Accompanying businesses in import-export activities, the Customs sector aims to constantly implement administrative reform. To achieve this goal, the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has applied the Public Administration Reform Index for its subordinate units. This is the first time the index has been applied in units under the finance sector. To further understanding the index application, Customs Newspaper had an interview with Nguyen Tran Hieu, Director of Office of the GDVC.

Mr. Nguyen Tran Hieu, Director of the GDVC's Office. 

How do you assess the results of the administration reform by the Customs sector over the years?

Since the implementation of the Law on Customs in 2014, the system of customs legal documents has continued to be improved, internalised international standards, and created a legal basis for customs modernisation, comprehensively deployed e-customs and applied the advanced customs management methods.

Currently, 19 of 29 business conditions have been reduced or simplified; the dossier, competence and time limit for handling customs clearance have been specified in a simple, clear and transparent manner. From the start of 2014, all core customs procedures have been processed automatically via VNACCS/VCIS at all customs units nationwide for more than 99% of businesses and more than 99.6 % declarations, and the customs clearance time for the Green channel is from 1-3 seconds. The revenue from e-payments has reached more than 97.8% of the total State budget revenue.

From 2017, the GDVC has deployed an automated system for customs management through connecting and exchanging information with port, airport, warehouse and yard operators subject to customs supervision. The GDVC always manages, monitors and operates the centralised IT systems that stably operate 24/7, ensuring security, safety, and smooth communication lines to effectively serve the customs clearance of import and export goods.

The rate of providing online public services at level 3 and level 4 by the GDVC has gradually increased, reaching 80% in 2017 and 85% in current year, of which, 82.2% of online public service is at level 4, and 72 administrative procedures are connected to the National Public Service Portal. Thirteen ministries and sectors have participated in the connection and 202 administrative procedures have been connected to the National Single Window; while the system has officially connected the ASEAN Single Window for information exchange of C/O form D with nine ASEAN member states.

The GDVC has developed the model of Customs as the focal point for specialised inspection. Recently, the scheme on reforming the model of quality inspection and food safety inspection for import good was approved.

Motivated by great efforts, over the past years, the GDVC has been appreciated by agencies and sectors from the central level to local level and the business community as one of the leading units in administrative reform, reduction in compliance costs and trade facilitation, contributing to improving national competitiveness.

Customs operation has great impact on import and export activities and customs clearance. How has the Customs sector monitored and assessed the results of administrative reform in the entire sector?

Over the years, the monitoring and assessment of administrative reform results of the GDVC for customs units has been performed in many different forms. Following Directive No. 02/CT-BTC of the Minister of Finance, on May 24, 2019, the GDVC issued Decision 1500/QD-TCHQ issuing the Public Administration Reform Index, and this was considered a fundamental change in the assessment of public administration reform performance.

The GDVC’s Public Administration Reform Index is determined for seven sectors, and assessed for three unit blocks with different criteria, scores and converts the indexes between blocks to the same score.

The GDVC has scored the Public Administration Reform Index in 2019 and issued Decision 3751/QD-TCHQ dated December 31, 2020 announcing the results of the Public Administration Reform Index for its subordinate units. Accordingly, the tops in the ranking of the municipal and provincial customs departments are HCM City, Da Nang and Dong Nai. The tops in the remaining blocks are Customs Department of goods verification and the Legal Department.

The assessment results showed units have made great efforts in implementing administration reform, especially in law-building and performing the assigned tasks; State revenue collection; administrative modernisation. With thes results, it can be confirmed that the GDVC’s index application is an effective assessment method for public administration reform performance and should continue to be implemented in the coming time.

To promote the public administration reform more effectively in the coming years, what should the Customs sector do?

The public administration reform of the Customs sector has seen a remarkable development, contributing to creating a favourable business environment for businesses. These great efforts have been reported via specific figures.

It is forecast that in 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to be complicated, the trade competition among major countries will become increasingly fierce, and a number of new-generation free trade agreements will take effect leading to tax reduction. Facing such a situation, it is required that the Customs needs to implement synchronously and drastically administrative reform measures.

The Customs constantly improves the system of legal customs documents. Promoting the IT application, the overall redesign of the IT system of the Customs sector based on a foundation of the Industrial Revolution. 4.0 and moving to digital customs, contributing to improving the efficiency of Customs’ operations and improving the quality of public service provision for people and businesses.

Reform customs administrative procedures towards people and businesses as the centre; take the satisfaction of people and enterprises as a measure to assess service quality, creating a fair, open and favourable business environment; taking measures to protect the community against the Covid-19 pandemic, while ensuring State management requirements. Continue to reduce and simplify business conditions, cut costs of compliance with administrative procedures, advise the Ministry of Finance to urge and coordinate ministries and agencies to comprehensively reform specialised inspection for import and export goods. Improve the effectiveness of implementation of the National Single Window, ASEAN Single Window and trade facilitation.

This is the "leverage" that facilitates the growth of businesses in production and business activities, improving national competitiveness and contributing to making Vietnam a bright spot to attract investment waves amid the post-Covid-19 repositioning of supply chains and production.