Currently, most administrative procedures related to import and export activities, especially those that have a great impact on businesses and people, have been connected and implemented through the National Single Window (NSW). The important issue in the current context is to further improve its quality.

Nearly 48,000 businesses 

As the Permanent Agency of the National Steering Committee on ASEAN Single Window (ASW), NSW and Trade Facilitation (Committee 1899), in the first six months of 2021, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has urged and closely worked with ministries and sectors to implement the NSW and ASW Master Plan and trade facilitation.

Regarding the implementation of the NSW, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has chaired and coordinated with ministries and sectors to actively implement it. From the beginning of the year to June 15, 19 new administrative procedures were connected, with 319,272 processed dossiers from 3,886 enterprises.

From implementation (piloting at the end of 2014) to June 15, 2021, there were 226 administrative procedures of 13 ministries and sectors officially implemented on the National Single Window, with approximately 3.89 million dossiers from 47,700 participating businesses.

In addition, the Customs authority has coordinated with units to officially deploy the National Single Window System for aircraft entering the country and the automated management and supervision of imported goods system via air at Noi Bai international airport (according to Decision No. 1475/QD-BTC dated September 28, 2020, of the Ministry of Finance) and expanded deployment at Tan Son Nhat international airport from April 1, 2021.

In parallel with connecting new administrative procedures, the Permanent Agency is coordinating with ministries and sectors to develop a master plan on building and developing an information technology system to serve the implementation of the NSW and ASW in the direction of centralized processing (currently developing solutions and main orientation of the Scheme). At the same time, report to the Prime Minister on the absorption and explanation of the Government members' opinions on the application for the formulation of a Decree on connection and information sharing in the field of export and import, transit of goods, exit, entry and transit of people and means of transport under the National Single Window.

Expanding connectivity beyond ASEAN

Regarding the implementation of the ASW, up to now, Vietnam has officially exchanged information on electronic certificate of origin form D with all nine ASEAN member countries.

From January 1 to June 15, the number of C/O Vietnam received from ASEAN countries was 107,152 papers; the number of C/O forms sent by Vietnam to other countries is 622,987 papers. From implementation (January 1, 2018) to June 15, 2021, the total number of C/O forms Vietnam has received from ASEAN countries is 366,458 papers, the total number of C/O forms Vietnam has sent to other countries is 939,460 papers.

Currently, the Permanent Agency is coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to prepare technical conditions to be ready to exchange information on ASEAN customs declarations and phytosanitary certificates with Indonesia and Thailand. According to ASEAN's plan, these two documents will be officially connected and exchanged in 2021.

Notably, besides connecting with partners in ASEAN, the General Department of Vietnam Customs advises the National Steering Committee to connect with non-ASEAN partners such as the Eurasian Economic Union, South Korea and New Zealand. By June 2021, the testing of connection techniques and the exchange of test messages on export customs declarations was completed with the Eurasian Economic Union. At the same time, coordinating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to negotiate and agree on technical requirements for building an exchange of certificates of origin system with the Eurasian Economic Union, and exchange information on electronic C/O forms with South Korea. Along with that, signed an "Agreement on facilitation of clearance of agricultural, forestry and fishery products through the use of electronic certificates" with New Zealand.

According to the assessment of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the implementation of the National Single Window and ASW has been carried out in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP dated January 1, 2021, of the Government to improve the business environment, improving national competitiveness in 2021, thereby bringing many benefits to people and businesses.

However, in the process of implementing administrative procedures on the National Single Window, some procedures of ministries and sectors have changed in terms of legal basis and professional requirements, leading to reviewing, adjusting related systems such as the National Single Window and specialized management systems, causing difficulties in allocating resources to deploy new administrative procedures under the system requirements.