KUNMING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The trial run of a highway connecting Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province and Haiphong, Vietnam was successfully carried out, marking a new "direct link" era for the two cities, local authorities said.

Two coaches and three official vehicles departed from Haiphong on Monday, entering China via the Hekou Port on the China-Vietnam border, continued along the Hekou-Kunming expressway and arrived in Kunming on Tuesday afternoon after a 10-hour drive, covering a distance of about 780 km.

"Since the two countries signed an automobile transportation agreement in 1994, we have cooperated and made a lot of achievements," said Su Yongzhong, deputy head of the provincial department of transportation. He said that coach services between Kunming and Haiphong will be conducted once a week.

So far, China and Vietnam have opened nine international transportation routes that cover major cities along the border, benefiting personnel exchanges and cross-border trade.