Six tons of lobster die at Vietnam-China border

By Le Tan September 22, 2023 | 05:22 pm PT

Hai Yen Bridge in the northern province of Quang Ninh Province connects Vietnam and China. Photo courtesy of Mong Cai Customs

Around six tons of lobster have died at the border between Vietnam and China in the last three days as China unexpectedly limited the import of the animal.

Customs officials of Mong Cai Town in the northern province of Quang Ninh said that the lobsters were not transported to Chinese cold storage facilities in time and therefore have died.

It is unclear why China suddenly limited lobster import.

Sellers of the dead lobsters have sold them to domestic buyers at VND200,000-400,000 ($8.21-16.42) per kilogram, one third of the export prices.

Before China unexpectedly limit the import, around 100 trucks carrying seafood, both fresh and frozen, are transported daily through Mong Cai’s Hai Yen Bridge, which connects the two countries.

From the beginning of the year until Sep. 15, 532,000 tons of goods crossed Hai Yen Bridge, up 128% year-on-year. Around 10% of them were fresh seafood.