Green channel: Flexible logistics solutions in epidemic prevention

Thời sự - Logistics - Ngày đăng : 08:49, 13/09/2021

(VLR) The concept of a green channel (along with yellow and red channels) indicates a way to separate import and export goods in customs, helping to implement quick monitoring, inspection and management on goods in and out Vietnam territory, and it increases speed of import and export goods flows at the same time. During the 4th outbreak of COVID, the concept of green channel is applied to create safe, essential transport corridors in goods transport.

Green channel flexible logistics solutions in epidemic prevention

From a logistics perspective, transport green channel is a synchronous combination of three main parts: routes and green vehicles; objects allowed to move in the green channel; and green channel management measures.

Routes and transport vehicle in green channel

According to guidance from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam, green channel is a route connecting areas implementing the Directive 16/ CT-TTg by the Prime Minister to other areas. These are routes of priority for vehicles with identification cards with QR Codes to operate, ensuring smooth circulation and epidemic prevention safety. Green channels are divided into two levels: inter-regional and national routes and intra-provincial and city routes. On July 7th, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam announced the system of green channels in the North and the South.

The implementation of green channel in many places still has certain had inadequacies that need to be resolved. But overall, it can obvious that the green channel is the right and appropriate solution to solve the difficulties in circulation and transport when implementing the Government’s Directive 16 on social distancing. The green channel allows connections between localities, ensuring the circulation of goods nationwide and within each city and province according to a smooth network, ensuring the safety of goods and people involved. It also optimizes resources in safety control and good management of goods, people and vehicles.

In the South, the national green channel has specific routes along the national roads between HCMC to provinces and vice versa with 72 checkpoints on roads and border locations. The routes are divided in 3 specific groups: 19 routes among the Southeastern provinces to or through HCMC; 12 routes among the Southeastern provinces, Southwestern provinces to, or through HCMC; 16 routes among the Southwestern provinces through HCMC. In the central and in the North, there are 3 groups of national green channels including routes along the North-South axis; routes along the expressway system and routes along the axes connecting national roads.

This network has allowed to connect the main arterial transportation routes in the supply of goods for production and consumption throughout the country. At the same time, it minimizes going through residential areas, minimizes contact and keeps residential areas and production areas safe. It also optimizes resources in disease management and control in times of strong outbreaks.

Local departments of transport quickly regulated intra-provincial green channels, connecting to the national green channel network. At the same time, reasonable resting positions and checkpoints have been chosen. Hanoi has 10 internal green channels connecting 6 national green channels going through 22 checkpoints at the city gateways. Vehicles with routes going through Hanoi will take the boundary road 3 and to provinces without going through the city center. HCMC- a large populated economic area with networks of industrial, agricultural productions has priority to transport essential goods with Southeastern provinces, flows of vehicles in and out Cat Lai Port and transport goods in the region. With advantages of ivers, HCMC also opened a ‘green waterway’ connecting 4 western provinces (Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Vinh Long) to transport goods by speedboats.

To ensure strict safety in controlling epidemic, green channels allows vehicles with identification cards to operate. The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam and transport departments grant permits for vehicles depending on the type of national, inter-regional or internal routes.

Goods and objects of transport in the green channels are also regulated to prioritize essential goods and objects to serve production, daily life, epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic efforts

Goods and objects of transport in the green channels

Goods and objects of transport in the green channels are also regulated to prioritize essential goods and objects to serve production, daily life, epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic efforts. The Dispatch no.4481 (the Ministry of Industry-Trade) promptly provided detailed instructions on the list of essential goods for social security, production and business activities, export, equipment and supplies, medical biological products for epidemic prevention and control, serving activities of agencies, production and business establishments and construction works that are allowed to be operated.

Groups of drivers, co-drivers, stevedoring people, civil servants, workers and experts… when traveling on the green channels are also required to apply epidemic prevention measures.

Green channel management methods

For efficiency, series of methods have been implemented:

Granting traffic rights on green channels to means of transport with identification cards with QR codes in a quick and convenient online form. The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam together with 63 transport departments have applied a software to issue QR codes through the public service portal (luongxanh.drvn.gov.vn). There have been more than 8,000 vehicles that were granted green channel codes nationwide so far.

Simplify the inspection process: a vehicle owner’s identification card is self-printed on the paper glued on the front glass and both sides of the car doors. When checking in, it only takes 3-5 minutes to view documents, scan the QR Code with smartphones and match the information with the green channel storage system. With the issued identification card, the vehicle may not have to stop for inspection, when the functional units only check randomly.

Being flexible with types of goods: good with short time of consumption as agricultural products, fresh food and frozen goods are given higher priority in the green channels. By sticking a label ‘perishable goods’ on windshields. Checkpoints will recognize them and handle them for fastest circulation.

When realizing necessary requirements, departments of Transport quickly introduced additional measures to add flexible green channels in a timely manner. For example, the waterway green channel in the region of the southwestern provinces with HCMC. The green channel serves 2 construction projects of Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet and Phan Thiet - Dau Giay expressways under the North - South expressway construction project in the period 2017 - 2020 and is being constructed simultaneously, meeting completion schedule in 2023. When the roads are overloaded, local departments of transport are also allowed to regulate and exchange to open more “green channels” to release goods.

Associate Prof. PhD. An Thi Thanh Nhan