Signing ceremony between Customs Department and VAFIE. Photo: Duc Minh

The Customs Department and the Vietnam Association of Foreign-Invested Enterprises (VAFIE) signed a cooperation agreement in Hanoi on November 5, as part of the 2026 Plan for Developing Customs Partnerships with Businesses and Relevant Stakeholders.

The agreement establishes a regular coordination mechanism, giving foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) an additional channel to exchange information, raise difficulties, and contribute feedback on policies directly affecting their import-export operations.

At the ceremony, deputy director general of the Customs Department Au Anh Tuan said, "The strategic role of foreign-invested enterprises is an important driver of state budget contributions, job creation, economic restructuring and Vietnam’s deeper integration into global value chains."

The cooperation is intended to translate into practice the principle of placing citizens and businesses at the centre of public service delivery, while effectively implementing the major orientations set out in the Politburo’s Resolution No.10-NQ/TW.

VAFIE chairman Nguyen Anh Tuan expressed his appreciation for the Customs Department’s continued support and practical cooperation in recent years.

"The agreement was signed at a particularly significant time, as Vietnam pursues its double-digit economic growth target, national import-export turnover surpassed $1 trillion in October 2026, and a strong wave of high-quality FDI inflows is taking shape," he said.

Under the agreement, the two sides will focus on four main areas of cooperation: information exchange and the communication and dissemination of policies and laws; receiving, clarifying and addressing issues; consultation on the development and improvement of policies and legislation; and the joint organisation of dialogues, thematic seminars and training programmes.

Among these areas, receiving and addressing business concerns has been identified as a key priority. VAFIE will be responsible for collecting, updating and categorising recommendations from its member enterprises before forwarding them to the Customs Department. Based on its functions, responsibilities and authority, the department will coordinate in receiving, clarifying and addressing these issues. Matters beyond its jurisdiction will be consolidated and reported or referred to competent authorities for consideration in accordance with regulations.

The exchange and resolution of business recommendations will take place every six months or at VAFIE’s request. This mechanism will enable difficulties arising during customs procedures to be reported systematically, rather than requiring businesses to independently seek out and contact multiple agencies to resolve individual issues.

In addition, the Customs Department will provide VAFIE with updates on customs policies and legislation, tax policies applicable to imports and exports, as well as the sector's reform, modernisation and digital transformation programmes. VAFIE will then disseminate this information to its members, helping businesses keep abreast of new regulations, prepare their documentation proactively, comply with procedures and minimise errors during customs clearance.

Another important aspect of the agreement is strengthening business consultation in the process of developing and improving customs policies and legislation.

Accordingly, the two sides will coordinate in collecting business feedback on draft legal documents concerning customs and tax policies applicable to imports and exports, as well as strategies and plans for customs sector reform, modernisation and digital transformation. Consultation will also cover issues related to Vietnam's participation in international customs treaties.

Notably, consultation will extend beyond regulations and procedures to include service quality, conditions for completing customs formalities, the sense of responsibility and professional competence of customs officials. These factors have a direct bearing on businesses' experience and the costs associated with customs procedures.

Through VAFIE's role in representing and consolidating business opinions, feedback from the production, business and import-export activities of FIEs will have an additional channel to reach management authorities. This is expected to help ensure that policies are more closely aligned with business realities and minimise potential shortcomings during implementation.

The two sides also jointly agreed to organise dialogue conferences, thematic seminars, training schemes and activities to disseminate customs legislation, while encouraging enterprises to participate in voluntary customs compliance programmes. They will also share experience in import-export activities, identifying trade fraud, intellectual property violations and other practical issues relevant to customs management.

Cooperation activities will be implemented flexibly through conferences, seminars, on-site business surveys, online information portals, websites, official documents, emails and questionnaires.

The Customs Department will support VAFIE in communicating and disseminating policies, addressing business concerns, and facilitating the participation of its member enterprises in partnership activities with customs authorities at all levels.