Thanh Hoa Customs promotes import and export growth

	Thanh Hoa Customs facilitates trade, contributing to increasing revenue
	Thanh Hoa Customs attracts and supports enterprises in the customs process across Nghi Son Port
	Thanh Hoa Customs strengthens digital transformation

Officers of Nghi Son Seaport Customs Branch (Thanh Hoa Customs Department) inspect import and export goods. Photo: Thanh Hoa Customs Department

In fact, the implementation of support policies has achieved positive results. For example, the VIMC shipping line has opened a container ship route at Nghi Son Port in addition to CMA – CGM shipping line. The implementation has attracted some local enterprises to carry out customs procedures at Nghi Son Seaport Customs Branch.

According to Resolution 248/2022/NQ-HDND dated July 13, 2022 of the People’s Council of Thanh Hoa province, the local government supports domestic means of transport by container worth VND300 million/ trip; increase the support amount for means of transport to VND500 million/ trip.

In addition, the local government has supplemented many policies to support enterprises, organizations and individuals in importing and exporting by container across Nghi Son Seaport for products declared and fail to be declared at Thanh Hoa Customs Branch.

Enterprises transporting goods by containers across Nghi Son Port are supported VND2 million for 20-feet containers and VND3 million for 40-feet containers when opening declaration at Thanh Hoa Customs Department; and VND700,000 for 20-feet containers and VND1 million for 40-feet containers when enterprises do not open declarations in the department.

The volume of goods imported and exported across Nghi Son Port increased annually. In 2021, the import and export turnover reached US$6,552.18 million, equivalent to VND 11,181.06 billion of tax revenue, accounting for 93% of the total revenue from imports and exports in the province. In 2022, the trade in goods hit US$9,840.52 million equivalent to VND 19,456.87 billion, accounting for 98% of the total revenue from imports and exports. In the first quarter of 2023, the turnover over recorded US$ 3.2 billion. As of April 10, the revenue reached VND4,657 billion, meeting 34.5% of the target.

However, only the CMA-CGM shipping line has invested in the transportation of goods containers across the port, with a frequency of 1 trip/week.

While businesses expect various services from many shipping lines, the limitation in the number of shipping lines and the transportation frequency reduces choices of competitive freights as well as fails to meet the demand in export flows of partners.

The reasons have led to the low number of new shipping lines and enterprises, transportation frequency, and revenue across Nghi Son Port. The revenue is mainly from goods not transported by containers such as crude oil, coal, palm oil, etc.

To remove difficulties and problems, the department has drastically implemented solutions to boost the growth of import and export activities and promote the effectiveness of policies to increase revenue in the province.

Accordingly, the department has strengthened coordination with departments, agencies and business associations in disseminating and diversifying dissemination forms on the province's business investment environment and support policies for investors in Nghi Son Economic Zone and import and export activities across Nghi Son Seaport to encourage local major enterprises and enterprises in neighboring provinces (Nghe An, Ninh Binh), especially for corporations manufacturing automobiles, leather shoes, scraps, etc.

In addition, the department has encouraged new enterprises to carry out customs procedures in the area; contacted and grasped information of enterprises and investors to handle and facilitate trade.

The department has promoted the development of the Customs-Business Partnership and handled problems in customs processes, meeting the satisfaction of enterprises, helping businesses understand deeply their rights and obligations, and building business confidence in a favorable business environment. In addition, the department has performed the Customs-Business dialogue, and signed cooperation agreements with the local businesses.

The local customs department has expedited administrative reform, improved the business investment environment, focus on reforming administrative procedures, creating an electronic administrative environment based on the integration of information technology applications and creating an attractive business investment environment to attract businesses to carry out customs procedures in the province.

The department has facilitated trade, improved the effectiveness of state management, and prevented revenue loss in the performance of revenue collection by expediting information collection, identifying signs of risks to take measures to inspect, supervise and control imported and exported goods; checking customs value for high-risks items and enterprises.

The department has actively advised the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province in the development of seaport infrastructure, improving the business capacity of warehouse and port service operators, equipping more machinery and equipment to reduce the time of loading and unloading and storage of goods, shortening the time of import and export and reducing costs for importers and exporters.