Hoanh Mo border gate, Binh Lieu highland district, was established in 1991 and upgraded to a main border gate in 2012. Currently, Hoanh Mo border gate has been expanded to over 33 hectares with main export items including: agricultural and forestry products, imported textiles, tiles, food additives, furniture, auto parts, consumer goods, etc.

This is one of three border economic zones of Quang Ninh province whose planning has been approved by the Prime Minister.

Total import-export turnover through the Hoanh Mo (Vietnam) - Dong Trung (China) border gate pair in the past 5 years reached about over 80 million USD/year.

Notably, Hoanh Mo border gate has the advantage of large export market potential with Ninh Minh district and Phong Thanh area (China). These are administrative units with large populations and fast-growing economies, and are large markets for consumer goods, food, seafood and tourism.

The most important highlight after becoming a pair of bilateral border gates from June 25, 2024 is that Chinese enterprises are allowed to carry out procedures to import goods under official channels instead of applying the current policy of imported goods according to the tax-free quota of border residents.

Talking to Lao Dong reporter, Mr. Do Hai Son - Deputy Head of Hoanh Mo Border Gate Customs Branch informed: "In the past, Vietnam's export goods to China were managed through secondary border gates. The volume of goods cleared through customs was only about 20 - 30 vehicles/day, the contribution of this sector to local budget revenue was still very modest.

One of the reasons pointed out is that customs clearance of goods is still poor while infrastructure, especially warehouses, is weak and limited. Along with that, according to the policy from China, each resident is entitled to 8,000 NDT. But now upgraded to a bilateral border gate, Vietnamese goods will be processed under the type of unlimited business export, with customs clearance time agreed by both sides.

Mr. Nong Thanh Son - Vice Chairman of Dong Tam Commune People's Committee, Binh Lieu District - said: "After upgrading to a bilateral border gate, people have applied for passports to facilitate travel, labor, and work in the Vietnam - China border area. Many cargo handling teams have been activated in the border gate area. Agricultural products, vegetables, fruits, especially local cinnamon will have higher prices."

Mr. Pham Duc Thang - Chairman of Binh Lieu District People's Committee - expressed his opinion: "Recently, from the local budget, Quang Ninh has upgraded the infrastructure system, connecting the district with National Highway 18C, 18A and connecting from Hoanh Mo border gate with Bac Phong Sinh border gate (Hai Ha district). Especially when the expressway from Mong Cai - Van Don comes into operation, it has helped the border districts get closer to development centers such as Hanoi and Hai Phong.

As a bilateral border gate, Binh Lieu expects to be able to clear 5-10 million tons of goods per year and hundreds of thousands of people crossing the border each year. This is a new driving force for Binh Lieu to increase the income of mountainous people, reaching 5,000 USD per year.