After being approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 164/QD-TTg dated January 26, 2026, the Project to pilot the construction of smart border gates at the Mong Cai (Vietnam) - Dong Hung (China) international border gate pair is being implemented by Quang Ninh and Guangxi (China) according to the roadmap.
Phase 1 in 2026 focuses on deployment in the Bac Luan I and Bac Luan II bridge areas. In which, at Bac Luan I bridge, the items are implemented on existing infrastructure, serving border residents and passengers, expected to be completed in the first quarter.
At Bac Luan II bridge - the focus area of the project - smart border gate infrastructure is being deployed, specialized transport channels are being formed, equipment is being installed for self-driving vehicles without drivers (IGV) to operate, and a Smart Operation Center (IOC) is being built. This is the foundation for moving towards a 24/7 continuous customs clearance operation model in the future.
To serve the construction of smart border gates, from March 23, entry and exit activities through Mong Cai international border gate are adjusted for channel classification in the Bac Luan I and Bac Luan II bridge areas, in order to ensure the maintenance of stable entry and exit and import and export activities.
In parallel with that, from March 7, 2026, the Bac Luan II bridge area has piloted customs clearance of goods on both weekends.
After 3 weeks of implementation, the volume of import and export goods reached over 7,000 tons, mainly seafood, electronic components, auto components and raw materials for production.
Expanding customs clearance time helps increase about 30% of import and export time of goods through border gates, contributing to reducing congestion pressure, saving warehousing and yard storage costs and improving the operational efficiency of enterprises.
Reality shows that the traffic volume through border gates on weekends increases rapidly, and the supply chain is maintained more continuously. Businesses are more proactive in production plans, delivery and order signing.
From the beginning of 2026 to March 19, 2026, the total number of businesses carrying out customs procedures at Mong Cai International Border Gate Customs reached 1,086 businesses (up 30% compared to the same period last year), of which there were 177 new businesses (up 28%).
As of March 9, 2026, state budget revenue at Mong Cai International Border Gate Customs reached over 560 billion VND (equal to 17% of the assigned target and an increase of 29% compared to the same period in 2025).
Mr. Pham Ngoc Linh, Deputy Head of Mong Cai International Border Gate Customs (Sub-Department of Customs Region VIII), said: The unit not only arranges sufficient forces and equipment to serve customs clearance activities on weekends, but also ensures to meet maximum capacity for import and export activities at locations.
In addition to extending customs clearance time, the unit is actively reforming administrative procedures, shortening customs clearance time, and strengthening the application of information technology in management to manage import and export activities.
The deployment of smart border gates is a shift from traditional management methods to modern models, based on digital platforms, contributing to improving customs clearance capacity, reducing logistics costs and promoting border trade activities between Quang Ninh (Vietnam) and Guangxi (China) to develop.
