Strengthening Customs-Business Partnership

The Hai Phong Customs Department manages customs affairs in Hai Phong City, Hai Duong, Hung Yen and Thai Binh provinces. In the past years, the department has stepped up administrative procedure reforms and customs modernization and achieved important results. Thus, the department has fulfilled State budget collection tasks, supported companies to boost imports and exports; improved the business investment environment, facilitated trade and met development and integration requirements.

Mr. Nguyen Kien Giang, Deputy Director of Hai Phong Customs Department

The department defines administrative reform and customs modernization as an indispensable requirement for economic development, an overall solution to tackle challenges and difficulties arising from rapidly increased volume of goods and pressures of reducing the customs clearance time and minimizing inspections amid rising and complicated violation of customs laws in the context of unchanged customs personnel. Under the leadership of the Party Committee, the Hai Phong Customs Department has carried out many specific measures, including promoting online public services; actively researching and applying information technology in all professional activities; improving internal management methods; applying risk management measures in all areas; effectively operating and using modern equipment delivered by the General Department of Customs such as online surveillance camera systems, fixed scanner systems, mobile scanners to enhance productivity and working performance of public servants.

Besides, the department has strengthened customs-business partnerships. Mr. Nguyen Kien Giang, Deputy Director of Hai Phong Customs Department, said, “One important objective set by the Hai Phong Customs Department is to carry out solutions to realize customs-business partnership; expand customs-business interaction channels to promptly grasp and remove problems and difficulties for businesses and improve the effect of supervising public affairs performed by its employees. On April 1, 2020, the department piloted an assessment system integrated on ECUS and VNACCS software. Immediately after registering customs declarations, companies can actively assess the service quality of customs officers and customs formalities online instead of using manual written records as before. Assessment results will be automatically sent to the information receiving system at the department. All comments, suggestions and assessments delivered by companies on service quality catered by civil servants are received and promptly inspected and verified. Bad acts and mistakes are strictly handled.

In order for businesses to understand the purpose and significance of the assessment and actively respond to it, the Hai Phong Customs Department has consistently launched many measures to inform the implementation and guide the use of the system on its website, post it at customs locations or assign officials to explain and guide enterprises to use the system. At the same time, the department regularly reviews and collects system shortcomings like features and interfaces for fixing and upgrading for best experiences for businesses which can easily give feedback and information on performance of public employees, professional stages and the unit at the service on one paper.

With its efforts for administrative reform and business facilitation, over the past time, the Hai Phong Customs Department has obtained encouraging achievements: Basically completing the task of State budget collection, with higher revenue year after year. The total tax revenue and payment in the 2015-2020 term was VND292,152 billion, equal to 157.79% of the value in the 2010-2015 term. At the same time, the department has effectively controlled and prevented smuggling, trade fraudulence, and illegal cross-border transport of goods.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum