Lang Son Customs Department: Digitizing customs procedures to maximize business facilitation

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Officials of Huu Nghi International Border Gate Customs Branch (Lang Son Customs Department) screen cargo containers using a mobile scanner. Photo: H.Nu

Step away from the app

In the last days of this year, activities at Tan Thanh border gate (Lang Son) - where the amount of agricultural products and fresh fruits exported to China accounts for 80% of agricultural products exported through local border gates are so busy but smoothy. Especially, the Bao Nguyen parking lot for import-export transit goods with a capacity of nearly 1,000 vehicles was full and not at all messy, but each row of cars was parked straight and orderly instead.

As shared by long-distance in order to set up this regularity and hierarchy of vehicles in and out and to facilitate customs clearance procedures, Tan Thanh Customs Branch has implemented "Transportation management software". This software not only enables to reduce workload but also strengthen management capacity and maximizes the use of vehicle data information already in the system; simplify vehicle registration operations, and lower the rate of importing wrong vehicle data, fasten customs clearance of goods for businesses.

According to the author of the software development - Mr. Vu Tri Thuc, Deputy Head of the Supervision Team of Tan Thanh Customs Branch, right after being implemented and upgraded from March 15, 2021 to present, the software to manage Means of transport have been used stably, meeting the requirements of strict management of goods, means of transport in and out the customs supervision area, and means of entry and exit in accordance with cooperation other relevant forces in the border gate area.

Currently the software has been designed and fully built with functions such as registering vehicles into the monitoring area; Confirming vehicles entering and leaving the yard, border gate, and immigration areas; Confirming loaded and unloaded vehicles as well as vehicles which have completed customs procedures; Registering import-export declaration; Looking up location, status and goods... All machines have installed programs and instructions to ensure that all civil servants can use and process quickly. At the same time, all businesses clearly acquire the software process and coordinate effectively with Customs officials when required.

That is just one of many information technology solutions researched and implemented effectively by Lang Son Customs not only facilitates Customs authorities but also benefits businesses, shippers, drivers and other relevant forces at the border gate.

Director of Lang Son Customs Department Nguyen Hong Linh said that since 2020, Lang Son Customs has deployed an integrated supply chain management model according to the instructions in the Security and Trade Facilitation Framework (SAFE) of the World Customs Organization. Cargo screening and inspection are also conducted through the electronic container scanning system. Along with that, the unit has invested in research and application of 5 new software to serve business processes on digital platforms, in order to complete and switch to "digitization" of customs procedures; Moreover, unnecessary documents, papers are reduced to ensure compliance with the orientation of building a smart Customs model.

Currently, 99% of procedures related to import and export goods of enterprises carrying out procedures through customs branches are carried out through an automatic system on a digital platform.

Director Nguyen Hong Linh emphasized the crucial role of applying modern technology in professional activities and in facilitating import and export activities and shortening customs clearance time for goods and customers travelling through border gates. Therefore, Lang Son Customs State budget revenue is enhanced considerably and contributes to the socio-economic development of the province. By the end of 2025, Lang Son customs is aiming to standardize customs documents and records, digitize data and implement all procedures entirely in an electronic, paperless environment.

Parking lot of Xuan Cuong Friendship Joint Stock Company (Lang Son). Photo: Xuan Cuong JSC ​

Strive for comprehensive digital transformation

Following the Customs industry's roadmap to comprehensive and synchronously promote digital transformation in customs operations, Director Nguyen Hong Linh said that Lang Son Customs is ready to receive and deploy Digital customs, which implements comprehensive digital transformation in state management of customs with a highly appropriate information technology system, comprehensively meeting the need for automatic processing of all customs procedures to serve people and businesses.

In particular, Lang Son Customs directed its departments, divisions, and customs branches to reduce unnecessary documents, papers, orders, and procedures to ensure compliance with the digital- oriented Customs, smart Customs model; Actively coordinate to build a smart border gate model according to the set orientation.

According to the outlined roadmap, the unit will build a consistent database to serve the needs of exploitation and use by a variety of users and programs; ensure consistency, standardization, readiness to connect, share and receive data with relevant agencies; provides tools to control accesses to the database.

Lang Son Customs aims to promote digital transformation in management activities, perfect the electronic working environment, towards a paperless environment in state management of customs, carrying out customs procedures at any time – in anywhere - on any device, as well as the needs of information exploitation and utilization.

Lang Son Customs also strives to successfully deploy digital transformation in customs operations comprehensively and synchronously serving for import-export enterprises and ministries and branches in implementation of the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window mechanisms in order to reach the target that 100% of customs procedures to be carried out entirely on online (paperless) environment.