Import-export activities through Cau Treo border gate (Ha Tinh): When will the difficulties end?

National Highway 8 from Son Kim 1 Commune to Cau Treo International Border Gate is still under repair and is still in disarray. Photo: Thu Hiền

“Paralyzed” by traffic

"The situation of stagnation, with a sharp decrease in the volume of import and export goods, people, and vehicles crossing the Cau Treo international border gate, has occurred since August 2023. There were times when bad weather, heavy rain for many days, caused import and export activities to come to a standstill.

Currently, the Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch (Ha Tinh Customs Department) only receives and processes clearance procedures for about 100-120 shipments of import and export goods per day.

Through research, the main reason is the slow progress of landslide remediation at Deo Dat on National Highway 8, connecting Bolikhamsai Province (Laos) with Vietnam. Along with that, the project to upgrade and improve National Highway 8A through Son Kim 1 Commune, Huong Son District has signs of slow progress, with many sections still under construction. In addition, the parking infrastructure at Cau Treo international border gate has not been invested in a synchronous manner, especially the lack of an inspection yard, causing many difficulties for transportation activities.

Along with difficult transportation, the Lao Government has issued and changed policies, with many new points such as: adjusting the reduction of the load of cargo vehicles; increasing the import and export tax rate from 0% to 10-30% for agricultural products and minerals; changing the procedures for issuing certificates of origin of goods... causing difficulties for enterprises when exporting goods to Laos as well as importing goods from Laos to Vietnam.

In an interview with reporters, a representative of Vinaconex Joint Stock Company (Nghe An) said that the company mainly imports minerals from Laos to Vietnam. Previously, on average, the company processed import procedures from 120 to 150 vehicles and moved through Cau Treo international border gate per day, but now, due to difficult and dangerous transportation, only 15-20 vehicles are maintained at this time. The company has chosen to transport mineral products through Nam Can international border gate (Nghe An) and Cha Lo border gate (Quang Binh).

As a transport enterprise specializing in contracting the transportation of consumer goods, household goods, and energy drinks from Laos, Mr. Le Minh Manh, Director of Hoang Manh Private Enterprise (headquartered in Huong Son), said that since the terrible landslide in Bolikhamsai province, Laos has not yet completed the repair, and large vehicles cannot pass. Despite having to bear many additional costs and increased time, for safety, his company has had to choose the option of processing import procedures for goods and moving through Cha Lo border gate (Quang Binh).

Before the long-standing limitations and shortcomings, both the management agency and enterprises are wondering when these difficulties at the Cau Treo international border gate will be resolved and overcome to create maximum conditions for import and export activities of enterprises."

Reforms need to go along with fast progress

According to Mr. Dao Nghia Dong, Deputy Manager of the Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch, in recent times, Cau Treo Customs has created favorable conditions for businesses to carry out import and export procedures in accordance with regulations. However, the existing limitations related to transportation infrastructure on both sides of Vietnam and Laos have significantly affected the process of goods circulation. In addition, Cau Treo international border gate is currently in the planning stage of expanding warehouses, and at this time, the area around the border gate is still quite narrow, and there is no inspection yard, affecting the implementation of tasks for people and vehicles.

In previous years, Cau Treo international border gate was bustling and lively, but now, the significant decline in the volume of transport vehicles has been affecting tax revenue, labor, employment, and many accompanying services. In addition to objective reasons, wharf infrastructure, open, appropriate, and compliant policies are important factors attracting transport vehicles to pass through here, Mr. Dao Nghia Dong shared.

Cau Treo Customs officers receive and process customs procedures for businesses. Photo: H.Nụ

Faced with these difficulties, Ha Tinh Customs Department proposes that Vietnamese ministries, agencies, and departments coordinate and support Laos in overcoming landslides in Deo Dat area, Bolikhamsai province. Complete the National Highway 8 upgrade project soon to create favorable conditions for smooth import and export goods circulation. In particular, Ha Tinh Customs believes that Ha Tinh province also needs to quickly complete the planning, land clearance, and synchronous construction of infrastructure in the Cau Treo international border gate area.

Also according to a representative of the Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch, the unit will continue to reform administrative procedures, arrange civil servants to work overtime to ensure completion of procedures for businesses. Simultaneously, the unit is more active in advising the provincial leaders, Ha Tinh Customs, and the General Department of Vietnam Customs on border gate planning and solutions to address landslides on the Lao side.

However, in the context of a sharp decline in goods circulation, affecting tax revenue collection, Cau Treo Customs is striving to create favorable customs clearance conditions to attract businesses to open declarations. Simultaneously, functional units at Cau Treo international border gate have also sent documents to competent authorities to urgently speed up the construction progress for smooth goods circulation; recommend the Provincial People's Committee to have solutions to promote trade with Laos to promote import and export activities, contributing to boosting tax revenue for the locality.

The current sharp decline in the number of customers, vehicles, and goods is very worrying, directly affecting import and export activities, tax revenue, and socio-economic development of Ha Tinh province. Therefore, a representative of the Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch believes that in addition to the reform solutions to strengthen support, create maximum convenience for import and export enterprises by promoting the application of electronics to shorten customs clearance time, timely address difficulties and obstacles, solving problems related to mechanisms, infrastructure, and transportation in the border gate area also requires the attention of relevant agencies to be implemented quickly.