Professional activities at the Northern Hanoi Customs Branch (Hanoi Customs Department). Photo: N.Linh

Regarding the application of IT in customs clearance, Hanoi Customs Department is the leading unit in implementing a comprehensive and effective pilot VNACC/VCIS system, serving as the basis for deploying and replicating the system innationwide. The implementation of VNACCS/VCIS and satellite systems helps automate basic customs procedures, improve inspection, control, and effective state management of Customs and combat trade fraud.

Regarding the application of IT in electronic tax collection and payment, the implementation of the Customs e-Payment Gateway and electronic payments via banks, helps the collection and payment of taxes be done quickly, minimizing the situation of incorrect coercion. As a result, the rate of tax declarations paid through banks reached 99.8%, reducing clearance time for businesses and facilitating import-export activities.

Furthermore, the application of IT in providing online public services has been promoted with many positive results. Hanoi Customs Department has implemented an online public service system at all units in the whole Department with 181 administrative procedures. In particular, online public services at level 3 and level 4 are 173 out of 181 administrative procedures (accounting for 95.6% of administrative procedures) and there are 164 administrative procedures reaching level 4 (reaching 90, 6% of administrative procedures).

Hanoi Customs Department is the first unit in the whole sector to deploy the National Single Window System and Automated Customs Supervision System at the international airport from September 2020. The system has improved the efficiency of customs management and supervision at the international airport. 100% of airlines have sent information to the National Single Window Portal and connected all the airline warehouses; the system's processing rate is stable over 99.4%; and clearance time for a shipment is reduced from 3-6 hours to less than 10 minutes.

The above results have shown the continuous efforts of the Hanoi Customs Department, and are the premise for the Department to continue to implement the next reform and modernization plans of the Customs sector, in particular, the digital transformation plan.

According to Deputy Director of Hanoi Customs Department Hoang Quoc Quang, implementing the orientation of the General Department, Hanoi Customs Department determined to implement digital transformation, in association with promoting reform of administrative procedures in the field of customs on the basis of Department of IT application and achievements of the 4th Industrial Revolution, under the unified orientation of the Customs sector and Hanoi City with four specific objectives; accelerating reform and modernization work goods, applying information technology, building an electronic customs environment, aiming to reduce the time of cargo clearance and facilitate import and export activities; carrying out digital transformation and successfully implementing the Project on the overall redesign of the Customs IT System, towards the goal of carrying out customs procedures anytime and anywhere; smooth operation of the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window; and improve the efficiency of the online public service system, aiming to provide maximum support to people and import-export businesses.

In order to implement the above digital transformation goals, Hanoi Customs determined that it is necessary to implement synchronously five solutions. Specifically, it includes formulating a thematic resolution on IT reform, modernization and application in the 2020-2025 term.

The contents of the Resolution are concretized into key goals and tasks, in agreement with the plan and strategy of IT application development of the Industry and Hanoi city; building quality human resources, serving the smooth operation of IT application systems; develop plans, roadmaps and implementation plans for the overall redesign of the Customs IT system; develop a plan, organize the successful implementation of the National Single Window System and Automated Customs Supervision at Noi Bai International Airport; and deploying and building an application to share data and information from the Department to Branch and enterprises. Centralized connection of data for screening images, cameras, tax refund information, and facilitation associated with dissemination and business guidance.