Cross-border trade benefits have not benefited all localities equally,Hoang Minh Tuan, director of the Border and Mountainous TradeDepartment, tells the Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper.
* What are the highlights of cross-border trade between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in recent years?
There have been quite a few remarkable achievements, made possible bysound legal systems adopted by local and central governments which havemade it easier and more secure for enterprises, households, traders andborder residents to engage in border trade.
In the past few years, a dozen international border gates have been upgraded to become economic and trade hubs.
* What are limitations that have surfaced in promoting cross border trade?
It is evident that the potential of each border locality has not beenexploited. The legal framework governing cross border trade that are setup by the central and provincial governments is still incompletedespite several improvements. This has hindered investment from bothdomestic and foreign sources.
Though cross bordertrade turnover has increased steadily of late, the growth is not evenlydistributed. Cross border trade in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands)provinces of Kon Tum and Dak Lak is still underdeveloped.
That is not all. We still lack measures to speed up border checks forpeople, goods and vehicles. A case in point is the inefficient operationof the East-West Corridor.
The border gates inLaos will only allow trucks to cross, not buses carrying passengers fromVietnam or other Southeast Asian nations.
Thoughofficials of all three countries have agreed to apply a one-stop checkat two international border gates: Lao Bao (in Vietnam's central QuangTri province) and Densavan (Savanakhet province of Laos; and Moc Bai inVietnam's Tay Ninh province) and Ba Vet (Svey Rieng province ofCambodia), this is far from becoming reality. Some sources saiddifferent quarantine procedures have proven to be a stumbling block.
The sources said another hindrance was restrictions placed by bothLaos and Cambodia on Vietnamese nationals wanting to cross the border onmotorbikes or even trucks.
* The border marketsbetween Vietnam and Cambodia have not developed as expected, expertssay. What is the Ministry of Industry and Trade doing about it?
As of now, there are 10 international border gates along theVietnam-Cambodia border, nine main border gates, 30 sub-border gates,nine border economic zones, plus a network of 107 border markets.
However, these are all small scale developments and many of them aretemporary. There are geographical and socio-economic factors behindthis.
In the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands)province of Dak Lak, which shares a border with Rattanakiri province inCambodia, there are just two small convenience stores run by localhouseholds.
The governments of both countriesassigned their respective trade ministries to discuss the establishmentof a well developed Vietnam-Cambodia border trade network by 2020. OnOctober 15, 2012, the plan was approved by the Vietnamese Minister ofIndustry and Trade.
The first Vietnam-Cambodianborder market was built at the Thary special economic zone in Da Kandorlvillage, Da commune, Memot district, Kampong Cham province, Cambodia onJanuary 8, 2013. Hopefully, our trade will strongly develop throughthis market.-VNA
* What are the highlights of cross-border trade between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in recent years?
There have been quite a few remarkable achievements, made possible bysound legal systems adopted by local and central governments which havemade it easier and more secure for enterprises, households, traders andborder residents to engage in border trade.
In the past few years, a dozen international border gates have been upgraded to become economic and trade hubs.
* What are limitations that have surfaced in promoting cross border trade?
It is evident that the potential of each border locality has not beenexploited. The legal framework governing cross border trade that are setup by the central and provincial governments is still incompletedespite several improvements. This has hindered investment from bothdomestic and foreign sources.
Though cross bordertrade turnover has increased steadily of late, the growth is not evenlydistributed. Cross border trade in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands)provinces of Kon Tum and Dak Lak is still underdeveloped.
That is not all. We still lack measures to speed up border checks forpeople, goods and vehicles. A case in point is the inefficient operationof the East-West Corridor.
The border gates inLaos will only allow trucks to cross, not buses carrying passengers fromVietnam or other Southeast Asian nations.
Thoughofficials of all three countries have agreed to apply a one-stop checkat two international border gates: Lao Bao (in Vietnam's central QuangTri province) and Densavan (Savanakhet province of Laos; and Moc Bai inVietnam's Tay Ninh province) and Ba Vet (Svey Rieng province ofCambodia), this is far from becoming reality. Some sources saiddifferent quarantine procedures have proven to be a stumbling block.
The sources said another hindrance was restrictions placed by bothLaos and Cambodia on Vietnamese nationals wanting to cross the border onmotorbikes or even trucks.
* The border marketsbetween Vietnam and Cambodia have not developed as expected, expertssay. What is the Ministry of Industry and Trade doing about it?
As of now, there are 10 international border gates along theVietnam-Cambodia border, nine main border gates, 30 sub-border gates,nine border economic zones, plus a network of 107 border markets.
However, these are all small scale developments and many of them aretemporary. There are geographical and socio-economic factors behindthis.
In the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands)province of Dak Lak, which shares a border with Rattanakiri province inCambodia, there are just two small convenience stores run by localhouseholds.
The governments of both countriesassigned their respective trade ministries to discuss the establishmentof a well developed Vietnam-Cambodia border trade network by 2020. OnOctober 15, 2012, the plan was approved by the Vietnamese Minister ofIndustry and Trade.
The first Vietnam-Cambodianborder market was built at the Thary special economic zone in Da Kandorlvillage, Da commune, Memot district, Kampong Cham province, Cambodia onJanuary 8, 2013. Hopefully, our trade will strongly develop throughthis market.-VNA
