Working toward Digital Customs

With the goal of becoming fully digital by 2030, Vietnam's customs sector has taken very specific actions and steps.

Up to now, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has completed the 5E target (E-Declaration; E-payment; E-C/O; E-Permit and E-Manifest) on applying information technology (IT) in State management of customs, and building a centralized IT system. Currently, 100% of basic customs procedures have been automated, and 100% of Customs Departments and Customs Sub-Departments have processed customs procedures electronically with the participation of 99.65% of enterprises. Accordingly, all procedures, namely making declarations, processing information and customs clearance decisions, are done with a very high degree of automation; processing time for customs dossiers is only from 01 - 03 seconds.

Leaders of the General Department of Customs have directed and guided their units to develop the Digital Transformation Plan by 2025 to complete the goal that 100% of customs procedures will be completely delivered in an online environment (paperless). By 2030, the customs industry will complete smart customs. Accordingly, 100% of documents in basic types of customs dossiers will be converted into electronic data, moving toward digitization. All key international ports and border gates will be deployed with automatic cargo monitoring and management systems, equipped with cargo and baggage screening systems.

One of the major digital transformation contents that the General Department of Customs has focused on in the 2021-2025 period is completing the overall redesign of the IT system to meet the requirements of performing customs operations in the direction of digital customs and meet information security requirements. Accordingly, along with the synchronous implementation of digital transformation in the National and ASEAN Single Window, customs procedures will be delivered between customs authorities and import-export enterprises entirely in the digital environment (paperless), anytime, anywhere, by any means; customs operations will be automatically managed in the digital environment during the entire process of customs procedures delivery before, during, and after customs clearance, ensuring seamless management from the beginning to the end for exported, imported and in-transit goods; and means of transport on exit, entry and in transit.

Next, it will promote digital transformation in the implementation of the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window to ensure synchronization with the digital transformation of customs operations and businesses toward digitization and centralized handling of administrative procedures of the ministries and sectors for imported and exported goods. The customs industry will connect, exchange and share information with ministries and relevant agencies.

It will implement the project of building a national customs database. The General Department of Customs will also continue promoting the research and application of Industry 4.0 in State management of customs such as artificial intelligence (AI) in goods scanning, internet of things (IoT) in customs supervision, big data analysis in import-export management; especially creating a breakthrough in the collection, administration, storage, processing, analysis of data and centralized database of the customs sector; and building and implementing a scientific data analysis model to effectively serve the management and administration at all levels through the integrated customs information technology system.

By Le Hien, Vietnam Business Forum