China is ready to offer grants to Vietnam to upgrade a railway link from Guangxi to Hanoi, and speed up plan to develop other railway systems connecting the two countries, the Chinese ambassador to Vietnam said, according to Vietnamese state media.

"Both of our countries need to enhance interconnections on land, sea, air and on the internet," Xiong Bo told Vietnamese reporters late on Sunday, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, ahead of a visit to Hanoi by Chinese President Xi Jinping starting on Tuesday. (Reporting by Khanh Vu)