At the 2026 Investment Promotion Conference, the Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee awarded the Investment Policy Approval Decision and also approved the investor for the Project to build a smart border gate at the Kim Thanh road bridge customs clearance for Viettel Post Corporation (Viettel Post).
The project is implemented on an area of 7.87ha in lots HT1, HT2, HT3 and HT4 belonging to Kim Thanh border gate area, Lao Cai ward, with a total investment of more than 860.2 billion VND.
According to PV's investigation, the project will build synchronously items including an operating house, scanning area, transshipment area, warehouse and quarantine yard, gathering and monitoring area for import and export goods, express delivery center, auxiliary service area and modern technical infrastructure system.
The project infrastructure is designed to connect with the road, rail, highway traffic network and logistics hubs in the area, contributing to improving the transportation capacity and circulation of goods through border gates.
Notably, the project will apply many modern technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), smart management systems and automated means of transport to optimize customs clearance processes, cargo management and logistics operation.
According to the plan, the project will be implemented from the second quarter of 2026 to the fourth quarter of 2032 and divided into three phases.
In the initial phase, the investor will complete legal procedures, build essential infrastructure and put some items into operation from the second quarter of 2027.
The 2028-2030 period will continue to invest in expanding the scale of projects, supplementing technical infrastructure and synchronous equipment to improve operating capacity. Some items are expected to be put into operation from the second quarter of 2028.
In the final stage, from 2031 to the end of 2032, the project will complete the entire infrastructure, invest in additional equipment and modernize the technology system before putting it into synchronous operation.
When completed, the project is expected to contribute to modernizing customs clearance activities at Lao Cai International Border Gate, improving import and export capacity, strengthening supply chain connections and promoting the formation of a large-scale logistics center on the Vietnam - Yunnan (China) economic corridor.
According to the leader of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, the implementation of the smart border gate project not only contributes to modernizing import and export activities but is also an important step in realizing the goal of making Lao Cai a center of international trade connection of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region.
The project is expected to shorten customs clearance time, reduce logistics costs for businesses, improve the competitiveness of Lao Cai international border gate, and create motivation to attract investment in logistics, trade and services.
Previously, at the end of 2024, Viettel also opened and put into use Viettel Logistics Park in Dong Dang commune, Lang Son province.
The project has a total investment of nearly 3,300 billion VND, a land use scale of more than 143ha, designed like a dry port, fully integrating customs clearance, import and export functions, post-harvest preservation areas, and a Vietnamese agricultural product trading center.
After nearly 2 years of operation, Viettel Logistics Park has been effective in reducing the load on warehouses and yards and reducing congestion on National Highway 1 at peak times for import and export.
