Not only making efforts to implement procedures for hundreds of flights, with tens of thousands of Vietnamese citizens and foreign experts arriving at Van Don International Airport (Quang Ninh), the Customs Working group also grasped information and prevented many cases of transporting banned goods during the peak of anti-pandemic work.

Customs official guide passengers to scan baggage at Van Don international airport.
Photo: Quang Hùng

Performing the mode of working in shifts

After more than two years of operation (from May 27, 2019 to the present), the Customs Working group of Van Don International Airport has worked with competent forces to complete procedures for 423 inbound and outbound flights. There were 290 inbound flights, with 47,659 passengers, 59,914 checked baggages and 133 outbound flights, with 6,632 passengers and 5,488 checked baggages.

Since March 1, 2020 till now when the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in the country, to fulfill the "dual goal", the Van Don Airport Customs Working Group developed a plan for pandemic prevention to receive “rescue flights” for taking Vietnamese citizens back home and foreign experts to work in Vietnam. The Working Group coordinated to carry out procedures for 196 flights, 22,023 passengers and 47,573 packs of luggage from affected areas such as Wuhan, Beijing (China); Narita, Osaka (Japan); Incheon (Korea) and flights from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Taiwan (China), Angola, Bangladesh, UK, France, Russia and Canada.

To ensure the management work went smoothly, all plans were developed and carefully prepared by Van Don Airport customs officials and employees before each flight. Not only that, the Customs force also arranged signs, signposts and soft barriers to ensure the safety of each passenger when landing at the airport.

Leaders of Cam Pha Port Customs Branch said the Customs Working Group always strictly followed the pandemic prevention process following the instructions of health authorities, regulations and instructions on procedures, inspection and supervision of means of transport, passengers and luggage on exit and entry of the country of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the direction of the province, GDVC and Quang Ninh Customs Department on the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Working Group also closely worked with competent forces to control passengers and baggage on arrival and departure and accompanied with representatives of airlines, Van Don International Airport to carry out customs procedures and conveniently following the provisions of law, ensuring the requirements of State management of customs.

Van Don Airport Customs Working group is divided into two groups to work in shifts between flights and set up a backup group to support or replace when there is a case of infection. On the other hand, requiring airlines to provide information in advance for passenger classification and early completion of procedures on the National Single Window System, strengthening soft barriers and signposts for passengers and reminding them to stay distanced as prescribed.

Detecting many banned goods

Besides the effective implementation of pandemic prevention, Van Don Airport Working Group has strengthened the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, illegal transport of goods, prohibited goods and counterfeit goods, as well as poor quality goods and goods violating food safety and hygiene.

The group focused on capturing information about the situation, controlling aircraft aprons areas, terminal areas, cargo storage, checked baggage and lost luggage of passengers entering and leaving the country, ground service equipment area and service road; capturing information on incoming and outgoing goods on domestic flights, people and luggage on entry and exit flights arriving and leaving Van Don International Airport, promptly seizing and handling violations when there are violations in the operation area.

Van Don Airport Customs Working group has repeatedly discovered passengers intentionally brought money in excess of the quota when exiting and took advantage of the pandemic to bring banned goods into Vietnamese territory.

Exhibits of 7.8 kg of rhino horn were seized by the Van Don Airport
Customs Working Group in December 2020.

Most recently, on March 31, 2021, PC03 Division, Quang Ninh Police worked with Van Don Airport Customs Working Group to detect, seized and handle three cases of three subjects who were passengers on flight No.VN0056, originating from Angola, illegally hid and transported 55 kg (suspected to be rhino horn); 0.4 kg of animal horns made into cups; 176 animal claws; 199 animal fangs entered Vietnam through Van Don International Airport. Currently, the Working Group is working with the PC03 Division to continue investigating and handling in accordance with the law.

On December 26, 2020, through inspection and supervision, the Van Don Airport Working Group discovered and arrested T.T.M., a passenger on flight No.VN0009 departing from Angola for illegally transporting 7.8 kg of rhino horn, with an estimated total value of VND 7.8 billion. Considering the case shows signs of a criminal offense, the unit has made a record of violation and completed the initial dossier, transferred the case (dossiers, exhibits, violators) to the Criminal Investigation Agency of Quang Ninh Police to investigate and handle.

On April 17, 2020, during the implementation of procedure for exit flight No.OZ7747 from Van Don to Incheon (South Korea) of Asian Airlines, Van Don Airport Customs Working group arrested three subjects for transporting 74 million Won (Korean currency).