Ha Nam Customs makes efforts to help enterprises overcome difficulties

	Ha Nam Ninh Customs: accompanying businesses in the period of recovery and development
	Ha Nam Ninh Customs supporting businesses since the beginning of the year
	Ha Nam Ninh Customs supports enterprises

Ha Nam Customs officers check goods at customs declarant’s office. Photo: H Nu

Employing IT

To realize the goal of Smart Customs of the sector, Ha Nam Customs has focused on digital transformation, improved the quality and efficiency of services and facilitated import-export activities, etc. As a result, administrative reform and customs modernization have made great progress, facilitating the import and export activities of enterprises and fulfilling commitments to serve Vietnam's international integration, as well as serving the development and modernization of Vietnam Customs.

Along with raising the awareness of customs officials in the unit about the importance of digital transformation of the sector, Ha Nam Ninh Customs Department has also disseminated to the business community about the objectives and solutions of digital transformation of the unit in order to achieve the consensus of enterprises in the process of applying IT software and other applications of the Customs sector in customs clearance and tax payment.

According to Mr. Le Viet Thang, Director of Ha Nam Customs Branch, the unit organizes many working sessions and dialogues with the business community to disseminate policies, laws and new regulations related to customs and import-export activities; answer questions and unify the understanding and implementation between Customs and enterprises, thereby creating trust in the business community. In addition, the public posting of new documents and regulations is also assigned each customs official in charge of enterprise management. Furthermore, the branch sets up information exchange channels via email, zalo, maintained a problem-solving team on 24/7 to be ready to listen and guide businesses to comply with the law.

With the active application of IT in all services, the results show that 100% of declarations generated at the unit are made by online, of which about 63% of declarations are classified into the Green channel with clearance time from 1-3 seconds; 95% of the documents in the customs file are converted to digital data (5% are special records such as confidential records, records used when the system has problems).

In addition, 100% of transported goods under customs supervision by containers are monitored by electronic positioning seals; administrative procedures at level 3 and level 4 are processed by online public services (in 2022, over 4,000 dossiers will be made via online public services, rising 1.2% compared to 2021). Moreover, the branch fully implements relevant administrative procedures on the ASEAN Single Window and National Single Window, especially procedures related to other ministries and agencies.

Specifically, in 2022, there were 1,180 enterprises carrying out import and export procedures at the branch, rising nearly 3% compared to 2021 with 239,781 declarations made, an increase of 9% compared to 2021, import and export turnover reached US$ 12,191 billion, rising nearly 30% compared to 2021. Only since the beginning of the year, Ha Nam Customs has received 138,725 sets of declarations of nearly 1,030 enterprises registering customs clearance at the unit with a trade turnover of US$7.7 million. The unit has also processed 1,456 dossiers through online public services.

Appreciating the role of customs officials

Mr. Le Viet Thang said that, as a customs branch outside the border gate without international road, sea, air border gates, but thanks to the effective solutions, the unit has increasingly attracted more businesses, contributing to increasing revenue. In which, the branch has always identified customs officials as the root of all work, so the unit’s leader has required officials to strictly implement civilized office culture, have a gentle and dedicated attitude when serving businesses, always consider enterprises as a cooperation partner and accompany businesses, strive to reduce customs clearance time and costs, and determine the working motto "the productivity is more important than time you spend on work". Officials and employees themselves always make efforts to create maximum favorable conditions for production, business, import and export activities of enterprises, taking the satisfaction of enterprises as a measure for the performance results of individuals and units.

Acknowledging the active and effective participation of the leader of Ha Nam Customs Branch in spending time meeting and talking with the business community, the representative of Asawa Vietnam Co., Ltd. highly appreciated Ha Nam Customs in listening comments and expectations of enterprises as well as accompanying the business community. Especially, Ha Nam Customs has quickly answered questions and solved problems for enterprises. The flexible policies and activities to support businesses in terms of procedures, clearance time of the branch have created maximum convenience for enterprises.

According to a representative of TDI Vietnam Electronics Co., Ltd., as a foreign enterprise investing and doing business in Vietnam, the company still face many limitations in accessing policies and legal regulations. Understanding these difficulties of the company, Ha Nam Customs has sent officials to directly exchange to help the company fully grasp the regulations, policies and laws, understand and solve internal difficulties in customs clearance.

Mr. Le Viet Thang emphasized that, in order to successfully implement the Action Program on improving the investment environment and enhancing the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in the 2021-2025 period, especially time and unofficial cost indicators... from the perspective of the Customs, Ha Nam Customs has been improving the awareness, responsibility and quality of officials, especially leaders who meet standards of qualifications, competence, quality and master the provisions of the law in the field in charge, especially the regulations, processes and procedures; and proactively propose mechanisms, policies and solutions to create a favorable investment and business environment in the province.

Also, Ha Nam Customs has been accelerating administrative reform, accompany businesses and share difficulties, remove obstacles, create maximum favorable conditions in production, business, import-export activities, reduce time and costs for businesses, attract more businesses inside and outside the province to carry out procedures at the branch, contributing to improving the PCI.