Ministry suggests vaccine passports for cargo drivers to China

By Anh Minh June 8, 2021 | 01:00 am PT

Trucks carrying export products at Tan Thanh border gate, northern Lang Son Province. Photo by Binh Minh.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed vaccination passports for drivers transporting goods to China to ensure bilateral trade flow.

In its proposal to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the ministry also calls for quick testing of cross-border cargo drivers.

Some border provinces have set up driver teams specializing in transporting goods between the two countries to ensure cross-border trading.

The team set in the northern province of Lang Son in April last year currently has 800 drivers. The drivers get real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for Covid-19 done once a week, and are only allowed to reside and work in the quarantine zones established at the border gates.

A number of agricultural produce are in their main harvest season in Vietnam, including lychees in the provinces of Bac Giang and Hai Duong, resulting in a rise in cross border export volumes to China.

The export value through border gates in Lang Son Province this year had reached $335 million by the end of May.