Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Duong Thai: Building the image of Vietnam Customs to be professional and modern

Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Duong Thai

Firstly, regarding the legal development, the legal document system in the Customs sector has basically been completed in accordance with international standards and practices. The Customs Law 2014 and its guiding documents have met the requirements of comprehensive innovation of customs operations based on incorporating international treaties which Vietnam is a member of into national law, creating a legal basis for implementing modern customs management methods.

Secondly, regarding building human resources, determining the role of humans as a decisive factor. In particular, customs officials who perform duty at the border gate and directly contact people and businesses are the first contact with international friends when they arrive in Vietnam. Therefore, the Customs sector always concentrates on personnel from recruitment and training to improve their capacity, qualifications, to train their spirit, attitude, and working style to meet the task requirements, especially before strong modern reform requirements of the Customs sector.

Thirdly, investing in modern equipment to serve the inspection, supervision and enforcement of anti-smuggling and trade fraud. Along with the human factor, investment in equipment is a very important factor to establish a modern and professional Customs force.

With the concentration and facilitation of the Party, the State and the Ministry of Finance, the Customs sector has focused on investment to modernise facilities and equipment. In terms of information technology, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has had a process of building and setting up a centralised customs IT system for cargo clearance and intra-industry management. The implementation of customs procedures has undergone a huge transformation from manual procedures, to remote declaration and electronic customs declaration. In 2014, Vietnam Customs implemented the VNACCS/VCIS system; in 2017, continuing building and operating the VASSCM system; National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window; through the customs electronic portal, enterprises can pay taxes anywhere, anytime, by anything connected to the internet.

Regarding equipment serving for customs inspection, control and supervision, the Customs sector has invested, equipped and put into use new and modern high-speed motorboats to serve anti-smuggling at sea (according to the scheme of investment on equipment and ship management of Customs sector in the period 2011-2020, approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 1577/QD-TTg dated September 12, 2011).

At the same time, continuing to put into use many container scanning machines, surveillance camera systems and online customs supervision at the headquarters of the General Department of Vietnam Customs and lots of other modern equipment.

The investment in modern facilities and equipment has helped the Customs sector meet the rapidly increasing demand for cargo clearance and ensure State management on customs requirements, especially timely preventing many cases of smuggling and illegal transport of banned goods in large-scale such as ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns and drugs.

Finally, focusing on information and communication. To spread the transformation and image of Vietnam Customs’s development among the community, receiving recognition of leaders at all levels, people, businesses and tourists, international investors, in the past, the Customs sector promoted and improved the efficiency of information and communication. Customs News - A mouthpiece of Vietnam has become a multimedia agency.

Along with the press in the sector, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has many cooperation programmes, coordinating with many central and local press agencies to communicate through the dissemination on typical factors and achievements in the task performance of Customs sector have been promptly conveyed and spread. On the other hand, shortcomings in task performance have also been frankly indicated for overcoming and completing by Customs authorities.

In particular, in recent years, the General Department of Vietnam Customs organised training sessions on journalism and communication skills for customs officials in the whole sector, including many important contents on building Vietnam’s customs images.

With the legal system increasingly being completed; the qualified customs officials that are regularly trained and fostered, associated with better service behaviour, attitudes and spirit; the facilities and equipment have been properly and synchronously invested, Vietnam Customs has been taking firm steps to establish a modern and professional customs system in accordance with international standards and practices, equal to the level of Customs in leading developed countries in the region and the world.