Smart border crossings at the Vietnam-China border.

As of the end of November, the total import and export turnover through Lang Son's border gates reached over 84.4 billion USD, an increase of 42% compared to the same period in 2024. Forecasts indicate a surge in trade during the 2026 Tet holiday, necessitating an accelerated development of the smart border gate project.

Authorities at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate Border Guard Station ( Lang Son ) regulate and guide vehicles imported from China - Photo: HA QUAN

To meet the growing demand for accelerated trade and reduced logistics costs, Mr. Vu Quang Khanh, Deputy Head of the Management Board of the Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone, said that the pilot project for a smart border gate model at the Huu Nghi (Vietnam) - Huu Nghi Quan (China) international border gate pair is being accelerated and is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2026.

Expanding infrastructure, testing autonomous vehicles.

According to Mr. Khanh, the smart border gate is a key, new project, synchronous in both infrastructure and database between the two countries. It includes many important components such as wharves, dedicated roads for import and export of goods, independent and separate from the main goods transport routes, which are receiving attention and guidance from the local authorities for completion.

In the long term, goods crossing the Vietnam-China border will be transported by smart, unmanned vehicles operating on 5G and satellite positioning platforms, enabling contactless and uninterrupted delivery, especially useful during epidemics, natural disasters, or emergencies. The two pilot product groups are agricultural products and electronic components.

"Smart border gates are expected to accelerate the transformation of businesses' production and export methods towards formal and professional channels, reduce logistics costs, and minimize economic risks associated with informal trade."

"The goal is to increase customs clearance capacity through smart border gates by 2-3 times by 2027 and 4-5 times by 2030," Mr. Khanh said.

The Management Board of the Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Economic Zone announced that, together with relevant departments, they have reported to the Provincial People's Committee and agreed with Bang Tuong town (Guangxi, China) to test self-propelled cargo vehicles at night (from 6 PM to 8 PM daily) starting from November 10, 2025, on the dedicated road between border markers 1088/2-1089.

After the infrastructure on both sides is completed, the Huu Nghi (Vietnam) - Huu Nghi Quan (China) smart border gate will test fully autonomous vehicles. In November 2025, Vietnam and China inaugurated the expanded dedicated transport road in the area of ​​border markers 1119 - 1120 as part of the smart border gate project.

Import and export container trucks move around Viettel Logistics Park in Lang Son near Huu Nghi International Border Gate (Lang Son) - Photo: HA QUAN

Expectations of shortened customs clearance time.

Mr. Dao Van Thuan, Deputy Director in charge of import business at Viettel Lang Son Logistics Park, commented that smart border gates help increase customs clearance capacity, exploit services, and reduce logistics costs...

With the number of lanes increasing and processing times extended to 24/7, the volume of vehicles and goods converging on logistics areas will be greater, potentially leading to Lang Son's customs clearance capacity reaching 3,000 vehicles per day.

In this model, the park will effectively promote the "procedure - storage - transit - value-added processing" model, instead of concentrating pressure at the border crossing area.

"The park has invested in an automated vehicle identification system, regulating traffic flow on a 'first come, first served' principle, along with smart warehouse monitoring connected to border gate infrastructure, ensuring seamless data connectivity, reducing waiting times, and improving transportation efficiency," Mr. Thuan said.

Military personnel from the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Station (Lang Son province) regulate and guide vehicles imported from China - Photo: HA QUAN

According to Mr. Thuan, once the expressway connecting Hanoi and Huu Nghi International Border Gate is completed, the reduced travel time will create a foundation for the operation of a smart border gate.

Currently, the first phase of the Viettel Lang Son Logistics Park can accommodate 1,500 vehicles per day and aims to contribute approximately 50% of the province's import and export growth market share in the coming years. With its role in regulating goods flow, by November 2025, at the Huu Nghi International Border Gate area, export goods passing through this park will account for 50-60% of the market share, while imports will be around 20-25%.

Mr. Hoang Minh Nghia, representative of an import-export transit service business in Lang Son, expects that after the smart border gate is completed and the authorities arrange a centralized processing area at the Viettel Logistics Park in Lang Son, processing time will be shortened, helping businesses reduce customs clearance time by about 50%.

"We hope the smart border gate will truly be 'smart,' reducing paperwork and digitizing time-consuming processes, because our company handles about 600-700 export vehicles per month, and over 1,000 vehicles per month during peak periods, including many agricultural products such as dragon fruit and jackfruit," said Ms. Hoang Thi Le, a representative of an import-export company in Lang Son.

Warning of potential traffic congestion at the end of the year.

According to Mr. Vu Quang Khanh, in the final days of 2025, especially during the peak period leading up to the Lunar New Year 2026, the volume of import and export goods through Lang Son will continue to increase sharply.

Therefore, businesses need to prepare all necessary documents before bringing goods to the border, strictly comply with the regulations of the importing country, and avoid failure to meet requirements, rejection, and economic losses.

"We always create the most favorable conditions for import and export. When there are fluctuations, the authorities will notify the specialized agencies in the localities to provide timely advice to people and businesses," Mr. Khanh said.

Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Van Linh, deputy commander of the Chi Ma border gate (Lang Son), also predicted a sharp increase in goods passing through the border gate at the end of 2025 due to demand for Tet (Lunar New Year), and has therefore implemented specific measures to regulate, reroute, and advise on traffic flow.

Authorities are also implementing smart control via QR codes for people and vehicles entering the border area, along with automatic identification gates for travelers at Aidian (China).

Major To Duc Long, Deputy Head of Huu Nghi International Border Gate Border Guard Station, also stated that border guards and other functional forces in the border gate area have developed plans and strategies to regulate and divert vehicles into transit areas, warning of congestion early on from now until the Lunar New Year 2026, while also rationally allocating personnel to effectively carry out border protection duties.

HA QUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cua-khau-thong-minh-o-bien-gioi-viet-trung-20251216075300431.htm