Customs and Border Guard collaborate to facilitate the border circulation

	Colonel of Border Guard talks about smuggling petrol and oil on the sea
	Remove duplication of duties between Customs and Border Guards
	Quang Binh Border Guard arrested a perpetrator who transported 25 kg of explosives

Customs and Border Guard in Lang Son collaborate together in border patrol.

The two forces have maintained and performed well the inspection and control of entry and exit, export and import and implemented many essential, synchronous flexible solutions in administrative reform to simplify the Customs procedures, border guard procedures and creating favourable conditions for border circulation activities at border gates, contributing to boosting socio-economic development and international integration of the country.

According to the Border Guard Command, in the past five years (from 2012 until now), the collaboration between Customs and Border Guard has played an important role as a basis for advising and proposing to the Party and the State in the management and protection of territorial sovereignty, control of national border security, successfully implementation of plans and budget revenue targets , also expanding foreign affairs and international integration of Vietnam.

In particular, the two forces have strengthened to renovate and reform administrative procedures, procedures on import-export and entry-exit at border gates to create more favourable conditions. At the same time, applying risk management, e-customs procedures and electronic border procedures at seaports to contribute to facilitating the border circulation, import-export activity and entry-exit activity, thereby raising socio-economic development and international integration.

According to statistics, from 2012 to 2017, the two forces Customs - Border have cooperated to handle import-export procedures for 21,936,368 people, 18,115,929 vehicles and 18,212,191 vehicle drivers crossing the road, railway and port border gates. Besides, the two forces also coordinated to detect and treat 2,123 cases of security and order violations; 4,219 cases of smuggling and illegal cross-border goods transport; 161 cases of narcotics trafficking and transport. The total value of infringing goods was over VND 100 billion.

Especially, the two forces seized a large number of exhibits, including 120 sports and self-propelled guns, 182,137 rounds of ammunition, more than 2,000 bad materials, US$ 485,000, 150 bars of heroin; 7,3 kg of opium, 118 kg of marijuana and 15,096 tablets of synthetic drugs.

A representative of the Border Guard Command said that the coordination of the two forces was associated with each other's professional activities. The information exchange was well implemented at all levels through bilateral and multilateral regulations and agreements.

The two forces actively advised the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance on requesting to the Government for directing the implementation of international agreements on cross-border import-export and exit-entry, focusing on one-stop shop at the pairs of border gates in the framework of facilitation agreement on goods transport and people moving among Mekong Sub-region Countries (GMS Agreement); exchanging information between Customs, Border Guard and Police on situation and management of means temporarily imported for re-export through border gates; providing information on the entry and exit passengers crossing road border and sea border gates for professional purposes; providing information on Customs investigation procedures and handling specific cases.

Typically, in the recent times, the Border Guards have actively exchanged with the Vietnam Customs in order to coordinate to handle e-procedures for ships and boats at port border gates through the connection between E- Border Guard Procedures Portal of the Border Guard Command and the National Single Window Portal.

Accordingly, from 21 July 2017, applicants ( enterprises, shipping agents, ship owners ...) implementing procedures for the ships and boats on exit and entry at 7 seaports border gates under the management of the Border Guards (including Hon Gai, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City) will declare electronic border gate procedures at the National Single Window Portal and then submit them to E- Border Guard Procedures Portal at seaports for the border guard officers to handle.

The GDVC assessed that since the two forces signed the Coordination Regulation 1991, it was replaced by the 2002 Regulation 2002 and the Coordination Regulation 2012 with the coordination from the grassroots level, two forces actively and promptly notified each other of new regulations, guidelines and policies of the Party and the State, the other sectors’ guiding documents related to the protection of national territorial sovereignty, control of entry and exit; anti-smuggling and anti-trade frauds such as the National Border Law, the Customs Law, the Border Guards Ordinance or new regulations on management of maritime activities at seaports, regulations on sea border area and land border gates, Customs operation area, provisions detailing some articles of the Customs Law and many other documents related to the two forces’ operations. Especially, the two forces had closely coordinated each other the implementation of anti-smuggling, anti-trade fraud and cross-border goods transport.

“Although each force carries out its own specialized tasks, actually, over past years, the officers and soldiers of the two forces have always worked together to fulfil assigned tasks” the GDVC emphasized.

Revised Circular 09 has not removed overlaps between Customs and Border Guard VCN- The General Department of Vietnam Customs proposes the Border Guard High Command to review the entire ...

According to the GDVC, over the past time, the coordination between the two forces had become closer and more effective. However, the professional information exchange was only done as required and was not implemented actively, regularly and promptly, especially information on smuggling chains and groups, leading to inefficient coordination in making a special case for fighting against and destroying large and complex smuggling chains and groups.