Illustrative photo.

Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused heavy impacts on production and business activities in general and cross-border trade in particular. The serious congestion at the northern border gates makes import and export goods through these routes, especially Vietnam's agricultural exports, unable to promptly clear customs.

This problem has negatively affected the operations of thousands of import-export and logistics enterprises. Moreover, the lives of millions of farming households are also greatly affected; social wealth is wasted because non-exportable goods are depreciated, damaged, discarded...

Faced with the situation, the Government leaders, directly the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers have given very drastic instructions to reduce congestion, remove difficulties for businesses, creating favorable conditions for imported goods to be traded through border gates.

To join hands to solve congestion at border gates, the Ministry of Finance has directed the General Department of Customs to creatively apply trade facilitation measures, participate in talks with relevant neighbor country authorities, mobilize officers and civil servants to serve businesses with the spirit of "doing up the work, not working up the time".

In addition, the Minister of Finance has also sent a written request to the Ministry of Transport to support and coordinate so that the two agencies can join hands to develop a solution to warn of congestion at border gates on the basis of foundation of new achievements and applications in information technology.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport have assigned the General Department of Customs to coordinate with the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to develop and deploy the congestion warning function on the National Single Window Portal through the connecting and exchanging data on positioning of trucks circulating and gathering at border gates.

With this application, authorities, businesses and vehicle drivers can look up in real time the situation of congestion at all border gates.

Thereby, state agencies, enterprises and vehicle drivers can actively prepare and adjust import and export plans, transport plans in accordance with the situation; avoid congestion of goods and vehicles at the border gate, save logistics costs; minimize damage and risks.

Information on vehicle traffic at the border gate is expected to be updated real time; publicized on the National Single Window Portal at https://:www.vnsw.gov.vn.

The status of vehicles at the border gate is shown on an intuitive and friendly interface with 4 levels including Red (the highest warning level with over 5,000 vehicles), Orange (traffic from over 1000 to 5000 vehicles), Gold (from over 500 to 1,000 vehicles) and Green (under 500 vehicles).

State agencies, businesses, and vehicle drivers can access it by computers or look up from smart devices with internet connection.

Currently, on the one hand, the General Department of Customs has completed the first version of this application on the National Single Window Portal. On the other hand, the General Department of Customs has also sent a written request to the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to soon connect to exchange data before the Lunar New Year.

If implemented on time, this will be a very meaningful new year gift that the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport in particular and Government agencies in general send to the business community and people across the country.

This is also a demonstration of the Government's joint effort with businesses, organizations and people to overcome the pandemic, overcome difficulties, restore production and business, and develop the economy./.