From early morning on May 14, hundreds of vehicles including container trucks, trucks and cars were seriously congested on National Highway 12A, from Cha Lo international border gate (Dan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province) to Naphao border gate (Kham Muon province, Laos). The goods are nearly 2km long, disrupting all customs clearance activities during the day.
Many drivers said that they had been at the border gate area since dawn but could not move until noon. Taking advantage of traffic jams, some drivers had to call local people to bring rice to the location; others lay right on the side of the road in the harsh sun, waiting for the situation to improve.
The main cause of the congestion is the serious deterioration of the route from Naphao to inland Laos. The road surface is peeling and muddy, causing slow traffic and preventing timely clearance of the heavy traffic from Vietnam.
Cha Lo International Border Gate is a vibrant trade point between Vietnam and Laos, with hundreds of cargo vehicles passing through this route every day to Laos and continuing through Thailand.
The prolonged traffic jams not only affect drivers but also cause damage to transportation costs and slow down the supply of goods across the border.
By early afternoon of the same day, the congestion had not been completely cleared. The authorities of both sides are coordinating to regulate, maintain order and support the vehicles.
