Customs sector proactively cooperates and listens to solve businesses' difficulties

	Positive result in digital transformation of Customs sector
	Improving the control of drugs and precursors in the Customs sector

Sir, EuroCham is cooperating with the General Department of Customs to support the business community. Could you please share a few details about this cooperation?

We are working with the General Department of Customs to improve the business environment to meet economic and trade growth. Measures to enhance connectivity between modes of transport are being implemented, including cooperation with the European Union - which operates very effective multimodal transport models, and will bring many economic benefits to Vietnam.

Another issue is to resolve container congestion at ports. This is an ongoing issue in many localities and is being discussed at the national level. EuroCham has discussed with the General Department of Customs as well as member enterprises to ensure that this issue will be resolved soon.

In addition, we are also focusing on improving import and export procedures to increase efficiency in logistics, ensuring the smooth flow of goods. We will continue to research and include these contents in the upcoming EuroCham white paper.

How do you evaluate the cooperation of the Customs sector in resolving these issues?

At the local level, the Customs departments have worked with EuroCham to create a common voice on the issues of businesses. In particular, dialogues and training sessions at local Customs departments have brought many benefits to businesses. This is an effective way for both businesses and Customs agencies to better understand each other's problems and find solutions to outstanding issues.

At the national level, EuroCham has also received enthusiastic support as well as detailed instructions from the General Department of Customs to promote the prompt resolution of issues. The quick and constructive exchanges from the General Department of Customs have strengthened the strong cooperative relationship between EuroCham and the General Department of Customs.

We understand that these are big topics and need time to resolve. Both sides wish to cooperate and work towards goals to resolve the issues.

In recent times, the Customs sector has had many strong administrative reform solutions to facilitate trade and shorten customs clearance time for goods. How do you evaluate the efforts of the Customs sector?

From international experience in facilitating trade, EuroCham highly appreciates the continuous efforts of the General Department of Customs in this issue. In particular, the General Department of Customs' receptive spirit in its efforts to reduce administrative procedures, demonstrated through listening to comments and studying the application of international practices in the customs clearance process. This has brought great convenience to the business community as well as significantly reduced customs clearance time compared to before.

Through collecting information from EuroCham member enterprises, what recommendations do you have for the Customs sector to make import and export activities of enterprises more convenient in the coming time?

In the current context, the Vietnamese Government has set a key goal of raising its position in global trade. The strong growth in trade requires strong efforts to overcome challenges and ensure socio-economic benefits. Accordingly, customs procedures need to further improve the level of digitalization to ensure speed and consistency. Digitalization of procedures will help both businesses and customs agencies operate more effectively and efficiently.

In addition, I would like to emphasize the multilateral cooperation among EuroCham, agencies and departments to move towards the best goals. In particular, the coordination among EuroCham and customs agencies is currently on the right track. I hope to continue to receive active cooperation from the General Department of Customs as well as local customs departments in the coming time.

Thank you!