The Customs updates information on reform activities to World Bank

	Vietnam’s Logistics Performance Index to be increased by 2025
	Offering solutions to enhance the rank of cross-border trade transactions index
	WB: Vietnam’s GDP to grow 6.8% this year

Customs has coordinated with ministries and sectors to deploy solutions to improve cross-border trade. Photo: N.L

The General Department of Vietnam Customs said many legal documents that were issued to reform and facilitate enterprises such as Decree 59/2018/ND-CP supplementing and amending articles of Decree 08/2015/ND-CP have reduced time and helped enterprises in carrying out customs procedures.

Decree 74/2018/ND-CP amended and supplemented articles of Decree 132/2008/ND-CP regulating the implementation of a number of the Law on Product and Goods Quality. In which, the State management method has been innovated from pre-inspection to post-clearance audit associated with the application of risk principles and assessment of the law compliance level of organisations and individuals (applying methods of exempted inspection and reduced inspection for import goods).

In September 2018, the Prime Minister signed Decision 1254/QD-TTg promulgating the action plan to promote National Single Window, ASEAN Single Window and specialised inspection for import and export goods and trade facilitation for 2018-2020. Accordingly, promoting ministries and sectors to amend legal normative documents on specialised inspection and issue the list of goods subject to specialised inspection and management attached with HS code; issuing standards and regulations and management method for categories subject to specialised inspection.

In 2018, the Government issued Decree 15/2018/ND-CP replacing Decree 38/2012/ND 38/2012/ND-CP towards facilitating businesses, regulating inspection methods in accordance with the law compliance level of enterprises and supplementing objects exempted from inspection. Accordingly, 95% of import consignments subject to State inspection on food safety have been reduced.

Regarding commodities surveyed by the WB, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said that the Ministry of Transport issued Circular 41/2018/TT-BGTVT on the list of potentially unsafe commodities under the management of the Ministry of Transport. Accordingly, there are only three commodity groups with HS code 8708 subject to State quality inspection, including codes 8708.99.80, 8708.70 and 8708.99.

Ministries and sectors have implemented reform solutions such as socializing specialised inspection. A number of specialised management sectors have authorised and appointed many agencies, organisations to implement specialised inspection for import and export goods. Ministry of Industry and Trade has appointed 14 agencies/organisations; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has appointed 20 agencies/organisations; Ministry of Health has appointed 12 agencies/organisations to perform State quality inspection and State inspection of food safety for imported goods.

For the Customs authority, it has piloted the Vietnam Automated System for Seaport Customs Management (VASSCM) since August 2017 and has expanded this system nationwide since September 2018. Currently, 28 of 35 provincial and municipal Customs Departments and 315 warehouse, yard and port operators have deployed this system. The VASSCM deployment has significantly reduced the time of carrying out Customs procedures and in and out warehouses and ports, saving time and cost for enterprises.

The e-payment and Customs clearance 24/7 Portal has been deployed since October 23, 2017 and continued to be expanded in 2018-2019. Currently, Vietnam Customs has signed tax collection agreements with 39 commercial banks with total revenue collected via the portal of 92% of total revenue of the Customs sector. The deployment of the portal has facilitated enterprises. Enterprises can pay tax anytime, anywhere, reducing time, cost and facilitating enterprises.

The Vietnam Trade Information Portal officially came into operation on July 7, 2017 it has helped Vietnam Customs to update sufficiently and promptly update post new information and additional information on legal normative documents related to Customs and management policies for import and export goods. It also a useful information channel for businesses in searching regulations for import and export goods.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has coordinated with ministries and sectors to deploy National Single Window, ASEAN Single Window. As of April 30,2019, 173 procedures of ministries and sectors were connected and nearly 2.1 million dossiers of 29,000 enterprises were processed via National Single Window.

Regarding the ASEAN Single Window, from January 12018, Vietnam is one of the first five countries that exchanged C/O form D with four countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and use this document serves as a basis for the application of tariff preferences under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement. As of April 30, 2019, the total number of Vietnamese C/Os sent from these countries to Vietnam was about 76,300 C/Os. The total number of C/ Os sent from Vietnam to these countries was 135,400 C/Os.

The expansion of the National Single Window, ASEAN Single Window continues to bring benefits to the people and businesses, reducing the time and cost of preparing dossiers for enterprises; reduce the time of receiving and processing dossiers; procedures are quick, simple and transparent; increase management efficiency for enterprises.

Viet Nam's reform information related to cross-border trade transactions is sent to the World Bank for updating in the Doing Business Report (DB2020).