Digital transformation and modernisation of HCM City Customs Department from enterprises’ perspectives

Customs officers of Saigon Port Customs Branch Area 3 (HCM City Customs Department) inspect imported goods. Photo: T.H

Always take lead

As an enterprise accompanying with HCM City Customs Department in implementing many IT projects for imports and exports facilitation, Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam, Deputy Director General of Saigon Newport Corporation said HCM City Customs Department had taken lead in IT application serving for the management as well as customs operation. Saigon Newport Corporation had coordinated with HCM City Customs Department in launching many modern management programs such as customs supervision; trade facilitation project in Cat Lai; container scanning machine system. Those applications have received positive reviews from the enterprises because it has brought out many practical effectiveness, cutting many manual stages.

As well as port enterprises, many firms operating import and export activities also highly appreciated many utilities of the modernization programs of HCM City Customs Department.

From enterprises’ perspectives, Mr. Luong Minh Tri, Manager of Imports and Exports Division, Vietnam Pouyuen Co., Ltd said, if there is no IT application of customs authority, as well as support from customs officers of Investment Customs Branch, customs declarations and procedures for 200-300 declarations each day, could not be carried out.

Currently, the implementation of customs procedures has been carried out on an electronic system, only in case of import and export shipments relating to documents of specialized inspection, the company has only carried out directly at customs branch.

In the future, HCM City Customs and the Customs sector will launch a scheme on Digital Customs and Smart Customs, hence, customs procedures would be definitely fast and more convenient, helping enterprises to reduce costs and improve competitiveness.”, Mr. Luong Minh Tri said.

Talking about the effectiveness of modernization of HCM City Customs Department, Mrs. Dang Thi Minh Phuong, President of HCM City Logistics Association said that, customs procedures have been simplified.

HCM City Customs has launched many IT application programs in customs management as well as in customs procedures which support business significantly when carrying out customs procedures. Furthermore, HCM City Customs Department also cooperated with the associations and branches to contribute to the development of HCM City logistics. During the implementation, HCM City Customs will cooperate with the associations in digital transformation for better implementation. In particular, the reform and application of digital transformation in handling administrative procedures have been processed on the IT platform.

Mr. Bernardo Bautista, General Director and Country Manager of DHL Express Vietnam, said that, besides reform and simplification of procedures, HCM City Customs Department had also applied many effective management programs. For example, synchronous solutions for giving numbers and automated responses for dossiers of express delivery and postal enterprises. Before the introduction of this application, we took a lot of time and effort due to carrying out all procedures manually from printing paper documents and submitting them directly to customs authority. With the application from the HCAS management platform of customs authority, all processes are electronicization hence the dossiers are processed and responded to quickly via email. For enterprises that have a huge volume of goods like DHL, this application is especially useful because of its high connectivity, helping to save time and costs.

Already to transform strongly

HCM City Customs Department is carefully preparing steps for a strong digital transformation. HCM City Customs Department is digitalising the administration and internal management. Accordingly, the unit digitizes the direction and administration of leaders at all levels through the implementation of applications to support the professional operation of customs officers, deploying a document management system and administering the work in line with the eDocTC-2022 system; implementing technical solutions for management, digitization and automation of statistical reports, data analysis to serve the direction and administration of leaders at all levels; deploying paperless meeting rooms, online meetings; support to solve problems; and continued to operate stably, smoothly and confidentially the internal information exchange system.

At the same time, HCM City Customs Department implemented integrated application modules on the HCAS system in digitizing and electronicizing the process of professional operations such as document management and work administration, tracking conclusions and directives of leaders at all levels, monthly assessment and classification of customs officers, management of leave of custom officers; provide professional support to officials in the areas of product policy, analysis, classification, risk management, taking goods back for preservation of goods, settlement reports, and monitoring of declaration status at all stages of professional operation process.

According to Director of HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang, in order to ensure human resources implement digital transformation and digital customs, HCM City Customs Department established a Steering Committee for the digital transformation of HCM City Customs Department in accordance with Decision 707/ Decision-TCHQ of the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The Department organized the training for customs officers to raise awareness of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, have basic knowledge of digital transformation, learn skills in working in the digital environment, and skills in exploiting and making statistics about Customs, skills in analyzing and processing digital data.

Furthermore, the Department organized training and intensive training classes on IT systems based on Technology Revolution 4.0 for customs officers and IT staff to meet the requirements of deployment, management, operation, and ensuring security and safety of the customs operation system in the digital environment. Building an expert team of network security to promptly monitor, prevent, and coordinate in handling and overcoming incidents of safety, network security, administration, operation, and ensuring information security of unit's equipment, software, and database.