The Vietnam town of Lao Cai borders Hekou County in Yunnan Province, China, with a river separating the two sides. This river is known as the Yuan River in China and as the Red River in Vietnam. Situated on the banks of the Red River, Lao Cai is an important city in northern Vietnam, once famous for producing star anise. It used to be one of the main arteries for transporting aid to Vietnam, serving as a major passage for people between the two countries. Nowadays, Chinese border residents bring back vegetables and fruits from Vietnam, while Vietnamese women wearing conical hats push bicycles loaded with Chinese clothing and daily necessities back, greeting each other along the way. With the warming of China-ASEAN trade, the magnificent China-Vietnam Friendship Bridge has once again become the “Silk Road” for trade between China and Vietnam, with many Chinese goods transported through here to various Southeast Asian countries.