Lang Son effectively implements solutions to improve customs clearance capacity

	Lang Son: Enhance solutions to promote import and export of goods
	Investment in the infrastructure of border-gate economic zones must be synchronized with the system of Customs authorities
	Lang Son enforcement agencies strictly controls border and prevents smuggled goods

Representatives of the Management Board of Dong Dang-Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone and the Management Board of Bang Tuong General Bonded Zone, Guangxi, China discuss the situation of import and export activities at Huu Nghi international border gate on February 19, 2024.

Efforts from foreign affairs

According to the reporters, to promote import and export activities of goods through the province, from the beginning of the year, relevant authorities of Lang Son province and competent authorities at the border gate have organized many meetings and talks with authorities at the same level in Guangxi, China to agree to implement implementation of solutions to improve customs clearance capacity, creating conditions for import and export activities of goods, especially Vietnamese agricultural exports to China.

​Speaking to Customs Magazine, Mr. Hoang Khanh Duy, Deputy Head of the Board of Management of Dong Dang – Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone said that, following the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, from the beginning of January 2024, the unit coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade to organize two meetings with equivalent agencies in Guangxi (China) to discuss and propose solutions to improve customs clearance capacity.

Accordingly, Lang Son province proposed and the Chinese side agreed to carry out procedures one hour earlier, from 7:00 a.m instead of 8:00 a.m in the past to 8:00 p.m. every day, thereby raising the number of vehicles that pass customs clearance within a day. At the same time, two side agreed to complete customs clearance procedures on Saturday for all border gates (previously, auxiliary border gates only worked until Friday) and complete customs procedures on Sunday at four border gates (Huu Nghi international border gate, Dong Dang international railway station, Tan Thanh and Chi Ma border gate).

In addition, the two sides also agreed to add nearly 20 types of Vietnam’s products, including a number of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products such as bird's nests, seafood, dried agricultural products, etc which are allowed to go through customs procedures at border gates of Lang Son province.

Given by continuous efforts, from the beginning of January 2024, the average number of vehicles through border gates of Lang Son province has arranged from 1,100 - 1,400 units/day, up about 300 vehicles compared to at the same period last year.

From the beginning of 2024, Lang Son Customs Department has focused on a number of solutions to attract businesses to carry out import and export activities through the province's border gates. Since January 2024, the leader of Lang Son Customs Department has requested branches to continue implementing solutions to attract import-export businesses to carry out procedures at the border gate. In particular, in addition to organizing meetings and discussions with enterprises engaged in import-export activities, the branches have been required to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles in handling customs procedures; flexibly handle related customs procedures to shorten procedure time and speed up customs clearance of goods. Customs branches at the border gates all sent a working group to directly meet with import-export enterprises in a number of provinces and cities nationwide to encourage them to carry out procedures through the province.

Statistics from Lang Son Customs Department show that, in the first two months of the year, 1,252 enterprises participated in import and export activities of goods through the province, of which nearly 800 enterprises declared procedures at customs branches under Lang Son Customs Department, up more than 286 enterprises compared to 2023. Thus, the total turnover of import and export goods through the province of all types rose nearly 50% over the same period in 2023 to more than US$7 billion. Of which, the turnover of import and export goods declared at Lang Son Customs Department rose 42.3% year-on-year to over US$660 million.

Offering many flexible solutions

Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs Department Nguyen Anh Tai shared that to continue accelerating import and export goods through border gates of Lang Son province, Lang Son Customs is continuing to organize meetings with Chinese Customs to discuss new methods of goods delivery. Specifically, allowing trucks carrying import and export goods through auxiliary border gates to move straight to the inspection yard of partner country without transshipment. If this delivery method is applied, it will help reduce customs clearance time and costs for import and export enterprises, thereby attracting more enterprises to carry out procedures at the province.

Not only the efforts of the Customs agency, the Department of Industry and Trade, Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone Management Board, Lang Son Border Guard... are also offering drastic and flexible solutions to boost import and export activities of goods. In particular, units and authorities have proactively held talks with Chinese agencies to restore customs clearance activities of goods through the Binh Nghi - Binh Nghi Quan border gate pair by the end of March 2024.

In particular, in addition to the waterway, the two sides are also aiming to expanding clearance of goods at the Landmark 1035 (belonging to the Binh Nghi - Binh Nghi Quan border gate pair). Along with that, Lang Son province will focus on implementing projects such as: expanding specialized roads for transporting goods in the landmark 1119 - 1120 (Huu Nghi international border gate) and expanding import-export routes for goods at some other border gates of the province.

In 2024, Lang Son province aims at bringing the trade turnover through the province to US$50 billion or more, of which, the turnover of goods through Lang Son Customs Department reaches US$4.5 billion. It is believed that the positive results in import-export activities from the beginning of the year will create momentum for a breakthrough in the turnover of import-export goods through the area in 2024, Mr. Hoang Khanh Duy expects.

With the clear growth, Lang Son Customs Department collected VND766 billion, up 42.05% year-on-year and reaching 15.32% of the assigned target. In addition, Lang Son Customs Department also collected VND74.8 billion in fee under Decision No. 24/2019/QD-UBND dated December 31, 2019 of the People's Committee