Night or day, dozens of shipments of medical supplies and biological products for the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic are handled by the Tan Son Nhat and the Express Delivery Sub-Department (HCM City Customs Department) supports customs clearance procedures in the fastest way to pandemic prevention.

One of the vaccine batches at Tan Son Nhat airport
at night or early in the morning.

Customs clearance in the night

On the night of August 25, with careful preparation, after a plane carrying two shipments of nearly 800,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine imported via express delivery landed at Tan Son Nhat airport, it was delivered by the Express Delivery Sub-Department - HCM City Customs Department implements customs clearance procedures immediately, supporting businesses to transport vaccines to warehouses for timely preservation. To promptly carry out procedures for this important shipment of biological products, the Express Delivery Sub-Department directed civil servants to guide importing enterprises to complete the procedures related to the shipment right before, and at the same time put staff on duty to perform procedures for the shipment.

Earlier, on the night of August 24, a flight carrying a shipment of 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Romania arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. This vaccine batch was sponsored by the Romanian government for Vietnam. Immediately after the plane landed, Customs officers from Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department were present to support the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in carrying out customs procedures, loading and transporting to the airport warehouse, then completing customs clearance procedures for the shipment in the night.

The batch of vaccines imported via express delivery was
cleared in the night of August 25. Photo: H.T

Directly performing night shift monitoring of shipments, Tran Minh Nui, Deputy Captain of the Customs Supervision Team, said following the direction of the leader of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department, the team has arranged duty officers to immediately carry out customs procedures to support businesses in the fastest way.

These are two dozen imported batches of vaccines, medical supplies and equipment for the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have been imported through Tan Son Nhat International Airport in recent times and have been facilitated by units.

In July and August, DMEX Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. has continuously imported more than a dozen shipments of medical equipment and supplies for the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which were approved by the Customs branch. Tan Son Nhat International Airport border gate agency handles customs clearance procedures right after the goods arrive at the port. Nguyen Van Thien, customs clearance for medical equipment shipments of DMEX Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. said: "Consignments of equipment and supplies to fight against Covid-19 to the airport at any time. Day or night, customs clearance at Tan Son Nhat International Airport is immediately supported."

Or like the flight carrying more than 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine on the evening of August 19. After the plane landed, the Customs Branch of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and functional forces at the airport arranged forces and machines to support quick procedures for firms. Previously, the AstraZeneca vaccine batch consisting of 1,113,400 doses registered by Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company VNVC to open a transport declaration on the evening flight on August 12 was also carried out by the Sub-Department to carry out procedures and supervise the sale..

Efforts to contribute to fighting the pandemic

Vietnam Vaccines Joint Stock Company (VNVC) is the first importer and customs agent specialising in importing vaccines stored at temperatures from 2-8 degrees Celsius and from minus 75 degrees Celsius to minus 7 degrees Celsius. 86 degrees Celsius. A representative of VNVC said that from the beginning of the year to August 26, 2021, VNVC has carried out procedures to import nearly 8.2 million doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine for AstraZeneca Vietnam and other important medical goods. The enterprise has received the support of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department in particular, and HCM City Customs Department in general from carrying out procedures to customs clearance of goods is done very quickly.

Director of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department Bui Le Hung said that, amid the complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the goal of "fighting the pandemic like fighting the enemy", leaders of the General Department of Customs and leaders of HCM City Customs Department are very interested in facilitating timely clearance of shipments for anti-pandemic work. Leaders of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department understand each working team and each civil servant to make more efforts to handle procedures quickly. To support businesses, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs sub-Department has established a support team to handle customs procedures for import and export goods at the unit to ensure support for customs clearance of import and export goods.

The Customs units of Tan Son Nhat Airport, Express Customs have received and processed many import documents in the form of non-commercial (aid, donation) and commercial trade like shipments of drugs, biological products, vaccines, medical equipment for the prevention of Covid-19 pandemic by foreign organisations and individuals to Vietnamese organisations and individuals. Most of the units that carry out procedures to receive goods are representatives of mass organisations, political organisations, hospitals, and medical facilities do not have logistics expertise, so they do not fully meet the requirements of import documents according to the requirements of the import documents. regulation; do not understand the process of procedures, tax policies to declare and carry out customs procedures, so customs officers have to spend a lot of time guiding, even supporting, guiding each step of procedures to help businesses implementation industry. In addition, there are shipments, customs authorities must flexibly release goods first and then support firms to complete the customs clearance documents later.