Businesses highly appreciate the administrative reform of Ho Chi Minh City Customs

	A series of solutions to improve administrative reform results in the Finance sector
	Binh Dinh Customs conducts administrative reform, benefiting businesses

Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Hoang Tuan discussed with Mr. Kenneth Tse, Director of Intel Products Vietnam factory. Photo: THU HOA

Eliminate invisible dividers

From the beginning of the year until now, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has organized many training sessions to disseminate legal knowledge in the field of customs and dialogue to resolve problems through seminars and conferences organized by units such as: Canadian Consulate, Korean Consulate, Korean Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra), Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Investment and Trade Promotion Center of Ho Chi Minh city (ITPC), etc and will soon coordinate with the European Business Association in Vietnam (EuroCham) and the Korean Business Association Kocham to organize a conference to disseminate laws for businesses, etc.

Highly appreciating the support of Ho Chi Minh City Customs for businesses, Ms. Annie Dube, Consul General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City, commented that the implementation of the CPTPP Agreement has significantly promoted bilateral trade between the two countries from 6.5 billion Canadian dollars in 2018 to 14 billion Canadian dollars in 2023. And this milestone would not be possible without the support and coordination of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in import and export activities.

“It can be said that dialogue with Ho Chi Minh City Customs is one of the highlights in the trade facilitation program between Customs and Canadian businesses in particular and the business community in Ho Chi Minh City in general, and is a bridge to eliminate invisible barriers between the two sides in many areas of trade," Ms. Annie Dube emphasized.

Agreeing with the above viewpoint, Ms. Jung Ga Yeon, Deputy Consul General of Korea in Ho Chi Minh City assessed: "Institutional improvement includes amending regulations on on-site import and export forms and goods origin, Completing the classification of goods and developing Authorized Trader (AEO) programs are also implemented without interruption with the strong support of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in particular and Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in general. With more than 4,000 Korean businesses operating in the southern region, including Ho Chi Minh City, promoting sustainable cooperation and mutual respect between the two countries will become the foundation for creating a leap forward in Vietnam's economic growth and attracting many FDI enterprises to Vietnam in the near future.

As for the representative of the Business Association, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Vice President of the European Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City (EuroCham) emphasized the strong trade relationship between the EU and Vietnam, which has now been further strengthened by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). This agreement has opened up many new opportunities for both sides, and effective customs procedures play an important role in maximizing these opportunities. Continuous cooperation and dialogue will be key to addressing any challenges and ensuring that the benefits of the EVFTA are fully realised. Taking this opportunity, he also expressed EuroCham's utmost respect for Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department for having proactive and effective approaches in the process of cooperation with the business community. The efforts of Ho Chi Minh City Customs in organizing dialogue conferences with businesses are extremely valuable because they provide a platform to better understand each other's perspectives and work towards common solutions. At the same time, EuroCham is committed to supporting initiatives that promote trade facilitation and economic integration.

Look forward to piloting a breakthrough project

From a business perspective, Mr. Kenneth Tse, Group Vice President and Factory Director of Intel Products Vietnam, also expressed his desire to continue to cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City Customs to pilot more breakthrough commercial projects and digitize customs to bring necessary business convenience to businesses, promoting the development of the high-tech/semiconductor industry in Vietnam under the direction of the Prime Minister.

Not only receiving high appreciation from foreign businesses, many Vietnamese businesses that benefit from facilitation programs of Ho Chi Minh City Customs also recognized the unit's efforts.

Mr. Ton That Hung, Deputy General Director of Transimex Joint Stock Company, expressed his deep gratitude for the enthusiastic support efforts of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department for the business community through administrative reform and modernization programs and plans to create maximum favorable conditions for businesses in the goods clearance process, not only saving time and costs but also improving the efficiency of foreign trade activities.

Affirming that cooperation from businesses will make an important contribution to building a modern, transparent and sustainable business and trade environment, the head of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department also hopes that the business community will have the cooperation and companionship with the Customs authorities. Accordingly, businesses need to strictly comply with customs regulations and proactively update knowledge about new legal documents. This compliance will help minimize risks and create favorable conditions for the business's own import and export activities. At the same time, businesses coordinate to provide information to combat smuggling and trade fraud, contributing to protecting a healthy and fair business environment. Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Nguyen Hoang Tuan also wants businesses to accompany and actively participate in the digital transformation process, applying information technology in managing and handling customs procedures, to improve efficiency and shorten customs clearance time.