Hai Phong Customs: Participating in developing digital and smart customs

Professional activities at Hai Phong Customs

Director of Hai Phong Customs Department Nguyen Duy Ngoc said the department saw the importance of digital customs and smart customs in the process of administrative procedures reform and customs mordernisation to keep pace with the policy of building a digital government in the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and following the direction of the leaders of the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC), so Hai Phong Customs Department soon embarked upon implementing many related contents.

Specifically, implementing notification No. 7792/TB-TCHQ dated December 9, 2020 and Official Letter No. 8031/TCHQ-GSQL dated December 23, 2020 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs on the deployment of the scheme on redesign the information technology system of the Customs sector and the orientation of building a smart customs management model (referred to hereinafter as the scheme), Hai Phong Customs Department has announced and requested its affiliated units to exploit, research and thoroughly understand each customs official in the unit on the guidelines, orientations and objectives of the scheme on redesigning the IT systems of the Customs sector.

“The scheme was extremely important to overcome the limitations of current IT systems as well as proactively apply the achievements of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in building and deploying an advanced and modern Customs IT System with simple procedures, intelligent connection and high automation ability toward digital customs appropriate with the standards of advanced countries,” he said.

Furthermore, Hai Phong Customs Department requested units to research and propose specific professional problems to summarise and report to the GDVC for assessment and considering to put into the scheme.

Leaders of Hai Phong Customs Department said that the unit has continued to work with departments under the GDVC to study and propose problems of operations suitable to the situation of the unit; give opinions on amendments to relevant legal documents; ready to pilot a smart customs management model under the direction and guidance of the GDVC.

"By June 2021, Hai Phong Customs Department researched and developed a set of documents of more than 100 pages to give comments to the GDVC,” Director General Nguyen Duy Ngoc added.

According to Head of IT Division (Hai Phong Customs Department) Tran Quoc Chinh, it will bring effective results both economically and socially when the scheme is put into practice. To prepare for transferring and operating the new system, an very urgent requirement for local customs departments is digital transformation in its management and administration.

Head of IT Division Tran Quoc Chinh suggested it is necessary to focus on implementing key tasks like building data infrastructure; digitally transform the implementation of specific tasks simultaneously with smart applications; complete and modernise connection infrastructure, develop equipment infrastructure, and ensure information security of digital infrastructure; prepare and improve 4.0 knowledge for customs officials.

To perform these key tasks, Hai Phong Customs Department proposes to GDVC some important issues such as:

Firstly, to clarify the decentralisation of centralised database exploitation and use throughout the sector, it is necessary to have specific regulations on data guidance, management and use. At the same time, overcome difficult situations when it is necessary to exploit the database and require statistical reports.

Secondly, decentralise, standardise, and clearly define which applications can be built by the Customs Department, and which applications are built by the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Along with that is to arrange appropriate funding sources for payment.

Thirdly, pay attention to investment in hardware equipment of local customs in a synchronous manner with the implementation of the Digital Transformation project including servers, workstations, transmission lines.

Fourthly, to ensure information safety and security, the GDVC is requested to have detailed instructions on deploying defensive solutions and investment for backup systems.

Fifthly, continue to promote communication and training to each official to understand the importance of digital transformation, raising the awareness of each official's responsibility in the digital transformation process to meet the needs of modern customs.