Immigration offices set up at Bac Luan II Bridge connecting Vietnam, China

Tourists holding passports or cross-border travel permits have been allowed to conduct customs procedures at the Bac Luan II Bridge area of the Mong Cai International Border Gate in northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province from Monday.

The move comes following an agreement reached by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province, the People's Government of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and a letter from the Department of Trade Affairs and Border Gate Management of Guangxi’s Dongxing city.

Accordingly, customs procedures will be processed at the Bac Luan II Bridge area from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Hanoi time) or 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m (Beijing time).

Customs clearance times and the passengers eligible will remain unchanged.

Mong Cai's People's Committee has directed relevant units to arrange forces and facilities to ensure safe and smooth immigration and import-export activities at the crossing.

The Mong Cai International Border Gate Management Board is responsible for working with the Dongxing Department of Trade Affairs and Border Gate Management in regulating trucks transporting goods and electric vehicles carrying tourists over Bac Luan II Bridge, ensuring safe and convenient border clearance.

Authorities at the crossing processed immigration procedures for over 3.9 million people in the year to December 3, said Tran Bich Ngoc, head of the border gate management board.

The total volume of commodities imported and exported through the border gate during that period reached more than 1.4 million tons, up 74% from a year earlier. Of the total, nearly 706,650 tons of goods were transported by 43,405 vehicles via the Bac Luan II area, a year-on-year increase of 29.2%.

Bac Luan Bridge II was inauguated in September 2017, aiming to ease congestion on Bac Luan I Bridge, promote trade and tourism cooperation between Quang Ninh and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, gradually complete the external transport system, and create development momentum for Mong Cai town.

The four-lane bridge is 154.5 meters long on the Vietnamese side and 463.5 m on the Chinese side, and is 27.7 m wide. It was built at a cost of $336 billion (nearly $14.8 million).