The days of having to wait at the border gate, waiting for the car to be cleared at the end of 2021 will probably be the most forgettable days for drivers and transport businesses.

While the drivers suffer in terms of accommodation, the expensive costs while waiting are largely on the heads of the transport businesses.

“ Every day it costs about 1.8 -2 million VND per car. How many cars are stuck at the border gate. Too much headache! ", said Mr. Nguyen Van Hoan - Director of Tam An Thinh Trading and Transport Co., Ltd.

Mr. Hoan shared the cost of 1.8 - 2 million VND/day for each vehicle including: driver's meal, cold running oil, parking fee. All these costs are borne by the company. Calculating per vehicle, this business can lose up to nearly one hundred million dong per day because of border congestion.

“ We have just been returned a car after more than 20 days of waiting. One car has been waiting for 18 days and still has not known the return date ," said Toan bitterly.

This company has only been able to return two trucks to China since the border was blocked. But also because of the long wait, the goods are also damaged, the buyer uses that reason to not pay the freight. “ The freight for the two trucks is 260 million VND. Now, we have not been paid a single penny because of damaged goods ”, said the director.

In enterprises with the scale of several dozen vehicles like Mr. Hoan's company, it is calculated that only one vehicle can be transferred every 1 month, because of staying too long at the border gate, the costs increase day by day, so when the car comes back, it will definitely be negative money.

Vehicles lined up densely in temporary yards near the border gate.

The owner of another transport business based in Ninh Binh said that this business was forced to throw away a jackfruit truck worth billions of dong because it was rotten. " The owner lost billions of money for the goods, it is also difficult for our transport unit to claim to pay the freight ", this person is bored.

Transport enterprises involved in transporting goods for export to China are currently in a state of helplessness before the trickle of imports from China. More than ever, they are looking forward to the involvement of state management agencies.

Meanwhile, drivers are miserable because of difficult living conditions. It is the 22nd day, Mr. Hien (from Ninh Binh) is stuck at Huu Nghi border gate waiting for the clearance of the last shipment of the year. It took ten days for his car to arrive at the customs clearance point. The "driver" team will drive to China, he will stay in the parking lot and wait for dozens of days for the Chinese side to receive the goods, unload and then return the car.

“My car went to China from December 2. But by December 17, the car still hadn't returned. Every day I look at the list of cars returned by the Chinese side, but I have not seen my car yet," Hien shared.

The meal was sloppy under the drivers' cars. (Picture provided by character)

Meals are more expensive in tourist areas, accommodation costs up to 400,000 VND per night. “Everything is expensive up here. There are many people taking advantage of the profit, selling anything is expensive. The average meal is also 50,000 VND. If you want to eat a little better, you are ready to spend 300,000 - 400,000 VND/meal right away," Hien said.

In the same situation with Mr. Hien, Mr. Doan Hong Giang, 32 years old, shared, the weather in the border gate area is also too harsh: "At night, it is cold below 10 degrees Celsius, during the day it is hot and dusty because of the parking lot. not a shadow of trees, the land is newly leveled so it is very dusty. Those who are not healthy enough cannot survive for a few days, ” said Giang.

During the day, it was too hot, many drivers had to climb into the car to start the engine and turn on the air conditioner because they couldn't stand it. Some other drivers choose to hang hammocks under the car to save money. Because every minute the engine starts, every minute "burns money" on gasoline.

“When the car was not cleared, we ate and slept right in the car. When the luxury car gets to China, you have to rent a separate hotel, both to stay and also to isolate. But hotels here are very expensive. 400,000 VND/night. Only when we are still eating and sleeping in the car, it's okay if we don't shower for a few days , " another driver shared.

Cargo trucks currently congested at the border gate area are mostly agricultural products such as durian, jackfruit, mango, etc. If you have to wait too long, this fruit may be ripe and damaged, leading to the failure to deliver the goods. .

“Our drivers understand our goods very well. Many times, I know that the goods are damaged by more than 60%, but I still have to eat on duty, wait in line, wait for customs clearance, but I don't know what to do. Then whether the goods in your country will be received or not, that is another matter," the driver shared.

Delicious ripe jackfruit while waiting in line for customs clearance, the driver was ordered to sell quickly to remove the freight.

On the afternoon of December 20, Mr. Ho Tien Thieu - Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province said that there are currently 4,598 vehicles waiting for customs clearance at the border gates. Only Huu Nghi border gate clears goods, while Tan Thanh border gate is suspended from December 18, Chi Ma border gate stops from December 8.

The leader of Lang Son province said that with the current huge amount of goods, it is very difficult to clear customs in a short time.

Pictures of thousands of vehicles stuck at Lang Son border gate:

Cong Hieu