Wenshan border gates: Where China-Vietnam trade thrives

A view of the Tianbao international cargo yard in southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture

When the morning sunglow begins to cast light on the mountain peaks along the China-Vietnam border, the Tianbao border gate in southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture has already been filled by a rich aroma of durian.

Within the inspection area, cross-border trucks are loaded with plump and golden durians, quietly awaiting customs clearance. Once a traditional border gate, Tianbao has now become the third-largest land gateway for durian import in China and the second-largest in Yunnan.

Vietnamese durian is examined at the Tianbao international cargo yard.

“The trucks are transporting Vietnamese durian to Chinese provinces daily, and the durian import value via Tianbao has reached 4.5 billion yuan,” said Vietnamese girl Lưu Thị Yến, who was busy at the Tianbao international cargo yard, directing the loads and unloads in fluent Chinese and Vietnamese.

Wenshan has optimized functions of border gates and improved efficiency in customs clearance. Three national Class I gates of Tianbao, Dulong and Tianpeng have been fully opened, and the Wenshan-Hà Giang highway has enabled direct cross-border transport between China and Vietnam.

A cargo truck passes through the Tianbao border gate near the China-Vietnam border section in Wenshan.

Vietnamese durian is exported to China via the Tianbao border gate.

"Ten years ago, we carried stacks of paper documents here and there. Now, we can complete customs declarations with just a click of the mouse," said Li Chaoying, a customs declaration agent with a decade of work experience.

Besides "golden" durian, there is also a "silver" product flowing through Wenshan's border gates. The import-export value of aluminum at the gates has amounted to 240 million yuan. Durian and aluminum products account for over 75% of the total import-export value in Wenshan.

Among the three major gates, coordinated progress is taking shape. Dulong is transforming into a key channel for mineral products, while Tianpeng is diversifying its trade, supported by upgraded infrastructure. Together with Tianbao, they are forming a new pattern for opening up along the China-Vietnam border.

A view of the Dulong border gate in southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture

A view of the Tianpeng border gate in southeast Yunnan’s Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture

The accelerated customs clearance also instilled confidence in industrial development. Yang Daibing, legal representative of Malipo Hesen Agricultural Products Development Company based near the Tianbao gate, said: "Our business is driven by low costs, fast transport and customs efficiency."

As China-Vietnam economic trade exchanges continue to deepen, Wenshan is poised to leverage its role as a hub for international trade, contributing even more to the win-win cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Reporting by Li Tong, Zhao Lihuai, Liu Chang, Huang Peng, Liu Jie and Zhang Yuyu; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue