Lang Son (VNA) – The Management Board of Vietnam’s Dong Dang – Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone and the Pingxiang municipal government in China’s Guangxi held talks on October 19 at the Tan Thanh – Po Chai customs clearance area, between border markers 1090 and 1091.
The two sides focused on solutions to easing export-import bottlenecks, raising goods clearance capacity and speeding up the rollout of smart border gate model - priorities for smoother cross-border trade, transport and people-to-people exchanges.
They also compared notes on border gate management, goods delivery, infrastructure development and the use of technology in cross-border trade.
On the dedicated goods transport route between markers 1088/2 and 1089, Lang Son proposed piloting goods delivery using automated guided vehicles (AGVs) under a trailer-uncoupling arrangement, with trailers permitted to stay no longer than 48 hours. The scheme will start with electronic components and full-container shipments. Both sides will report to their respective authorities to seek additional regulations, creating a legal framework for smart cross-border transport.
At the Coc Nam – Lung Nghiu customs clearance area between markers 1104 and 1105, Lang Son urged Pingxiang to upgrade the connecting road, which is narrow on the Chinese side and carries only one lane of traffic, directly hampering clearance. The Vietnamese side suggested widening it to at least two lanes while working to agree on clearance hours of 7:00 to 18:00 (Hanoi time).
Trade through the same crossing has dropped more than 90% since mid-August 2026, reportedly after China adjusted vehicle size standards. Lang Son said harmonised vehicle management standards should be considered so that companies can keep their export-import operations running.
Delegates spent much of the talks on the smart border gate model. At the Huu Nghi international border gate, Lang Son launched a project on June 30, 2025, to expand the dedicated goods route between markers 1119 and 1120, with total investment exceeding 94.6 billion VND (3.63 million USD). The province aims to run nighttime trials of intelligent guided vehicles (IGVs) in that area in December 2026, tentatively from 20:00 to 22:00, once all conditions are met.
Vietnam asked Pingxiang to arrange a separate traffic lane, lighting and on-site personnel so the trial does not disrupt regular customs clearance. The project to expand the dedicated route and build an inter-agency working facility near markers 1088/2 and 1089 is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.
The Lang Son side said the smart border gate investor is building digital and logistics infrastructure, studying unmanned transport vehicles and developing management software. To ensure the systems work together, the province called for closer exchanges between the investing and operating companies on both sides, and agreement on technical standards, connection interfaces, logistics data-sharing and management coordination.
Beyond trade and transport, the two sides discussed reopening and formally upgrading the Binh Nghi – Ping Er Guan border gate pair to a bilateral crossing, including the road in marker 1035. On tourism, they explored expanding self-driving tours and linking border gates and clearance points to ease immigration and cross-border travel.
Xie Tao, Deputy Secretary of the Pingxiang municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Pingxiang city, who led the Chinese delegation, said the talks showed both localities’ resolve to coordinate on border gate problems while gradually modernising cross-border transport and goods management.
Hoang Viet Dong, deputy head of the Dong Dang – Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone Management Board and head of the Vietnamese delegation, said Lang Son wants Pingxiang to keep up close coordination on administrative reform and more efficient inspection and control procedures to facilitate trade, particularly Vietnamese fruit and agricultural products./.
