Moc Bai international border gate (Photo: VNA)

With a nearly 369km-long border and multiple key border gates, Tay Ninh province is steadily asserting its strategic role along the southern border economic corridor by upgrading border-gate infrastructure, expanding cooperation space and boosting cross-border trade.

Effective utilisation of its advantages in geography, logistics and supporting industries is creating fresh growth momentum, while opening up new opportunities for sustainable development as the province enters a period of strong transformation.

A strategic anchor on the southern border economic corridor

In recent years, border-gate economic activities in Tay Ninh have recorded encouraging progress. According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, import-export turnover reached 2.6 billion USD in the first ten months of 2025, while cross-border trade by border residents exceeded 1.7 trillion VND (64.68 million USD). The numbers reflect the robust vitality of border trade markets. Goods flows through border gates have become increasingly stable, creating ample opportunities for businesses on both sides of the border.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Han said Tay Ninh currently has four international border gates, four main border gates, 13 auxiliary border gates, three border-gate economic zones, along with a large-scale network of industrial parks and clusters. Together with the adjacent Long An International Port, this system has become a key driver enabling Tay Ninh to rank among the fastest-growing provinces nationwide, with GRDP growth reaching 9.52%, the highest in the southeast region. State budget revenue surpassed estimates by 28%, underscoring the province’s rapidly expanding and sustainable economic potential.

Beyond being an attractive investment destination, Tay Ninh also serves as a bridge of friendship and development cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia. The development of a multi-centred border-gate economic model, featuring the “border-gate quadrilateral” of Moc Bai – Xa Mat – Binh Hiep – Tan Nam, has helped regulate goods flows, maximise local potential and reduce dependence on a single clearance point.

Notably, the upgrade of Tan Nam auxiliary border gate to an international gate is viewed as a major turning point, opening new development prospects for the entire border region. Operating in sync with Cambodia’s Meun Chey International Border Gate, Tan Nam is expected to become an important trade axis. The portal will shorten travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and creating new momentum for socio-economic development in both Tay Ninh and Cambodia’s Prey Veng province.

Infrastructure breakthroughs driving trade and logistics

In Cambodia’s Prey Veng province, Governor Suon Somalin noted that Meun Chey International Border Gate, opposite Tan Nam, is an important connection point for traditional goods exchange between border communities. Following its upgrade, there has been solid investment in the border-gate infrastructure on the Cambodian side, including nearly 90,000 sqm of functional zones, immigration and customs facilities, administrative buildings, official accommodation and road links to National Highway 8.

Thanks to improved infrastructure, bilateral trade through the border gate has grown markedly. By November 2025, trade turnover via Meun Chey exceeded 1.384 trillion KHR (345 million USD), focusing on farm produce, consumer goods and construction materials. Customs revenue surpassed 19 billion KHR, highlighting the strong potential of this trade route when developed in a systematic and efficient manner.

According to the business community, Tay Ninh has an opportunity to become a major border logistics hub in the southeast region. From Tay Ninh, goods flows can connect to Cambodia and ASEAN markets, reach Ho Chi Minh City and international seaports, or expand towards the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands. Continued investment in warehousing systems, cold-chain logistics, bonded warehouses and value-added services is expected to help form a complete logistics ecosystem, reducing supply-chain costs and enhancing export value.

New cooperation space for sustainable development

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Tan Nam-Meun Chey International Border Gate pair on December 8, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the new portal not only opens a convenient trade route but also serves as an extended “bridge of friendship”, further affirming the enduring solidarity and close ties between the two nations.

He called for enhanced connectivity in transport, digital and energy infrastructure, stronger regional linkages between localities, particularly Tay Ninh and Prey Veng, and greater engagement by enterprises and business associations in expanding investment, logistics development, agro-processing and border trade.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet affirmed that the synchronous operation of international border gates and supporting infrastructure marks an important milestone with strategic significance for socio-economic development in both countries. He emphasised the need for continued coordination in strategic planning and implementation to facilitate the cross-border flow of goods and services, while highlighting strong cooperation potential in agriculture, agro-industry and export processing.

Hun Manet also called for stronger cooperation in combating cross-border crime to ensure a safe and transparent trading environment, and proposed that new border-gate pairs be included under agreements on goods transit and road transport protocols. This, he said, would create a more favourable legal corridor for businesses amid deepening regional economic integration, while generating fresh momentum for investment, trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries