Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

The main road on the Lao side has been eroded, so the number of people, vehicles, and goods passing through Cau Treo International Border Gate (Huong Son, Ha Tinh) has been sparse recently.

The historic floods in Laos in early August damaged many structures.

The historic floods in Laos in early August caused landslides in many sections of the main traffic artery connecting the capital Vientiane to Vietnam (via the Nam Phao border gate of Laos and Cau Treo border gate of Vietnam); the most serious of these was the Dat Pass area (National Highway 8, about 80 km from the border gate).

Up to now, the other side has not been able to overcome the consequences, the landslides have not been completely cleared so heavy trucks cannot pass, only cars, passenger cars, and light trucks can pass. According to forecasts, this important transport route will take 4-5 months to be repaired.

Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

The vehicle and goods staging area waiting for procedures from Laos to Vietnam has only a few trucks each day.

Driver Nguyen Cong The (living in Loc Ha) said: “We transport ore from Vientiane to Vung Ang port, passing through Cau Treo border gate. There are 3 routes on this route that can be used by the other side, but currently our vehicles cannot transport goods through Cau Treo border gate because Road 8 is being eroded.

We, the drivers, also considered avoiding the road through Na Kai district (Kham Muon province), but the weight limit is only for vehicles under 17 tons; the road through Vieng Thong is about 100 km further, the road is bad so we have to change tires on a few trips and the risk of safety is high. Therefore, we are forced to change the customs route through Cha Lo border gate of Quang Binh.

Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

The vehicle and goods gathering area waiting for procedures from Vietnam to Laos is deserted.

Because vehicles and goods cannot circulate, and people entering and exiting the country have decreased, the Cau Treo International Border Gate has been in a gloomy atmosphere for nearly 2 months. At the goods and vehicle gathering areas, there are only a few cars, passenger cars, light trucks, and vehicles carrying agricultural products from districts bordering Bolikhamxay province; while heavy-duty vehicles (especially those carrying ore, fresh water, etc.) are completely absent.

The areas for receiving, processing documents, customs clearance procedures, export and import flows... are very quiet.

Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

Previously, the area near this border gate (on the Laos side) was always lined with vehicles and goods for more than 1 km waiting for customs clearance, but now it is deserted.

The Nam Phao border gate of Laos is in a similar situation. Goods and vehicles are sparse, and there are fewer people passing by than in the previous period. From Nam Phao border gate going deep into Laos, vehicles used to be crowded, goods lined up waiting for customs clearance for more than 1 km, but now the road is deserted.

Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

Deserted customs clearance

Head of the Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch, Le Minh Duc, informed: “The current sharp decrease in the number of people, goods, and vehicles passing through customs is very worrying, directly affecting import-export activities, immigration, budget collection, and socio-economic development of the province. For nearly 2 months now, the amount of goods passing through the border gate has decreased by about 60-70% and the main goods currently are agricultural products from the border areas of neighboring countries.

Due to landslides on the only heavy cargo transport route in Laos, from August 1 to September 22, the total import-export turnover only reached 29.701 million USD, down 44% compared to the same period in 2022. Because high-tax items have been diverted for transportation and customs clearance through other border gates (mainly Quang Binh), the budget revenue at Cau Treo border gate in the past nearly 2 months only reached 24 billion VND, down 66.3% compared to the same period last year.

It is predicted that this situation will last for many months to come, causing difficulties in carrying out the unit's political tasks.

Goods and vehicles through Cau Treo Border Gate decreased sharply

Deserted scene at the vehicle registration area at immigration.

Captain Vo Anh Tuan - Head of the Cau Treo International Border Gate Border Guard Station said: "For nearly 2 months now, the number of vehicles clearing customs has decreased to only 200 - 300 vehicles/day and the number of people entering and exiting the country has decreased to 700 - 800/day (down about 50%); organizations, individuals, and business households passing through the border gate have decreased sharply compared to previous months.

Currently, we have been coordinating with other functional forces at the border gate and the other side to grasp information, proactively monitor the situation, and connect to handle the situation. In addition, the Ha Tinh Border Guard has also supported and helped the other side with necessities, human resources, materials, and equipment to help you overcome this situation as soon as possible."

Tien Dung

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