Ho Chi Minh City Customs: Diverse forms of supporting businesses to comply with customs laws

	Ho Chi Minh City Customs removes obstacles for logistics businesses
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs has a dialogue with more than 50 shipping lines, shipping agents
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs holds dialogue and gives policy guidance to airlines

Ho Chi Minh City Customs always supports and guides customs procedures for import-export enterprises. Photo: T.

Raise awareness of legal compliance

Ho Chi Minh City Customs is one of the pioneers in signing a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the pilot program to support and encourage businesses to voluntarily comply with customs laws, with many agreeing to participate. Until now, the unit has signed with 12 businesses and is expanding to eligible businesses. Thanks to the accompanying support from the Customs, most of the signatories participating in the Program actively raise their awareness of compliance with customs laws and have a good assessment of the effectiveness of this Program.

Businesses all said that being supported by the Customs to improve their compliance with the law, fast clearance time, and 24/7 support to solve arising problems is very useful for businesses. Mr Dao Van Dai, Deputy General Director of Central Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company 2, shared that he was selected by Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department to participate and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the pilot program to support and encourage voluntary businesses. Complying with the customs law by the end of 2022, since joining the Program, businesses have always received the attention and support of the Customs. Currently, the unit periodically receives official dispatches from the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department discussing the implementation of customs procedures for import and export goods, etc., thereby helping companies pay attention to updating documents, new policies, as well as specific regulations in the implementation of import-export procedures, limiting errors, etc.

Many businesses participating in the Program said that this Program is well-invested by the General Department of Customs with many specific contents. Thereby helping businesses become more and more professional in implementing import and export procedures, avoiding errors, and improving compliance with the law. To achieve the target of the Program, after 2 years of pilot implementation, enterprises participating in the Program will gradually improve their compliance levels; Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department focuses on propaganda and encouraging businesses to participate in the Program to support businesses in complying with customs laws, in parallel with trade facilitation. Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep said that according to the general policy of the industry, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is considering requesting 200 businesses participating in the trade facilitation project at Cat Lai Port to switch to voluntary compliance program of enterprises to further spread this meaningful Program to the community over 50,000 import-export businesses in the area.

Spread the guide in the community

With many import-export enterprises carrying out customs clearance procedures through the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, with all types, to improve the compliance of enterprises, in 2023, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has innovated its way of doing things. It's thematic dialogue. This makes it easier and more effective in dialogue, guiding businesses to grasp and strictly comply with the law on customs firmly.

At the symposium with shipping lines and shipping agents, held for the first time in the middle of May 2023, businesses highly appreciated the effectiveness of thematic conferences organized by the Customs Department. Ho Chi Minh City. Many contents related to import and export goods transportation, manifest declaration of shipping lines through the national one-stop system; regulations on import and transportation of scrap; transporting hazardous waste; transportation of hazardous waste across borders, etc have been guided by the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department to guide shipping lines to avoid errors.

Along with that, many thematic dialogue conferences on the field of transit cargo transportation; Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has deployed customs clearance agents, etc, to businesses. The in-depth content on each field has been specifically guided for businesses to grasp and implement effectively, avoiding unnecessary errors.

This year alone, the Department has organized a program of thematic dialogues with specific groups of businesses, such as shipping lines, transit transport enterprises; warehouse business enterprises; bonded warehouse businesses, customs agents, and airlines. In addition to focused dialogue conferences and working groups with businesses, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is also interested in organizing training programs on Customs for the business community, recognized and highly appreciated by the business community.

With the theme "The business community and Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department are partners, join hands to make breakthroughs, accompany and reach out to 2023", right from the beginning of 2023, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department issued Plan 09/K.H.- Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department continues to implement the Business Community initiative, and Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is a reliable partner to accompany development. In order to realize the above guidelines and actions, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department leaders have made many commitments to leaders at all levels and the business community. In particular, it is committed to actively supporting and facilitating businesses to comply well with the development of customs laws, strengthen administrative procedure reform, modernize customs, and strive to reduce customs clearance time for import and export goods. Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will also continue to coordinate well with domestic business associations and FDI business associations to exchange, listen and receive ideas to solve difficulties and problems or report to leaders immediately so superiors consider and promptly direct issues that hinder commercial activities of the business community.