Mong Cai: Smuggling concerns amid sluggish business activities

Many shopping malls on Hoa Binh Avenue leading to Mong Cai international border gate are closed. Photo: Quang Hung

Complicated developments

In recent days, Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh, has appeared unusually quiet. Once bustling shopping hubs are now eerily empty. Central streets and malls, previously teeming with buyers and sellers, now feature shuttered storefronts and sparsely populated electronics, auto accessory, and furniture shops along major roads like Hoa Binh Avenue leading to the Mong Cai International Border Gate (Bac Luan Bridge 1).

While the city center remains subdued, areas around border crossings such as the Km3+4 Pontoon Bridge and Bac Luan Bridge 2 Border Gate are buzzing with activity. These locations see vibrant trade as goods move through warehouses and logistics facilities.

For instance, at the Bac Luan Bridge 2 Border Gate, around 250-300 transport vehicles carrying import-export goods pass daily. Customs officials from Customs Supervison Team No. 2 of the Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch maintain operations to ensure smooth flow and prevent congestion.

Leader of Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch (Quang Ninh Customs Department) said that, besides facilitate import-export activities, the Branch also arrange forces to closely inspect and monitor the area, not allowing violations to occur in the customs operation area.

While business operations in Mong Cai City have slowed to a crawl, the battle against smuggling and illegal goods transportation has intensified. Enforcement agencies report a sharp rise in both the number of cases and the value of confiscated goods, highlighting the growing complexity of these illicit activities compared to the same period last year.

By November 15, 2024, enforcement units in Mong Cai City had detected and addressed 511 cases involving 510 individuals, with the value of confiscated goods totaling nearly VND 16 billion—a 10.61% increase in cases and a 103.79% increase in value compared to the previous year. These included 318 cases of illegal trade, transportation, or storage of prohibited or smuggled goods; 135 cases of commercial and tax fraud; 58 cases of counterfeit production, trade, or intellectual property violations.

Key items involved in smuggling included live poultry, animal-based food products, and frozen goods of unclear origin. Perpetrators often stored goods in border-area homes before using private vehicles to transport them further inland for sale.

According to leader of Customs Enforcement Team 1 (Quang Ninh Customs Department), the sale and trade of counterfeit branded goods continue to occur at various businesses, shops, and stalls within local markets and commercial centers. He also noted ongoing counterfeit trade in local markets and malls, exploitation of postal and express delivery services, and smuggling via e-commerce platforms. Additionally, smugglers have taken advantage of complex border terrain and nighttime conditions to move goods illegally across the border.

Focused measures to control the situation

With smuggling expected to intensify before, during, and after the Lunar New Year 2025, Customs Enforcement Team No. 1 has advised Steering Committee 389 of Mong Cai City to implement a special anti-smuggling plan. This initiative focuses on combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year 2025.

Accordingly, the key strategies include strengthening coordination among the 389 Steering Committee members to create a unified, effective approach; enhancing leadership accountability by clearly defining roles and responsibilities, ensuring seamless task execution while avoiding overlap among agencies.

By late November 2024, various units under the Quang Ninh Customs Department stationed in Mong Cai—such as the Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch, Van Gia Port Border Gate Customs Branch, and Customs Enforcement Team No. 1—had rolled out comprehensive plans to tackle smuggling during the peak festive season.

Notably, customs units are intensifying the inspection and monitoring of import-export goods, temporarily imported goods for re-export, bonded warehouse shipments, cross-border transportation. Efforts aim to prevent smuggling, trade fraud, and unauthorized transportation of goods or currency through border gates and customs-managed areas.

Customs officers are also maintaining consistent patrols and monitoring activities within their operation area. They are actively collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to share intelligence and respond promptly to violations, ensuring swift detection and prosecution of smuggling attempts.

Additionally, there is a focus on inspecting e-commerce transactions and curbing the misuse of border trade policies to smuggle goods into Vietnam.