Plant quarantine staff at Hữu Nghị border gate check exported agricultural products. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI - Plans are in place to improve border gates in order to ease routes for freight transport.

The smart system will see upgrades made at crossing points from Hữu Nghị in Lạng Sơn Province to Youyi Guan in China.

Deputy Minister of Finance, Nguyễn Đức Chi, recently signed Decision No 2521/QĐ-BTC to implement the pilot project.

According to the plan, the Ministry of Finance has appointed the General Department of Customs as the lead agency, overseeing progress on project tasks.

The General Department of Customs has been assigned primary tasks, including upgrading the National Single Window System to enable information exchange regarding export-import shipments and cross-border transport vehicles with the Nanning Customs (China) and relevant agencies at the border.

Amending Decree No 85/2019/NĐ-CP on the implementation of administrative procedures for exported and imported goods, and cross-border vehicles, will bring it in line with the ASEAN and national single window mechanism and compliance with a data-sharing model between Việt Nam and China.

The plan also calls for expanding the functions of the National Single Window System to facilitate the exchange of information on export-import shipments and cross-border vehicles with Nanning Customs (China) and relevant border agencies.

To support the pilot of the smart border gate model between Lạng Sơn (Việt Nam) and Guangxi (China) in customs cooperation, the Customs has established a Vietnamese task force to liaise with Nanning Customs (China). This task has now been completed.

Vietnamese General Department of Customs will continue to co-ordinate with Nanning Customs (China) to form a joint working group to develop a deployment plan, specifying types of export-import goods, content, methods and frequency of receiving and processing customs declaration data for cross-border goods and vehicles.

Tasks also include developing temporary regulations on customs procedures and oversight for exports and imports through the smart border gate.

By the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, the General Department of Customs will submit a proposal to the Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính for temporary regulations governing customs procedures, oversight and control of goods passing through the pilot smart border gate.