Due to the tightening of COVID-19 measures and technical difficulties, thousands of container trucks are stranded at the gates of the Vietnamese border with China in the northern province of Lang Son. Ngoc Thanh and Pham Chieu, writing in VNExpress, said local data shows 4,550 trucks were lining up.
The delay in customs clearance is due to Chinese authorities stepping up security measures related to COVID-19. They also reported technical difficulties in their network system, said Hoang Khanh Duy, deputy director of Dong Dang Economic Zone in Lang Son. Customs clearance delays in other localities, including Quang Ninh and Cao Bang, and the stopping in Lao Cai, force most trucks to head towards Lang Son, he said.
“We are doing our best to negotiate with the Chinese authorities to increase the speed of customs clearance,†Hoang added. According to Ngoc and Pham, many trucks have been stranded for ten days and drivers cannot leave the area.
Driver Nguyen Van Toi, with ten years of long-distance experience, said the clearance delay occurs every year, but this year it is particularly long. Many stranded drivers were forced to prepare their own meals on site.
Taking advantage of the situation, local food vendors raised the price, some drivers had to order food from the locals at a cost of VND 50,000 (US $ 2.18) per serving, VNExpress reported. In addition, drivers have to go through many difficulties. Some of them had to rest on a hammock.
On December 14, the Lang Son authorities had a telephone discussion with the Chinese authorities to propose solutions for clearing goods, in particular for agricultural products. Meanwhile, Chinese customs officials earlier told officials from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development that COVID-19 checks on goods are necessary procedures. (ANI)
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
