Customs officers of Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park, Binh Duong Customs Department guide procedures for businesses. Photo: T.D

Deputy Director of Binh Duong Customs Department, Nguyen Thanh Binh, announced that upon implementation of the Program, the unit has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding and concurrently developed a Voluntary Compliance Action Plan with 23 enterprises. In Phase 1 (2022), 18 enterprises participated in the Program, while Phase 2 (2023) saw the involvement of 5 enterprises.

Among these participants, 9 were Vietnamese, 6 were Chinese, and 8 were foreign-invested enterprises from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

Regarding compliance levels, 7 enterprises successfully elevated their adherence from levels 3 and 4 to levels 2 and 3, representing 30.4% of the total participating enterprises. Meanwhile, 12 enterprises maintained their compliance level at level 3, accounting for 52.2% of the total participants.

Consequently, through their involvement in the Program, the number of enterprises that achieved increased or sustained compliance reached a commendable 82.6% of the total participants, thereby fulfilling the Program's established objectives.

Deputy Director Binh further highlighted certain challenges encountered by Binh Duong Customs Department during the Program's implementation. Some enterprises exhibited a lack of proactivity in communicating with Customs authorities regarding potential risks associated with their import and export activities, as well as internal operational issues. Additionally, several customs broker agents expressed a perceived lack of benefits from their participation in the Program.

Currently, the absence of a software system designed to facilitate information exchange between enterprises and the various levels of Customs authorities (Customs Branch, Customs Department, and General Department) has resulted in certain limitations in communication between the two parties.

Furthermore, some Program participants engaged in import and export activities involving specific commodities subject to Risk Control Topics of the General Department of Customs, leading to a heightened rate of red channel diversion.

A total of 4 enterprises experienced a decline in their compliance levels, with 1 decreasing from level 3 to level 4, 1 from level 4 to level 5, and 2 from level 3 to level 5. The primary cause of this decline can be attributed to violations committed by these enterprises during their participation in the Program.