Samples of fruit imported into Vietnam recently were found to be contaminated with potentially harmful levels of chemicals, the Vietnam Food Hygiene and Safety Department reported.
Two out of ten tangerine samples imported from China tested positive for excessive quantities of the insecticide deltamethrin.
From 40 samples of Chinese pears, grapes, apples and tangerines, four contained excessive amounts of preservatives and eight had excessive amounts of organic pesticides, Vietnam News reported.
According to the department's Lam Quoc Hung, most of the insecticides and preservatives contained pyrethroid, a synthetic pesticide harmful to marine life but considered harmless to humans.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese fruit exporters are frustrated that trucks entering China are being held up for long periods at the Tan Thanh border gate in Lang Son Province because of a lack of facilities there.
Exporter Hoang Thi Van said a surge in fruit movement to China during harvests had caused traffic jams at the border gate because of insufficient parking.
"Trucks must park on street sides for days, so drivers face difficulties and petty theft," Mr Van told Vietnam Net.
Chinese traders take advantage of the delays by insisting on lower prices, according to fruit trader Pham Sy Thinh.
He added that Vietnamese traders had to pay a service fee of 1-3m dong (US$52-157) per truck for transporting fruit into China.
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