Lang Son Customs promotes digital transformation

Huu Nghi Customs is one of the affiliated units of Lang Son Customs Department that applies many modern IT systems. Photo: H.Nụ

Research a lot of software

In the past, Lang Son Customs promoted the application of IT in professional work and operated the system stably and continuously, satisfying the customs professional fields, and supporting the main fields of the customs sector such as; handling customs procedures, handling violations, risk management, post-clearance audit and online public services.

In particular, Lang Son Customs effectively operated and exploited the VNACCS/VCIS system, the customs professional information system E-Customs, the automated customs management system VASSCM, duty-free shop management system, post-clearance audit system, and Customs portal.

Furthermore, promoting the application of IT into the operations through professional application programs such as GTT02, MHS, STQ01, CI02, and QLVP14 CloudOffice software in the whole Department for quick management. Currently, Lang Son Customs Department is considered the leading state management authority in providing public services in Lang Son province.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh, Director of Lang Son Customs Department said, besides IT applications that were built and deployed by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Lang Son Customs has built five applications including; import and export goods statistics software, online duty system software, staff rotation management software, management software for temporarily imported goods and re-exported, and IT equipment management software. So far, the above software has contributed to helping customs officers in task performing, contributing to the completion of the overall task of the whole Department.

With the effective implementation of IT applications in professional activities, in the first six months of 2022, Lang Son Customs received and processed 37,892 sets of import and export declarations with a turnover of US$1,128 million. The unit also received 650 dossiers through the online public service system and released the processing results of 539 dossiers and 111 dossiers that are waiting for processing. The on-duty units have created 118 notices on the duty management system. In particular, 95 messages have been successfully processed with 56 reports of violations detected. The unit collects tax arrears of VND887.6 million, and sanctions administrative violations of VND279 million.

However, frankly looking at the shortcomings and limitations, Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh said that the IT systems built and deployed in the past time have not applied technologies such as AI, Big Data, Blockchain, and IoT so it has not met the requirements of Digital Customs, Smart Customs and the requirements of fully implementing e-Government under the general direction of the Politburo, the Government and the Ministry of Finance.

In addition, the information exchange between the National Single Window and relevant parties has not been fully digitized and fully exploited; the system of professional management software is spread out, some software has not been linked with each other, and it has not automatically supported customs officers in all professional stages. Customs officers have to perform operations on the many different IT systems of the sector, each software has a different account which is leading to many inadequacies.

Some even have individual software, without system linkage, causing difficulties to check, compare, look up, and exploit information, reducing work efficiency, and affecting the time of cargo clearance because it takes a long time to work.

Drastic transformation

Following the roadmap of the Customs sector to promote digital transformation in customs operations comprehensively and synchronously, Director Nguyen Hong Linh said that Lang Son Customs will ensure that the IT system is deployed to subordinate units ensuring information safety and security in customs operations.

In addition, Lang Son Customs also ensures that IT equipment is synchronous and operates 24/7 to meet the requirements of implementing the Project on hiring IT services to implement Digital Customs and the requirements of IT application deployment in the unit. In particular, deploying connection and integration of equipment and supporting tools for customs supervision (camera, positioning seal, electronic scale, container scanning machine); internal network system, synchronous communication infrastructure, appropriate with the infrastructure of the communication roadmap of the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In particular, to effectively implement the Digital Transformation Plan to 2025 with an orientation to 2030, the unit will build a structured and consistent database to serve the needs of exploitation and use for many different people and different programs. Furthermore, ensuring the consistency, standardization, and readiness for connecting, sharing and receiving data with relevant agencies; providing tools to control the access to the database.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh emphasized that Lang Son Customs actively participates in the overall redesign of the IT system to meet information security. Customs procedures will carry out entirely in the digital (non-paper) environment between Customs authorities and import-export enterprises; automated management of customs operations in the digital environment during the entire process of customs procedures, ensuring smooth management from the beginning to the end for exported, imported and transited goods; means of transport on exit, entry and in transit.

In particular, Lang Son Customs also promotes digital transformation in management activities, perfecting the online working environment, towards a paperless environment in state management of customs, 100% of the reports are performed on the system.