Ministry suggests vaccine passports for cargo drivers to China

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.