Destroyed Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge during the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945). To prevent Japanese invasion into China through the Kunming–Haiphong railway, Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge and 177 kilometers of railway from Hekou northward were destroyed in 1941 under the order of the nationalist government in Nanjing.
Opening ceremony of Nanxi River Bridge on January 8, 2001. Seven years after the reconstruction of Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge in 1993, Nanxi River Bridge, which is located 150 meters downstream from the railway bridge, was built to ease pressure on railway freight.
1867: The French colonized Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) in 1867 but did not secure control over Annam (Central Vietnam) and Tokin (Northern Vietnam) until the early 1880s.
1869: Hekou–Lao Cai along the Red River was a major hub of the Yunnan opium trade since the early 19th century and became a stronghold of the Black Flags, which was a group of armed bandits under Commander Liu Yongfu, toward the end of the 1860s. The Black Flags was the main obstacle in the French administration’s plan to establish a profitable trade route with China along the Red River.
1885: The French fought for control over Tonkin and the potentially profitable trade route to Southern China during the Sino–French War (1884–1885). The Treaty of Tianjin signed in June 1885 formally ended the war, and French Indochina was established in 1887.
1896: A number of treaties and conventions were established as a result of the French territorial aggression in 1885. Hekou was established as a Treaty Port in 1896, and a customs station was established the following year.
1906: The Indochina section (Lao Cai–Haiphong) of the Kunming–Haiphong railway line was completed. Hekou, which is situated opposite Lao Cai, facilitated the supervision of the railway extension into China.
1908: The border crossing was temporarily closed during the United League's eighth uprising in Hekou, which was planned by Sun Yat-sen.
1910: The entire Kunming–Haiphong railway line was completed, and commercial operations began.
1940: Japan stationed troops in Northern Indochina in September to secure a base for the resolution of the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945).
1941: Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge and 177 kilometers of railway from Hekou northward were destroyed under the order of the nationalist government in Nanjing to prevent Japanese invasion into China through the Kunming–Haiphong railway.
1952: Hekou Port was established.
1957: The Chinese section of the Kunming–Haiphong railway between Kunming and Hekou was renovated and reopened. Hekou Town became part of the Hekou Yao Autonomous County designated in 1957.
1979: Hekou Port was closed, and Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge was destroyed during the brief but significant border war between China and Vietnam.
1992: The Hekou Border Economic Cooperation Zone was established a year after China and Vietnam formally normalized ties in 1991.
1993: Hekou Port was reopened, and Hekou–Lao Cai Railway Bridge, which was destroyed in 1979, was rebuilt.
1996: The Kunming–Haiphong railway resumed international freight services.
2000: Nanxi River Bridge was built to ease pressure on railway freight.
2004: The Hekou–Lao Cai power transmission project was completed, and the China Southern Power Grid began exportation of electricity into Vietnam.
2006: Construction of Honghe River Bridge located 4 kilometers upstream of Nanxi River Bridge began in 2006 and was completed in 2009. Checkpoint buildings were constructed on both ends of the bridge.
2010: A memorandum of understanding on the construction of the Lao Cai–Yunnan Cross-border Economic Cooperation Zone was signed.
2015: Lao Cai hosted 13 China-funded Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects.