- For about a year now, especially around the time of the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, The Chi Ma border gate (Mau Son commune, Lang Son province) is bustling and vibrant. Every day, hundreds of vehicles cross the border between Vietnam and China.All of this creates a constant "lifeline," boosting cross-border trade between Vietnam and its neighbor. Photo gallery Capture the most authentic and vivid moments of the bustling import and export activities here.
In the final days of the Year of the Snake (2015), from early morning, long lines of container trucks carrying agricultural products and other goods passed through the control gate, entering the Chi Ma border gate area, transforming it into one of the busiest customs clearance points in Lang Son province. This vibrancy is not just about import and export figures, but also about the revival of an entire border economic zone after a long period of stagnation due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in previous years.
The Chi Ma border gate, covering over 42 hectares, has been comprehensively and modernly invested in. Currently, the border gate sees between 200 and 300 import and export vehicles passing through daily, a 3-4 fold increase in vehicle density compared to the same period last year. Within the border gate area, there are 10 designated vehicle staging areas capable of accommodating 1,000 large-capacity import and export vehicles without experiencing localized congestion. At checkpoint B1, the registration of vehicles carrying imported goods is always carried out strictly and systematically . To facilitate long-distance drivers, the customs officers at the border gate are always on duty, diligently guiding and resolving procedures with the highest sense of responsibility. Thanks to the fast operational procedures and the dedicated support of the officers, all vehicles and goods are cleared smoothly, without any congestion.
Business representatives are busy completing paperwork at the offices of relevant authorities. Ms. Hoang Thi Ben, a representative of a business in Lang Son, is carrying out customs procedures for an imported shipment of electronics belonging to SAMSUNG Electronics Vietnam Co., Ltd. According to Ms. Ben, the reform of customs procedures has created the most favorable conditions for cross-border trade activities of businesses. For example, customs procedures now only take 3-5 minutes for a transshipment truck and 15-20 minutes for a direct import truck at the border gate. Ms. Do Thi Huyen My, an officer at the Chi Ma Border Gate Customs Team, is busy processing documents on the VNACCS/VCIS automated customs clearance system. Ms. My shared: “At this time, although the workload has increased many times compared to the period leading up to Tet last year, in the spirit of providing maximum support to businesses, we are working until the job is done, not until the clock runs out. Thanks to the VNACCS/VCIS automated customs clearance system, processing documents only takes a few minutes, ensuring continuous and accurate flow of goods, and meeting the requirements for customs clearance.” Currently, the Chi Ma border gate has 330 businesses regularly engaged in import and export activities, an increase of over 100 businesses compared to January 2025. From the beginning of 2026 to date, the total import and export turnover has reached nearly 1.9 billion USD, the total number of registered declarations has exceeded 6,000, and the total import and export tax revenue has reached approximately 200 billion VND. These results make a significant contribution to the economic targets of the province and the country right from the beginning of the new year. The pace of work is hectic at the warehouses in the border area. Instead of manual loading and unloading, a system of high-capacity specialized forklifts and modern cargo handling lines at the Chi Ma border gate operates continuously from early morning to late evening. Modern technology makes the speed of transporting and loading goods many times faster than manual methods, significantly reducing costs and waiting time for businesses. Recently, the border gate has seen a diversification of goods. Not only consumer goods and agricultural products, but also items such as electronic components, automotive parts, machinery, and equipment for production have increased significantly compared to the same period last year. To ensure the accuracy and safety of goods, customs officers at the Chi Ma border gate regularly inspect import and export goods. This work is carried out strictly, in accordance with regulations, and with the spirit of providing maximum support to businesses to ensure quick customs clearance. To handle the volume of hundreds of vehicles entering and exiting the border gate each day, the Chi Ma Border Guard Station has increased its personnel by 100% at checkpoints, ensuring security and order in the border gate area. Under the guidance of the authorities, large trucks are regulated to travel in the correct lanes and in an orderly manner. Major Hoang Van Manh, an officer at the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Station, shared: "Although the volume of vehicles is high, especially during the Tet holiday season, we always ensure sufficient personnel are on duty at checkpoints, points, and B1 and B2 control gates within the border gate to protect security and order and regulate traffic. On normal days, we work two shifts (7:30 AM - 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM), but on days with a high volume of vehicles, we work overtime until 7:00 PM. Seeing hundreds of import and export vehicles safely pass through customs each day means we have completed our assigned task, contributing our small part to the development of trade in the province and the country." Mr. Nguyen Van Duong (residing in Ky Lua ward, Lang Son province) is a driver with many years of experience transporting agricultural products from the South to the Lang Son border. Mr. Duong happily shared: "After years of stagnation due to the pandemic and economic difficulties, this year, especially leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Horse, the Chi Ma border gate has been much busier. Thanks to this, we have stable jobs, exporting an average of 2 or 3 trucks of agricultural products through here each month. This Tet holiday, I and my fellow long-distance drivers are determined to 'eat quickly and sleep urgently,' working until the 29th of Tet to ensure timely shipment of goods to our neighbor." In the late afternoon of the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse, trucks carrying import and export goods continued to line up at the Chi Ma border gate. This relentless pace shows that the Chi Ma border gate has truly "revived" after years of quiet, becoming a vibrant trading area for the province and the country, promising prosperity and success in the new year.
Báo Lạng Sơn•13/02/2026
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