Vietnam reopens secondary border gates with China

By Dat Nguyen May 13, 2020 | 03:29 am PT

Containers seen at the Kim Thanh Border Gate No.2 in northern Lao Cai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Six secondary border gates with China will reopen from mid-May after a period of closure to help Vietnam contain the novel coronavirus.

The gates, four in Lang Son Province and two in Quang Ninh, will reopen to resume trade activities between both countries, according to a recent decision by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Provincial authorities could reopen other secondary border gates with China that trade in high volumes of agriculture produce, seafood and manufacturing material, the PM ordered, adding only goods are allowed to pass, not people.

Starting May 1, trade via Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son resumed the normal seven hours a day including weekends, after almost a month operating only five hours daily as demanded by Chinese customs to help prevent Covid-19 spreading.

The number of containers piling up at northern border gates have dropped from nearly 2,000 in April to 700, most carrying agriculture produce, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

China was Vietnam’s third largest export market last year, behind the U.S. and the E.U., with a value of $41.4 billion, down 0.1 percent year-on-year.