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Vietnam: Lao Cai border gate shuts down due to Covid

The Kim Thanh II international border gate in the northern province of Lao Cai suspended import-export activities from today, July 4, after China discovered Vietnamese goods having the coronavirus.

Ha Duc Thuan, deputy head of the Lao Cai economic zone management board, told Tuoi Tre that the Chinese side has yet to inform when the border gate reopens; however, the management board will soon work with China to discuss the resumption.

Some 60 container trucks remain at the Lao Cai-based border gate, with 15 of them transporting lychee.

The management board also asked local exporters to temporarily stop transporting goods to the northern gate for export.

China’s stringent anti-Covid measures have hindered trade via the Kim Thanh border gate, causing heavy losses for Vietnamese firms, mainly those exporting fruits.

On June 27, after four months of suspension, China resumed importing Vietnamese fruits through the Kim Thanh border gate. In the past few days, over 3,000 tons of fruits, including lychee, dragon fruit, banana and mango, has been shipped to China through the gate.

Source: Saigon Times