Hoang Minh Hiep, a patient from Mong Cai of Vietnam, is hospitalized at the Dongxing Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Feng)
by Xinhua writer Zhang Feng
NANNING, China, April 14 (Xinhua) -- It was a typical day in Dongxing when I arrived late last month. At noon, temperatures lingered near 30 degrees Celsius in this border city in South China, drying parts of the riverbed beneath the China-Vietnam Friendship Bridge. A white-red boundary line marked the middle, where travelers gathered for selfies.
As I pushed through the crowd for a glimpse of the neighboring Vietnamese city of Mong Cai, two ambulances suddenly blocked my view. An agonized middle-aged man on a stretcher was transferred from a Vietnamese ambulance across the borderline into a Chinese one, which then sped off, leaving me stunned.
A worried bystander told me the man was probably headed to the Dongxing Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, just a kilometer away. I ran straight into the 16-story facility.
The patient was a Chinese traveler who fell sick while visiting Mong Cai, said Li Xiangtong, a doctor at the emergency department of the hospital who helped with the rescue. "He is the tenth patient this year to be transported through the '1369 Life Express,' the cross-border channel to transport patients in acute conditions, be it Chinese travelers or Vietnamese citizens," said Li.
RACE AGAINST TIME
In medical first aid, every second counts -- especially for cross-border cases, where delays can stem from paperwork, language barriers, security checks and nightly checkpoint closures. Launched in 2016, the "1369 Life Express" tackles these issues by synchronizing checkpoint and medical teams on both sides (Dongxing and Mong Cai), ensuring that critically ill patients can receive swift care, even overnight.
Named after a nearby boundary marker, the "1369 Life Express" service is the first China-Vietnam medical aid provider at the border. It "offers first aid to medical emergencies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Liu Bin, the hospital's vice president.
Among the some 650 patients treated over nine years under the partnership, many were Vietnamese with severe conditions like brainstem strokes and epidural hematomas. The youngest was a 9-year-old boy who fell from a second-floor balcony in 2019, arriving in a coma with critical brain injuries via the "1369 Life Express." Surgeons performed a craniotomy to remove blood clots and repair his skull. After regaining consciousness two days later, he received further treatment in the intensive care unit before recovering and returning to Mong Cai.
Language was initially a hurdle. "Many of them do not speak Mandarin, and only a few of the doctors speak Vietnamese fluently," said Liu. The hospital then recruited eight Vietnamese-speaking staff members as translators. "China-Vietnam Friendship Wards" were also created on upper floors, complete with bilingual signage to make Vietnamese patients feel at home.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Over the decades, the Dongxing Branch has long witnessed China-Vietnam medical exchanges. It has drawn many Vietnamese and Chinese patients from Mong Cai, laying the groundwork for the current much-acclaimed medical lifeline.
In recent years, the two cities have developed a closer relationship, now hosting joint first-aid training sessions twice a year. In late 2023, Mong Cai's health delegation visited Dongxing as a pair of hospitals -- the Dongxing Branch and Mong Cai City Medical Center -- were designated as training hubs. They agreed to collaborate on programs ranging from infectious disease control to emergency response. Dongxing reciprocated with its own delegation to Mong Cai in August 2024.
As the city's top hospital, the Dongxing Branch has a renowned neurology department specializing in cerebrovascular diseases, and advanced imaging equipment enables precision treatment for epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.
Despite offering a variety of medical treatments, the hospital must seek help elsewhere for more specialized needs.
On Dec. 25, 2024, Mong Cai City Medical Center urgently contacted the Dongxing Branch regarding a critical aortic dissection patient. The "1369 Life Express" was activated immediately. The 55-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where specialists determined his condition required transfer to the branch's headquarters, 180 kilometers away in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, for specialized surgery.
The patient was escorted there in short order as surgeons prepared simultaneously. The Vietnamese emerged safe from a seven-hour operation and was discharged on Jan. 6, 2025.
Once linking just two cities, the lifeline now stretches from Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, to Mong Cai and Dongxing, and all the way to Nanning, the city where I'm now based. The downtown headquarters leads in cardiovascular care, known for its treatment of thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder, with stem cell transplants, which has helped over 1,000 patients. During last year's exchange, Vietnamese with severe thalassemia were welcomed for treatment via the "1369 Life Express." "We wish our neighbors good health," said Liu Bin.
BOND BEYOND BORDERS
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, as well as the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchange. The relationship, often hailed as "camaraderie plus brotherhood," is clearly seen in the bond between Dongxing and Mong Cai.
Earlier this month, I returned to Dongxing. This time, it was cooler, and I decided to take my time to feel the pulse of the city. Roadside vendors hawked Vietnamese imports -- durian-shaped slippers, Saigon coffee and tropical fruits. Seafood restaurants and travel agencies lined winding lanes. Vietnamese tourists in green hats mingled with locals.
I went back to the Dongxing Branch. "We often receive patients from Mong Cai. I don't speak Vietnamese, but the translators can offer me a helping hand," said Ruan Junming, a neurologist at the hospital. "Meanwhile, I have AI tools at my disposal that could do real-time translation."
Using both human translators and AI tools, doctors treated Hoang Minh Hiep, a Mong Cai patient rushed to the hospital last month with a brainstem hemorrhage, severe hypertension and diabetes. "In the first few days here, it was a struggle for him even to speak, sometimes only with slurred speech," said Ding Daqiang, his attending physician. "He can now talk to us and walk along the wall. I'm so glad he recovers so quickly."
Recalling the two-week-long treatment here, including the novel experience of acupuncture, the 34-year-old Vietnamese repeatedly expressed his gratitude to all the health workers in the hospital.
As night fell, I walked to the bridge as the checkpoint prepared to close. Crowds gathered -- including daily commuters who can speak Mandarin. They make a living in Dongxing's burgeoning commerce and live within walking distance in Mong Cai.
The bridge is a good point to see Dongxing Branch's illuminated sign at night. Millions of people traversed the 111-meter-long bridge last year, making Dongxing one of the busiest land ports along China's border. Erected near the beginning of the bridge is a more than two-decade-old boundary marker that bears the familiar number -- 1369, a symbol that resonates deeply with people on both sides.
Editor's note: Zhang Feng is a Xinhua reporter currently working at the Guangxi branch of Xinhua News Agency.
An ambulance transfers a Chinese traveler who fell sick while visiting Mong Cai in Vietnam to Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Feng)
This photo taken from the China-Vietnam Friendship Bridge on April 5, 2025 shows a view of the Dongxing Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Feng)
A boundary marker with the number 1369 on it is seen near the China-Vietnam Friendship Bridge in Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Feng)
