital of Southwestern China's Yunnan province, with Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. It began operations in December 2021, and launched a cross-border passenger service in April, with bullet trains running in both directions between Kunming and Vientiane. The railway has cut the journey time between Kunming and Vientiane to 10 1/2 hours, including inspections at customs clearance stations at the respective borders. By the end of August, the railway had recorded 20.79 million passenger trips, according to a newly released white paper by the State Council Information Office of China. "It was fast, efficient and pleasant," said Stuart Hart, a tourist from the United Kingdom who was visiting Laos, sharing his firsthand experience as a passenger on the railway. He has taken the service twice. Hart, who lived in Shanghai for two years, said the service…