In 2023, Binh Duong province emerged as the national leader in investment attraction. The province not only surpassed budget revenue forecasts but also achieved a remarkable trade surplus of US$8.8 billion. This outstanding performance owes much to the efforts of the Binh Duong Customs Department. The department consistently implemented synchronized and effective solutions aimed at bolstering revenues while safeguarding against state budget losses. By unlocking financial flows, it actively contributed to creating momentum for local economic development.
Binh Duong Customs Department’s engagement with press agencies at the commencement of the New Year 2024
Leading administrative reform and customs modernization
Binh Duong Customs Department always takes the lead in reforming administrative procedures, modernizing customs, enhancing IT application to simplify customs procedures and reduce records and paperwork to move towards paperless customs, and creating favorable conditions for businesses and people. Accordingly, the department ensures good management, supervision and operation of the customs sector’s IT system to work stably around the clock. The agency launches all satellite support programs for customs operations; coordinate with the General Department of Vietnam Customs to support relevant units in promptly handling errors arising on the VNACCS/VCIS system and satellite software in the fastest manner; conduct unexpected and periodic backups of IT system data to ensure system recovery in the fastest time in case of failures.
At the same time, the Provincial Customs Department also operates well the Vietnam Automated Customs Supervision Management System (VASSCM) for import and export goods at ports, warehouses and yards to continue promoting administrative reform and facilitating trade creating favorable conditions. trade.
To facilitate businesses and people, Binh Duong Customs Department promotes overall administrative reform according to the administrative reform program of the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Customs in 2025; strengthens control of administrative procedures in the customs field; carries out a public review of relevant administrative procedures through automatic and online forms with the support of high-tech equipment at the customs headquarters. At the same time, the department uses electronic documents issued through the National Single Window when performing other related administrative procedures.
Notably in the past year, the department has synchronously and effectively implemented solutions to increase revenue and prevent state budget loss; focused on boosting IT applications, deploying connections between the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window according to the roadmap of the General Department of Customs to exchange and mutually recognize issued in electronic commercial documents with ASEAN countries. Accordingly, 100% of procedures for exported, imported, and transited goods, means of transport on exit, entry and transit are carried out electronically. The implementation of online public services on the website of the General Department of Customs has always been propagated and implemented effectively by the department, thus facilitating import and export activities, shortening customs clearance time for goods and reducing costs for companies.
Determining digital transformation as an inevitable trend, especially in customs inspection and supervision, Binh Duong Customs Department has upgraded inspection and supervision processes and procedures towards digitalization, applied modern technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to meet the requirements of performing digital customs operations. Accordingly, the department has equipped and operated the third mobile container scanner at ICD TBS to scan imported and exported goods. Cumulatively to December 31, 2023, three centralized cargo inspection locations have scanned 14,577 containers of 7,329 declarations. Scanning goods has practically benefited local import and export activities, especially for big importers and exporters. This work has supported businesses to reduce customs clearance time, reduce loading/unloading costs, improve legal compliance, promptly detect violations and effectively combat smuggling and trade fraud.
Finding new transportation directions to facilitate export
As global and domestic economies are volatile, Binh Duong Customs Department always focuses on finding solutions to support businesses in addressing difficulties and facilitates businesses and commercial activities. In particular, finding new methods of transporting goods to improve the export and import transporting capacity to lower transportation costs, reduce the cost of executing administrative procedures and opening more types of new logistics activities that increase new types of export and import were two of the solutions to facilitate import and export activities of businesses that the department implemented in 2023.
Sharing more specifically, Mr. Tong Quoc Thinh, Deputy Director of Binh Duong Customs Department, said that countries in the world are currently focusing on developing railways for economic development thanks to its advantage of fast transportation, cheap price and easy connection for international freight transportation. Determining that improving the capacity of Song Than International Intermodal Terminal - the largest cargo terminal in the south for international intermodal freight transport is important in the economic development of Binh Duong province in general and to promote export and import activities via railway in particular, the department advised the Provincial People's Committee on a plan to apply import and export transport by railway, which will be included in the Binh Duong provincial planning in the coming time.
Accordingly, Song Than Intermodal International Terminal will become a major logistics center in the southern region, open up new methods of transporting exported and imported goods that are more efficient, safer, and cost-effective, can easily access China's industrial, manufacturing and auxiliary material centers such as Guangzhou and Kunming. To initiate this plan, on September 27, 2023, the department coordinated with Ratraco Company - Song Than Station to launch an international intermodal train that transported export goods from Song Than Station to China.
Along with unlocking the potential of rail transportation for import and export goods, Binh Duong Customs Department also actively researched and found solutions to implement customs procedures for exported and imported goods through postal services, courier services and extended air warehouses. The department sent its employees to study experience of managing this mode in experienced customs agencies like Hanoi Customs Department and Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department.
After synthesizing acquired experience, Binh Duong Customs Department issued documents guiding procedures on inspection and supervision of exported and imported goods transported via postal services and express delivery services and goods exported and imported into extended air warehouses for its affiliated customs branches and enterprises to carry out. “In carrying out procedures, Binh Duong Customs Department promptly answered questions and difficulties regarding procedures, so customs procedures for this type have now become stable and are appreciated by the business community. It is important that the deployment of postal, express delivery and warehouse services will help diversify goods supply services, making it more convenient for businesses to deliver and import goods while reducing costs and time for businesses because they can perform these procedures locally instead of having to carry out those procedures in other localities like before,” Thinh emphasized.
By Van Luong, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi