New technologies push Vietnamese agro-products cross the border

Smart management reduces manual labor

The Viettel Lang Son Logistics Park is driving a major shift in the province’s agro-product export workflow by applying new technology models that are completely different from traditional export practices.

According to Mr Dao Van Thuan, Deputy Director of Import Business at the Viettel Lang Son Logistics Park, the facility is building a service ecosystem for drivers, including dining, rest areas, and sanitation services, especially for drivers from both Vietnam and China. All services are provided through an app and cashless payment technology, making the process convenient and transparent.

Driver data management at border gates has long been a bottleneck that slows customs clearance. To solve this, Viettel is developing a smart-gate system that requires drivers to register their personal information and service needs before entering the yard. Once registered, drivers are guided automatically to parking spots using LED screens installed throughout the facility. The app shows exact locations, and the entire process runs without human coordinators.

In the loading and unloading stage, automated conveyor systems help reduce manual labor and shorten processing times. The transshipment zone uses telescopic conveyors that can transfer goods between two containers in just 30 to 40 minutes, compared with up to three hours previously. Automated weighing is also integrated to improve accuracy.

Across the logistics park, all functional zones are digitized and managed through smart platforms. The inspection and certification center helps reduce the risk of goods being rejected by Chinese authorities. Viettel is working with major Chinese inspection organizations to achieve mutual recognition of results, helping businesses save time and costs.

Viettel’s Smart WMS warehouse-management system uses RFID and IoT technology to provide real-time tracking, optimize storage space, and reduce errors. According to Viettel, warehouse efficiency has increased by 30% and management costs have fallen by up to 25%.

All these solutions focus on protecting workers’ health, reducing physically demanding tasks, and speeding up supply-chain operations.

Cutting customs-clearance times

Vietnam’s agro-product exports to China are rising sharply, and this growth requires smooth coordination across every operational link. At the Tan Thanh border gate, Viettel is deploying a logistics system powered by remote-control technologies, automated monitoring, and cross-border transport support. This ensures better control of goods from the moment they enter the yard, helping reduce congestion and accelerating customs clearance. China is also testing unmanned electric tractor trucks, marking an important breakthrough in cross-border logistics.

Customs authorities in Guangxi, China are now proposing a pilot zone for “one location, two inspections” in Lang Son. Under this model, both sides recognize each other’s standards, conduct inspections at a single location, and share information to facilitate trade. China plans to send personnel and inspection equipment, including systems for agro-products, to Lang Son, while the Vietnamese side will provide space and infrastructure.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Quang Hung, Head of the Tan Thanh Border Guard Station with more than 20 years of experience at Lang Son’s border gates, the “one location, two inspections” model expected to be deployed at the Viettel logistics park is the right direction, aligning with modern customs requirements. Once fully applied, the entire border-gate system will see a significant boost in clearance capacity. Farmers’ goods will move faster, while reducing the workload for quarantine, customs, and border-guard forces.

A representative of the Viettel Logistics Park said that with a fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles of various capacities managed through a TMS system integrated with GPS and AI, plus direct connections to the Vietnam–China railway network, the company can reduce transport costs by about 15 percent. Viettel’s delivery network covers 34 provinces and cities, supporting all cargo types, from full-container loads to loose and small-lot shipments. This seamless network gives Vietnamese agro-products faster circulation, lower spoilage, and better quality when exported.

Modern technologies are also helping resolve long-standing bottlenecks in cross-border operations. For years, Lang Son has had “document brokers” who handle paperwork due to information gaps in the supply chain. When procedures become digital, transparent, and open, this intermediary group will no longer have a role. The border gate will finally serve goods and agro-products, rather than forcing businesses to bear unnecessary costs.

These changes are opening wider doors for Vietnamese agro-products, empowering farmers, cooperatives, and businesses to enter the Chinese market more quickly, at lower cost, and with greater reliability.