HCM City Customs Department: Towards smart customs management

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Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai was authorized to award the First Class Victory Medal to HCM City Customs Department on December 29, 2020. Photo: T.H

Actively deploy many key schemes

In 2020, HCM City Customs Department overcome many difficulties and challenges, maintained the smooth flow of import and export goods, and collected high revenue, resulting from performance in a creative manner and strong IT application in direction, administration and customs clearance.

Notably, the department focused on perfecting and integrating functions and modules on the HCM City Customs Administration system (HCAS) that was built and deployed in 2019 to accelerate the handling of dossiers online andstrengthen connection and linkages between the information system of the Department with socio-political organizationsand enterprises.

The department deployed information systems to serve the direction and administration of the department's leaders and information systems to serve people and businesses. It completed software architecture, databases, and connectivity solutions for an integrated online goods tracking system under the Trade Facilitation Scheme: Customs procedures in Logistics and anti-congestion at Cat Lai port.

HCM City Customs Department implemented online customs training for European businesses in the pandemic. Photo: T.H

Particularly, amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the first months of 2020, HCM City Customs Department widely deployed applications for working online on the platforms of network connection, cloud computing and centralized data; implemented document management and administration via the HCAS system, and used digital signatures on issued documents, and put them into operation.

In addition, a breakthrough program in trade facilitation which is the Trade Facilitation Scheme“Customs procedures in logistics operations and anti-congestion at Cat Lai port”, continues to be expanded by HCM City Customs Department. This Scheme has been highly appreciated by leaders at all levels, as well asthe business community.

As the sponsor of this scheme, Director of USAID Vietnam Michael Greene highly appreciated the efforts of HCM City Customs Department through implementing the scheme. He hoped that the schemewould be widely applied, and committed to cooperate and support the HCM City Customs Department in implementing the scheme, thereby contributing to enhancing Vietnam's trade growth.

After successfully implementing two important schemes in customs management, HCM City Customs Department is building and implementing schemes to build a smart customs management platform. In recent years, HCM City Customs Department has offered many important, breakthrough and innovative policies and solutions in administrative reform and customs modernization; positively impacted and improved operational capacity in management and operation; significantly improved service quality for people and businesses towards building a smart HCM City, building a more and more professional and modern customs sector.

Recently, the General Department of Vietnam Customs announced that the HCM City Customs Department is one of the three leading units in the Public Administration Reform Index 2019.

Customs officers of Sai Gon Zone 1 Customs Branch inspect imported goods. Photo: T.H

Human resources akey factor

To effectively apply schemes and programs built by HCM City Customs Department and the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the department always identifies human resources as the key factor.

In recent years, HCM City Customs Department has focused on fostering and training to build a professional, qualified and modern customs force. Therefore, in addition to investment in equipment and machinery, the leaders of the HCM City Customs Department havepaid special attention to training and building a contingent of streamlined, professional officers to achieve the highest efficiency.

Director of the HCM City Customs Department, Dinh Ngoc Thang, said that when implementing new programs and projects, it requires a lot of changes in thinking and actions of all departmentofficials. Changes in working style, and in technology management and application processes will create synchronous forcesalong with changesin perceptions and actions to implement schemes in the most effective way.

Therefore, during the pandemic,to deploy the training and retraining in a new situation, the HCM City Customs Department performed, trained and retrained online via Microsoft Team Software and the Centralized Customs Management System, ensuring disease prevention and performance in the new situation. The department has held 100 training courses for nearly 1,500 officials.

To have 2,000 professional officialsmeeting the work requirements, the party committee, leaders of the HCM City Customs Department have focused on drastically and synchronous implementing many solutions, in which, strengthening training and in-depth training of operational activities and information technology for officials to meet the increasing workload and customs modernization, and the requirements of smart customs management.