UNBREAKING THE "BOTTOM LINE", BREAKTHROUGH IN AN GIANG'S BORDER ECONOMY - Part 2: Bustling border market

At around 6am, when the sky was still covered in mist, Vinh Xuong border market was bustling with people's footsteps. On the road leading to the market, motorbikes and three-wheeled vehicles lined up, loaded with agricultural products and goods. Under the yellow lights that had not yet turned off, traders began to set up their stalls... A new day began, both busy and hopeful.

Tinh Bien border market. Photo: THANH TIEN

Along with the border gate system, border markets such as Vinh Xuong, Tinh Bien, and Long Binh are important links, contributing to spreading the vitality of border trade and promoting the development of the province's border trade economy .

Arriving at Vinh Xuong border market in Vinh Xuong commune, our first impression was that most of the signs at the shops were written in Vietnamese - Khmer, from grocery stores, restaurants to electronics stores. The use of bilingualism not only helps the local Khmer people to buy and sell conveniently but also creates conditions for traders and customers from neighboring Cambodia to easily transact. While arranging the boxes of goods, Mr. Le Minh Ngoc - owner of Ngoc Thua lubricant and electronics store shared: "I have been selling here since the market was built, with an average income of more than 15 million VND/month. Some items are imported from Cambodia, some are exported to neighboring countries. Thanks to Vinh Xuong International Border Gate, the functional sector and local government create favorable conditions, cross-border trade is increasingly convenient."

Ngoc is one of hundreds of small traders who are making a living in the border area. Every day, Vinh Xuong market welcomes hundreds of people, including many Cambodian residents. They come to buy dried fish, rice, vegetables, tubers... In contrast, many consumer products, fabrics, and imported goods from Cambodia have also found a place in the daily lives of Vietnamese people. "Many Cambodian customers have become long-term friends, some have been my acquaintances for decades," Ngoc said with a smile.

Not as bustling as Tinh Bien border market, Long Binh market - located near Khanh Binh national border gate has its own unique, close and simple character. In the space, there is the smell of dried fish and fruit, the sound of vendors' calls interspersed with the friendly chatter of the vendors. The market is small but colorful, because besides Kinh people, there are also Khmer, Cham, and Chinese people trading and exchanging in an open and harmonious atmosphere. Ms. Chau Sary - a Khmer person selling fruit, happily shared: "Before, I only sold small things in the neighborhood, sometimes there was, sometimes not. Since the border gate opened, more people have come and gone, I have acquaintances, a stable income, enough to pay for my children's education".

Chairman of Khanh Binh Commune People's Committee Ta Van Khuong said: "Trading activities at Long Binh market over the years have contributed significantly to creating jobs and increasing income for people. Many small traders have stayed at the market to make a living, engaging in the exchange of goods, agricultural products and food services. The market has become an essential distribution channel for goods, promoting trade with neighboring areas and even with neighboring Cambodia."

Promoting border trade development

Leaving Khanh Binh, following Highway 91, we arrived at Tinh Bien ward - where the international border gate with Takeo province (Kingdom of Cambodia) is located. Tinh Bien border market appears as a bustling trading complex, famous for many years as the wholesale market of the Mekong Delta. With 618 kiosks, the market sells a variety of goods, from local specialties such as dried fish, fish sauce, palm sugar to imported goods from Thailand and Cambodia. The cries of goods blend with the cheerful laughter.

At the corner of the market, Mrs. Tran Thi Huong - a trader with over 15 years of experience selling linh fish sauce - quickly invited: "This fish sauce is delicious, you can buy it to eat raw or steam it, it's delicious!". Mr. Nguyen Van Nam - a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City coming to the market for the first time, smiled and replied: "I've heard about linh fish sauce from the border area for a long time, now I see it with my own eyes. I bought a few jars to give to relatives and friends."

According to the Party Executive Committee of Tinh Bien Ward, Tinh Bien border market annually attracts nearly 300,000 visitors to visit and shop, spending an average of more than 930,000 VND/person. Thanks to trading at the market, many people have a stable life. The average household income in 2025 of the ward is estimated to reach 69.65 million VND/person, an increase of 25.85 million VND compared to 2020.

A preliminary survey shows that the province currently has more than 10 border markets in operation, forming an on-site border trade "ecosystem", from collecting goods, loading, transporting to buying and selling, contributing to maintaining the flow of goods. According to the Department of Industry and Trade, the consumption market in rural and border areas still has a lot of potential. From now until the end of the year, the province will review public land to invest in bonded warehouses and border markets, and at the same time support businesses to expand chains of convenience stores and mini supermarkets to serve the people. Economic experts say that if there is synchronous investment in infrastructure and effective attraction of private resources associated with tourism development, border markets will be more effective, possibly becoming regional trade centers, contributing to promoting border economic growth.

As the afternoon falls, the traders begin to pack up their stalls. The sounds of engines, vehicles, and street vendors gradually die down. In the pale sunlight, the laughter of hard work still resounds authentically and hopefully. Each market session is a day for people to keep warm meals, educate their children, stay in their hometowns, create a future, and foster sustainable development in the border region. At the border, the people's hearts are the strongest fence.

(To be continued)

TU LY - FAMOUS THANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/khoi-thong-diem-nghen-but-pha-kinh-te-bien-mau-an-giang-bai-2-nhon-nhip-cho-bien-gioi-a462850.html