Promoting Digital Transformation toward Smart Customs Model

Long An Customs Department has been focusing on building digital customs, creating a foundation for a smart customs model with a high degree of automation, and applying scientific and technological achievements on a digital platform; thereby bringing dual benefits – both helping businesses shorten the time required for customs clearance of goods and helping the customs authority save manpower, costs and time.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Huan, Director of Long An Customs Department

Aiming for complete digital transformation by 2025

It can be seen that building digital customs and smart customs is the most important requirement for improving the quality of service, managing customs and tax collection, and creating a transparent and fair import-export environment, thus contributing to improving competitiveness in the global market. Pursuant to Decision 707/QD-TCHQ issued on May 4, 2022 by the Director General of the General Department of Vietnam Customs on approving the Plan on the digital transformation of the customs sector by 2025 with a vision to 2030; and Decision 4081/QD-UBND issued on November 4, 2020 by the People's Committee of Long An province on approving the Digital Transformation Program of Long An province by 2025 with a vision to 2030; Long An Customs Department has developed a plan for digital transformation by 2025 with a vision to 2030.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Huan, Director of Long An Customs Department, said: The plan sets out a general goal of completing digital transformation by 2025, in which the key task is to conduct digital transformation in customs operations in a comprehensive manner, synchronous with digital transformation serving import-export enterprises and completing the goal of having 100% of customs procedures processed entirely in the network environment (paperless). With a new IT system, Long An Customs Department applies new technological achievements, in line with international standards, meeting the requirements of smart customs management. It promotes comprehensive management of enterprises, import-export goods and transit; means of transport on entry, exit, and transit from the beginning to the end. It is ready to connect, exchange and share information with ministries, branches, enterprises and related parties to serve the state management of customs. The new system has a high degree of integration to comprehensively meet the needs of automatic processing at all stages of customs operations, serving customs procedures anytime, anywhere, on many mobile devices, and meeting the demand for using and exploiting information in a digitized environment with modern technology.

Long An Customs Department has stepped up the implementation of activities and tasks under the direction of the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Vietnam Customs in response to the National Digital Transformation Day as well as the Digital Transformation Day of the Ministry of Finance. Especially, as a member participating in completing the legal basis, Long An Customs Department actively reviews and proposes amendments to legal documents related to state management of customs and management procedures for import-export goods subject to specialized inspection; professional processes and regulations suitable with reality in order to ensure a full legal basis for digital transformation and digital customs model in the direction of e-government; promote the efficiency of the VNACCS/VCIS system, and the VASSCM automatic customs supervision and management system, thereby helping businesses shorten the time for customs clearance of goods, reduce administrative costs and helping Long An Customs Department save manpower, costs and time.

Up to now, Long An Customs Department has carried out administration activities electronically. Customs procedures are processed automatically (except for the declaration of yellow channel and red channel), with the documents in the customs dossier being converted to electronic data. Long An Customs Department also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with six enterprises participating in the Program on Voluntary Compliance with Customs Law; toward establishing a reliable partnership between customs and enterprises in import-export activities, serving as a basis for trade facilitation, in line with international practices. All 13 ports and five bonded warehouses in the management area meet the conditions for deploying the VASSCM system. Sub-departments monitor all independently transported goods with electronic positioning seals.

In the coming time, Long An Customs Department will continue to update new advanced technologies, toward completing digital transformation by 2025, as well as deploying smart customs which is synchronized on all means of information technology, creating favorable conditions for enterprises in customs declaration as well as import-export of goods, thereby significantly saving time and costs for enterprises.

The Executive Committee of the Trade Union of Long An Customs Department 

Efforts for the highest budget revenue

In 2023, Long An Customs Department was assigned by the Ministry of Finance a target of VND5,000 billion for state budget revenue, up 6% compared to the assigned target in 2022 and 4% compared to the actual revenue in 2022. To fulfill the target, the Long An Customs Department strictly implements Directive 479/CT-TCHQ dated February 6, 2023 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, on the synchronous and firm implementation of trade facilitation solutions, improving the effectiveness of state management, and preventing revenue loss in the implementation of state revenue collection tasks in 2023. The Long An Customs Department gives top priority to reforming administrative procedures, maximizing advantages for enterprises in import-export activities, saving time and costs, shortening customs clearance time, releasing goods, and simplifying customs procedures on the basis of applying modern customs standards.

From the above orientation, Long An Customs Department has drastically and synchronously implemented the action plan on reforming administrative procedures and modernizing customs. It issued Plan 230/KH-HQLA dated February 13, 2023 on administrative reform in 2023 with five main goals and seven specific tasks. It has strengthened the partnership with enterprises and related parties. It issued Decision 93/QD- HQLA dated 27 February, 2023 to facilitate the business community and stakeholders to grasp new policies: Customs development strategy; development reform and modernization plan; digital transformation plan; and pilot program to support and encourage enterprises to voluntarily comply with customs laws; thereby encouraging and creating conditions for enterprises in the implementation process.

Long An Customs Department has constantly improved quality to serve people and businesses in the process of implementing customs clearance and facilitating trade activities. The Long An Customs Department works closely with enterprises to remove difficulties related to customs clearance and tax policies. It also maintains regular activities of solving problems by phone at the Department and sub-departments, or via websites and emails to promptly solve difficulties for enterprises; and publicizes hotline phone numbers and phone directories to receive complaints from people and businesses related to denunciations, reports on crimes, smuggling activities, commercial frauds, and information denouncing individuals and functional units for not properly or fully performing their tasks, having negative behaviors, aiding smuggling activities, commercial frauds or counterfeit goods.

Director Nguyen Ngoc Huan added that, in order to successfully implement the common goal of the customs sector, in the coming time, along with the implementation of the Digital Transformation Plan by 2025, with a vision to 2030, the Long An Customs Department will continue to implement the policy of strengthening international integration, harmonizing the task of creating trade facilitation and conducting good state management of customs; promoting administration reform to create a favorable, transparent and fair import-export environment, contributing to improving national competitiveness, moving toward building an enabling government.

Source:  Vietnam Business Forum