In the first 6 months of 2026, import and export activities through border gates of Lao Cai province recorded many positive signs with total turnover increasing by more than 60% compared to the same period last year.
Export turnover alone reached 636 million USD, an increase of 62%, accounting for more than half of the total import and export value through the area.
Notably, the group of agricultural products continues to play a key role, accounting for over 90% of exports. In which, durian has become a prominent growth commodity, making an important contribution to the overall results of border trade activities.
At Kim Thanh Road International Border Gate No. II, customs clearance activities took place bustlingly from early morning. Every day, over 2,000 tons of durian are exported to China - the highest level in the past two years.
In the first 6 months of the year, more than 100,000 tons of durian were cleared through this border gate, an increase of 14 times compared to the same period in 2025.
The export value of durian reached nearly 400 million USD, accounting for over 30% of the total export turnover through Lao Cai border gates.
According to Mr. Doan Duc Viet, representative of Trung Dong Import-Export Company (Lao Cai), if previously businesses often worried about the risk of goods congestion and arising warehousing costs, now customs clearance activities have become much more convenient.
Every day, businesses export 400-600 tons of durian to China and most of the goods are processed during the day, helping to significantly reduce costs as well as risks affecting product quality.
To meet the increasingly strict requirements of the import market, businesses have proactively built standard raw material areas, strictly implementing regulations on planting area codes, packaging facilities and traceability.
Full compliance with plant quarantine and food safety requirements helps many shipments to be cleared quickly, limiting the risk of being warned or returned goods.
Mr. Vuong Trinh Quoc, Head of the Economic Zone Management Board of Lao Cai province, said that customs, border guard and plant quarantine forces at the border gate always maintain flexible working regimes to meet the increasing customs clearance needs.
The electronic declaration system is operating effectively, contributing to shortening procedure processing time and reducing costs for businesses.
Along with that, functional agencies of Lao Cai regularly coordinate with the Chinese side through talks and professional exchanges to remove difficulties arising in the customs clearance process.
Many problems related to quarantine and goods inspection have been resolved, especially the unification of the "three-reducing inspection" process, which significantly shortens the customs clearance time for fresh agricultural products.
It is forecasted that in the last months of the year, agricultural export activities through Lao Cai border gate will continue to grow as many types of fruits enter the harvest season.
In addition, new items such as fresh seafood are also choosing Kim Thanh border gate as the main export route to the Chinese market.
