Ensuring requirements of state management of customs in Lao Cai.

Could you please tell us about the current infrastructure of warehouses, yards and places for gathering exports, imports for customs inspection and supervision in the border gate areas?

Currently, Lao Cai Customs Department is assigned to manage operations of three bonded warehouses and four places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision approved by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The bonded warehouses include: the bonded warehouse of Hoa Tay Bac Real Estate - Trading Company Limited; the bonded warehouse of DEVYT Trading and Logistics Company; the bonded warehouse of Dai Tay Duong Investment, Trade and Development Joint Stock Company - Lao Cai Branch (temporarily suspended operations under Decision No. 2019/QD-TCHQ dated August 28, 2024 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs).

Places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision are all managed by Lao Cai Border Gate Customs Branch, including: Places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision of TH Nghia Anh Trading Company Limited; Places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision of Viet Trung Logistics Joint Stock Company; Places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision of Logistics 379 Company Limited; Places for gathering exports, imports for inspection and supervision of Kim Thanh Logistics Joint Stock Company.

The facilities and equipment of warehouses and places are invested in by warehouse operators (area, fence system, management software, surveillance camera system, etc.), meeting requirements as prescribed in Decree No. 68/2016/ND-CP dated July 1, 2016 of the Government (amended and supplemented by Decree No. 67/2020/ND-CP dated June 15, 2020 of the Government), and customs inspection and supervision requirements.

In your opinion, do the current facilities, infrastructure, warehouses and yards in the border gate area in the area meet the requirements for installing equipment systems (container scanners, electronic scales, surveillance camera systems, etc.) for the modern customs management?

Currently, only the Kim Thanh International road border gate No. II area meets the requirements for installing modern equipment systems (container scanners, electronic scales, surveillance camera systems, etc.) to serve the customs inspection and supervision, and the requirements for customs modernization.

The remaining border gates such as Lao Cai International Railway Station, Ban Vuoc sub-border gate (Bat Xat), Muong Khuong sub-border gate currently have not yet met requirements for installing modern equipment of the Customs, because Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee is re-planning, upgrading, and constructing.

Specifically, for Ban Vuoc sub-border gate, Muong Khuong sub-border gate, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee has actively negotiated with the Chinese authority and proposed the two Governments to upgrade, open and officially recognize border gate pairs in the area in the direction of equality. At the same time, the Committee has implemented detailed planning of wharf and yard areas to ensure the area; redefined the boundary scope of the border gate area; invested in upgrading infrastructure and yards at the road border gate area to meet the requirements of digital border gates and smart border gates.

Regarding the railway station border gate, Vietnam Railway Corporation coordinates with Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee to review, implement detailed planning, upgrade the infrastructure of the international railway route Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai - Kunming and expand and upgrade Lao Cai international railway station, thereby providing detailed plan for customs inspection and supervision sites.

What recommendations and proposals does the department have to develop the infrastructure system, warehouses, yards, and places in the coming time to both meet the requirements of modern customs management and the needs of increasingly grow import and export activities in the area?

In the near furture, Lao Cai Customs Department will continue to coordinate with specialized units of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Economic Zone Management Board, and relevant units of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee in implementing the planning associated with state management of customs in Lao Cai province.

The department will focus on the progress of construction, upgrading and completion of conditions for warehouses, places for gathering exports, imports for customs inspection and supervision in the border gate areas to proactively arrange organizational structure, propose the need for equipment, machinery for customs inspection and supervision to meet requirements of the task and modern customs management. At the same time, it needs ensure to align with the reality of each group of land border gates, within the overall implementation of digital customs, smart customs, vision, orientation to 2030, in order to improve the efficiency of import and export and transit of goods activities,

Thank Sir!