On January 31, in a quick exchange with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vu Quang Khanh - Deputy Head of the Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone Management Board said that up to now, there is no longer congestion of vehicles carrying fresh fruits at border gates in the province.
On the same day, the Tan Thanh Border Gate Customs Team informed that agricultural import and export activities in this area have returned to normal after a slight congestion occurred on January 30.
The congestion phenomenon only occurred for a short time, mainly in the direction of imported goods into Vietnam and was completely resolved on the same evening.
According to customs officials, the cause of congestion stems from the implementation of new regulations in Decree 46/2026/ND-CP of the Government on food safety inspection.
Accordingly, some imported food items are required to be inspected by conventional methods, including taking samples for testing and assessment at designated inspection centers.
This process can take 3 to 5 days, causing many difficulties for businesses, especially fresh agricultural products with a short shelf life.
Faced with that reality, specialized agencies in Lang Son have proactively applied transitional clauses, being flexible in organizing implementation to promptly remove obstacles and ensure customs clearance operations. However, this is only a temporary solution, and in the long term there are still many inadequacies that need to be resolved," said the customs official.
According to the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone, on January 30, the total number of vehicles carrying import and export goods through the area reached 2,057 vehicles. Accumulated from January 1, 2026 to the end of January 30, 2026, the total number of vehicles cleared reached 51,558 vehicles.
In which, export cargo vehicles reached 506 vehicles per day, accumulated from the beginning of the year is 11,715 vehicles.
The total weight of exported agricultural products (including fruits and agricultural products) in the day reached about 11,613 tons. In the opposite direction, imported cargo vehicles reached 1,551 vehicles in the day, accumulating 39,843 vehicles, with a total weight of imported agricultural products of about 43 tons.
Not only in Lang Son, in the last days of January 2026, import and export activities at many border gates across the country also recorded localized congestion for goods that are fresh food and agricultural products.
The main reason identified is obstacles in the implementation of new regulations on food safety inspection according to Decree 46/2026/ND-CP.
According to quick statistics, on January 30, 2026, at Kim Thanh international border gate (Lao Cai), there were about 300 vehicles carrying fresh agricultural products and confectionery that had not had food safety inspection results, so they could not be cleared. At Hoa Lu border gate (Dong Nai), 251 vehicles carrying cassava slices and bananas also fell into a similar situation.
In addition, many other border gates recorded significant food congestion such as Lao Bao (Quang Tri) about 50 vehicles; Dinh Ba (Dong Thap) 100 vehicles; Vinh Xuong (An Giang) 200 boats; Thuong Phuoc (Dong Thap) 200 boats; Tinh Bien about 200 vehicles.
It is noteworthy that most of the congested goods are agricultural products, fresh fruits or food with short shelf life. Slow customs clearance not only increases the risk of damage to goods but also entails warehousing, yard storage, and delivery disruption costs, causing risks to fall on businesses.
Faced with this situation, on January 31, 2026, the Customs Department issued an urgent official dispatch reflecting the problems in the process of implementing Decree 46, and at the same time proposed that specialized management ministries soon have unified and specific guidance on the order of food safety inspection for imported goods.
Timely removal is considered necessary to avoid the risk of serious congestion at border gates, especially during the peak of the Lunar New Year, ensuring the smooth supply chain of goods and minimizing damage to businesses.
