In early June, Tan Thanh market, one of the busiest trading centers in the northern border area, fell into an unusually gloomy state.
A series of kiosks were closed, stalls were empty, and the streets were deserted. The scene is reminiscent of the period of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Present here, according to the reporter's records, along the rows of kiosks, Hong Kong shopping mall area and some rows of markets, almost all of the shops are in a state of "closed doors and bolts".
The canvas is loose and sun-shelved, the signs hanging with the announcement "temporary leave", "closed", "no wholesale" are written hastily.
In some areas, warehouse doors are only open enough for one person to sneak in. After scouting and observing the surrounding area, each package was loaded onto a motorbike and transported to a safe place.
The scene is in complete contrast to the image of Tan Thanh market before, where every day is bustling with buyers, trucks follow each other long and long, and there is bustling business from early morning to late night.
Speaking quickly to a trader, the reporter learned that the main reason for this silence was due to the peak period of inspection and handling of counterfeit, counterfeit, and goods of unknown origin nationwide from May 15 to June 15, 2025.
Tan Thanh market, which was once considered a hot spot for imported goods at the underading level, is in the "key area" of this campaign.
"No one dares to open a store at this time. Opening it is being checked and fined for not having enough documents. Goods are mainly imported from across the border, without invoices.
Or if there is an invoice, it is only for each container, and when the owner spits it out for wholesale warehouse owners, there is almost no because they are afraid of paying taxes. Accept a temporary leave and then continue, at least until July 1, the trader shared.
Not only traders are affected, the mass closure also has consequences for many transport workers, loads, motorbike taxi drivers, and restaurants around the market. No customers, no goods, an entire livelihood chain dependent on the market was interrupted.
A three-wheeled vehicle driver said: It was normal to drive 5 to 7 trips a day. Now I wait all day to get a trip. almost zero income. Even the specialized su parked vehicles carrying goods and driving for the past few days have only passed by and had no customers".
Food and beverage establishments around the market are also deserted, with dusty tables and chairs, and staff temporarily on a break.
Some traders said they are considering returning to online sales, promoting transactions via Zalo, WeChat, but the scale and efficiency are still very limited.
Information from the Market Management Department of Lang Son province said that with the active participation of functional forces, from May 15 to now, the whole province has discovered and arrested 17 cases of transporting and trading smuggled food of unknown origin; seized more than 10 tons of various types of food, this volume doubled compared to the first 4 months of 2025.
Along with that, the Department has directed market management teams to deploy measures to control and prevent the illegal transportation, trading and trading of dirty foods and foods of unknown origin on the market and in circulation.
