Border province extends entry ban on trucks as tardy Chinese clearance continues

By Hoai Thu February 23, 2022 | 10:34 pm PT

Containers pile up near Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province, February 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Minh

The northern border province of Lang Son has extended its entry ban on trucks headed for China until Mar. 5.

Nearly 2,000 trucks are stuck in the province, waiting to complete customs procedures to enter China, Lieu Anh Minh, deputy director of the province Department of Industry and Trade, said.

The ban could end sooner if the speed of clearance picks up, he told VnExpress.

Province authorities are working with their Chinese counterparts to double the number of trucks passing through daily, he said.

As the Chinese side is strengthening Covid-19 prevention measures at border areas, they only clear around 100 trucks a day, and Lang Son customs authorities estimate it will take 15-17 days for all the vehicles waiting for clearance to pass through.

As of Feb. 22, some 75 percent of those trucks were laden with fresh fruits.

The pileup first began at the end of last year but was partly resolved during the Lunar New Year holidays earlier this month. But it is now occurring again.

China was Vietnam's second-largest market for agricultural, forestry and fishery products behind the U.S. with exports being worth US$8.4 billion in the first 11 months of last year, or 19.2 percent of Vietnam’s total agricultural exports.