A truck driver has his temperature checked before driving through the Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province. The border gate has been reopened after several days of closure - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC - The Tan Thanh Border Gate, which connects Vietnam’s Lang Son Province with China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has been reopened from today, August 18, after several days of closure due to Covid-19.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the authorities of Lang Son and Guangxi have reached an agreement on goods transport procedures and Covid prevention and control measures.

The border gate was shut for several days after the custom officials of Guanxi detected a number of Covid cases linked to drivers passing through the gate.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said it will closely collaborate with Lang Son and the other northern border provinces to monitor the transport of goods through the borders.

Last week, some northern border provinces such as Lang Son, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Cao Bang reported that China had increased the frequency of inspections on products and vehicles from Vietnam.

This has lengthened the time for goods to be transported through the border gates and caused occasional jams.

According to Nong Hai Thang, director of the Border Gate Management Center in Lang Son Province, there are currently over 1,000 container trucks stuck at the Tan Thanh and Huu Nghi border gates.

“More than 300 container trucks are stuck at the Huu Nghi Border Gate. They have to wait two days to go through the gate,” he said.

Lang Son has 12 big and small border gates. The Chi Ma, Coc Nam, Ga Dong Dang and Huu Nghi border gates remain open for goods to be transported to China.