After 10 years implementing the Customs Development Strategy to 2020 (according to Decision No. 448/QD-TTg dated March 25, 2011), the Customs sector has buit a complete and transparent system of customs laws and policies, simple and harmonious customs procedures meeting international standards.

Inspecting import and export goods via container screening
at Binh Duong Customs Department. Photo: D.N

Along with that, the Customs office applies modern customs management methods according to the principles of risk management and compliance management; promoted post-clearance audit, transferred from pre-inspection to post-clearance audit; widely applied IT and centrally processed data at the General Department level.

At the same time, promoting the modernization of facilities, machinery and equipment for custom supervision and inspection; the Customs-Business partnership is developed in a more effective manner.

Synchronous deployment

Currently, the customs legal system has laid the foundation for the comprehensive reform of customs operations, created a legal basis for the application of modern customs management methods in all operations. In addition, 100% of customs procedures are processed electronically at the municipal and provincial customs departments, and the database is centrally processed at the level of the General Department of Customs. The Customs has exchanged pre-arrival information, performed e-tax payment, applied the Authorized Economic Operator regime according to the standards of the World Customs Organization (WCO); applied risk management methods in customs operations; deployed the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window.

Along with that, the Customs has publicized and supported taxpayers to better understand policies of the Party and the State, contributing to raising the self-awareness and initiative of the people and enterprises in implementing tax policies and laws to maintain the State budget's revenue source.

Taxpayers are self-responsible in self-calculation, self-declaration and self-payment of taxes; the inspection has been promoted and enhanced, and tax-related violations have been promptly rectified and handled.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has built an information technology system in which the data is processed online at the General Department of Customs, operates stably, smoothly, covers and supports most of the key operational fields, meeting the requirements of e-customs clearance, e-tax payment, e-C/O, e-permit.

The achievement in IT application is the driving force to build a modern, professional, transparent and effective Vietnam Customs, making an important contribution to the completion of the goals of customs modernization and trade facilitation, towards building e-Government.

Customs statistics have been improved, the quality of statistics on import and export goods, assessment of the import and export situation is increasingly accurate and reliable, effectively serving the administration of macroeconomic factors, especially in foreign economic activities and tax policy of the Government, ministries, agencies and units in the Customs sector.

Through the review of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the specific targets stated in the Customs Development Strategy up to 2020 have been basically fulfilled, some of the targets have been completed before the roadmap.

Obtain outstanding achievements

Despite facing many challenges and difficulties, the Customs sector can proudly affirm that it has successfully performed the strategy with great achievements, creating a breakthrough development for Vietnam Customs, making Customs one of the leading units in administrative procedure reform, information technology application and management reform.

Thereby, shortening customs clearance time and costs for implementing customs procedures, facilitating international trade activities, contributing to improving the national competitiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of customs management, and helping the Customs sector meet the sharp increase in workload due to the increase in the volume of import and export goods and customs declarations while the number of the staff did not increase.

During the 10 years of implementation of the Customs Development Strategy to 2020, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has obtained outstanding achievements.

Notably, the customs modernization has met requirements of customs management, kept up with the development of deep international economic integration, contributing to boosting the economic development of the country.

The institutional system of state management on Customs has created a legal corridor for the comprehensive renovation of customs management, applying modern customs management methods, and promoting administrative procedure reform, fully implementing international commitments, fulfilling targets on customs modernization and reform.

In addition, Customs has strengthened the application of modern customs management, contributing to facilitating goods import and export, as well as international trade, in which risk management has been applied comprehensively in customs operations, the post-clearance audit has been performed strongly, meeting the requirements of transforming from pre-inspection into post-clearance audit.

The Customs is inspected, supervised and controlled by a system of cameras, navigation seals, container scanners, high capacity and modern ships and boats.

Especially, the deployment of the automated system for customs management has fundamentally changed the supervision method from manual to electronic, enhancing the roles and responsibilities of port, airport, warehouse and site operators subject to customs supervision.

The customs modernization reform process has promoted and strengthened the coordination and relationship between Customs and management and specialized inspection agencies, forces for prevention of smuggling and trade fraud, ensuring the goal of both facilitating trade and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of customs management, creating a premise for changes to methods of specialized management and inspection for import and export goods.

The above achievements are a premise for the Customs sector to continue building the Customs Development Strategy for 2021-2030.

Accordingly, building and developing a Vietnam Customs that has a centralized, modern and smart model, strongly applies technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, operates professionally and effectively, facilitates legal commercial activities, improves the efficiency of state management of Customs, contributing to ensuring social security and safety and protecting national interests.

According to the World Bank (WB)’s report on business environment, in 2016, cross-border customs clearance time for Vietnam's exports decreased by 32 hours to 108 hours compared to 2015; for imports fell 32 hours to 138 hours. The ranking on the Cross-Border Trade Transaction Index increased 15 places, from 108 of 190 to 93 of 190, bringing Vietnam into 4th in the group of 10 ASEAN member states, surpassing the Philippines.