Customs joint hand to improve business environment, attracting investment

Dialogue conference with import-export businesses organized by Hai Phong City People's Committee on March 20, 2024. Photo: T.Bình

Many technology eagles are “nesting”

Right in the early days of 2024 spring (February 19, 2024), Thai Nguyen received good news when Trina Solar Group (Chinese FDI enterprise) was officially awarded the Investment Registration Certificate for the third factory in this locality with a capital of up to US$545 million (all three factories are located in Yen Binh Industrial Park).

Having just arrived in Vietnam (specifically Thai Nguyen) since 2021, in a short time, Trina Solar has decided to open three factories in Thai Nguyen with a total investment capital of nearly US$1 billion.

Trina Solar is a leading group specializing in researching, manufacturing solar panels and investing in renewable energy solutions in the world, with over 50 branches globally, products are present in more than 150 countries.

The motivation for this corporation to soon boldly invest in Thai Nguyen is because the business always receives the companionship, support and creation of the most favorable conditions from the locality, including Thai Nguyen Customs Branch (Bac Ninh Customs Department).

Located just a few dozen kilometers from Yen Binh Industrial Park, Yen Phong II Industrial Park (Bac Ninh) also recently welcomed a large technology "eagle" to "settle down", Amkor Group (USA).

Founded in 1968, Amkor, with extensive experience in the field of semiconductor industry, is present in 11 countries and territories, including 8 countries that have manufacturing plants (with 20 factories), and attract about 30,000 workers.

In November 2021, Amkor decided to invest in a factory for manufacturing, assembling and testing semiconductor materials and equipment in Yen Phong II-C Industrial Park (Yen Phong district, Bac Ninh province). Amkor Technology Vietnam factory has a total investment capital of up to US$1.6 billion and is divided into 3 phases. In particular, phase I is US$520 million and is expected to create jobs for about 10,000 workers by 2035. This is the Group's newest factory globally.

Company leaders shared that during the project implementation process, the business received effective support from the Bac Ninh Customs Department. Without that cooperation and support, the Company could not soon complete the current large-scale, modern factory.

We had the opportunity to work and discuss with representatives of large technology corporations in the world that have factories in the area managed by Bac Ninh Customs Department such as Samsung, Canon, Foxconn..., we recorded positive assessments of the role of Customs authorities in facilitating businesses. This is one of the important reasons for large corporations in the world to invest and expand production in Vietnam.

Actively seek out businesses

With the Customs sector's policy of considering businesses as partners to accompany and develop, local customs units have proactively sought out businesses, including FDI enterprises, to grasp and solve difficulties, and facilitate businesses from investment in factory construction to production and business processes.

Like the Bac Ninh Customs Department, right in the first days of 2024, the Department's leaders had consecutive working meetings with six large businesses and corporations in the management area (Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen) including Trina Solar Group, Goertek Vina Company Limited, Goertek Technology Company Limited, Amkor Technology Vietnam Company Limited, Canon Vietnam Company Limited, Hana Micron Vina Company Limited.

Notably, these are all FDI enterprises from the United States, China, South Korea..., with a global scale operating in high technology fields such as (semiconductor industry, electronic components and products, and solar generator systems...).

Directly present in the working sessions between leaders of Bac Ninh Customs Department and businesses, we recognized that business representatives highly appreciated the facilitating role of the Customs authority.

Along with the administrative reform and customs modernization, businesses are impressed with the professional service attitude of customs officers and civil servants.

Notably, new businesses investing in Vietnam such as Amkor and Trina Solar affirmed that thanks to the dedicated support of customs officials and civil servants, it helped businesses reduce clearance time and speed up the process of building a factory, importing machinery and equipment to soon start operating the factory.

Bridge for businesses and government

Hai Phong Customs Department performs state management of customs in four provinces and cities: Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, these are also localities with many breakthroughs in attracting FDI, especially Hai Phong City.

Besides synchronously implementing solutions on administrative procedure reform and customs modernization, Hai Phong Customs Department has had many creative and effective ways to develop Customs-Business partnerships, contributing to improving the business environment and attracting investment. One of those solutions is to advise leaders of provinces and cities to organize dialogue conferences with import-export enterprises.

Most recently, on March 20, 2024, Hai Phong City People's Committee organized a dialogue conference with import-export businesses in 2024 with the theme "Cooperation - Development - Efficiency" with the participation of 250 typical businesses carrying procedures through the area. In particular, Hai Phong Customs Department is assigned by Hai Phong City People's Committee to prepare the conference content.

Sharing with Customs Magazine reporters on the sidelines of the conference, representatives of many businesses said that through the event, businesses have the opportunity to directly reflect the leaders of the People's Committee and departments and branches of Hai Phong City.

"The above conference is an effective bridge between businesses and the local government due to the chairmanship of city leaders and the participation of leaders of many related departments and branches," Mr. Truong Gia Huy, General Director Director of Dong A Aluminum Co., Ltd. said.

Modernize to serve businesses better

By the end of 2023, HCM City has led the country in attracting FDI with 12,398 projects, a total registered capital of US$57.632 billion, accounting for 31.67% of the total number of projects and nearly 13% of the total registered capital of the country.

Contributing to the city's FDI attraction cannot help but mention the facilitating role of the HCM City Customs Department. Notably, to complete the large workload, the unit has focused on the modernization and application of modern machinery and equipment...

In particular, HCM City Customs proactively builds and deploys information technology applications in management and operations to support the unit's specific work.

Typically, implementing integrated application subsystems on the HCAS internal management system in digitizing and electronicizing processes in work areas, such as document management and work administration, tracking conclusion of instructions from leaders at all levels, monthly assessment and classification of civil servants, professional support for officials and civil servants in many fields (product policies, analysis and classification, risk management, bringing goods for storage, reporting settlement, monitoring the status of declarations at all stages of the business process...).

Notably, HCM City Customs has successfully implemented several breakthrough projects, such as project on facilitating trade and customs procedures in logistics activities and preventing congestion of import and export goods at Cat Lai ports; a project on applying 4.0 technology in evaluating and grading the quality of civil servants and workers and self-monitoring and self-correction; project on training on scanner image analysis for civil servants responsible for checking goods and luggage using scanning machine; project to apply information technology in improving management, monitoring and resolving complaints and denunciations...

Besides the three units mentioned above, there are many good and creative ways in local customs departments across the country such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Hanoi, Ha Nam Ninh, Da Nang, Can Tho... within the framework that we cannot cover it all in this article. However, it can be said that with the close and drastic direction of the leaders of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the entire sector has actively and effectively implemented solutions to facilitate trade and promote growth in import and export activities, making an important contribution to improving the business environment and attracting investment.