Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department commits to always accompany and create favorable conditions for European businesses

Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Hoang Tuan discussed with Mr. Jean Jacques Bouflet, Vice President of EuroCham

Opening the meeting, Mr. Jean Jacques Bouflet, Vice President of EuroCham, on behalf of members of the European Business Association in Vietnam, congratulated Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tuan on being appointed to the position of Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department.

At the same time, he also appreciated and emphasized the strong and friendly cooperative relationship between Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and EuroCham from 2016 until present.

At the meeting and working with the new Director of the Department, Mr. Jean Jacques Bouflet discussed the difficulties and problems arising in the process of implementing customs procedures that the European business community is facing, such as: on-site import and export procedures; regulations on issuance of certificates of origin (C/O) form EUR.1; amount of containers backlogged at seaports; screening process for exported goods via air at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Noi Bai International Airport, etc with the hope that Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will promptly support and resolve difficulties and obstacles within the authority to resolve, receive and advise leaders at all levels on difficulties and problems beyond the authority to resolve in order to create maximum favorable conditions for the business community in general and the European business community in particular, contributing to improving the open business environment and promoting trade flow in the City.

Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan presented a souvenir to Mr. Jean Jacques Bouflet, Vice President of EuroCham

In addition, Mr. Juergen Weber, Chairman of the Transport and Logistics Subcommittee (TLSC) of EuroCham, praised the results of administrative procedure reform of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in recent years, worthy of being the leading unit in the entire sector in administrative reform, customs modernization, and trade facilitation. “We hope that Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will continue to implement practical trade facilitation activities through organizing training, educating and disseminating legal policies to the business community, especially the European business community in the field of import and export" - Mr. Juergen Weber emphasized.

Thanking Eurocham leaders for their assessments of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan shared about the programs and plans for reform, modernization, and trade facilitation that have been built, issued, and implementated in 2024. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department issued Plan No. 1542/KH-HQTPHCM dated May 28, 2024 on organizing the Customs - Business Dialogue Conference in June 2024 to promote propaganda, dissemination, and legal education in the field of customs and create conditions for the business community to meet and dialogue with customs authorities to directly discuss remaining issues related to the implementation of customs legal policies and customs procedures.

Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan said that from 2016 up to now, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and EuroCham have coordinated to organize 4 dialogue conferences and 5 training conferences. Following the success of previous years, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has accepted the Association's request to organize a training session for the European business community in the second quarter of 2024. Accordingly, difficulties and problems regarding tax policies, customs procedures, post-customs clearance inspection, etc sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department have been transferred to the Advisory Department units to study the content of answers and solutions to respond to the business community.

This is an important annual activity between Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and EuroCham to remove obstacles, guide new procedures and policies for the European business community, as well as create conditions for customs authorities to listen and complete procedures in accordance with commitments of the EVFTA Agreement.

EuroCham's delegation took souvenir photos with Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department

2024 is the 8th year that Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department continues to implement the Plan to accompany the business community. With the theme for 2024 being "Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and the business community are reliable, innovative partners, joining hands in digital transformation", Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan affirmed that in the near future, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will continue to stand as a partner, accompanying businesses, creating maximum convenience for trade activities, contributing to the overall socio-economic development of Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country.