Implementing overall assessment of border gates, ports, warehouses and yards towards a smart customs model

	Six key contents of administrative reform of the Customs sector in 2021-2025
	Hanoi Customs actively building a smart Customs model
	Director General Nguyen Van Can works with Hanoi Customs Department on smart customs model

Imports and exports at Hai Phong Seaport. Photo: Thai Binh.

When the Customs sector builds a smart Customs model, it will continue to make outstanding achievements in customs operation at the areas and further facilitate the flow of goods.

About 500 warehouse, port, yard operators have connected and exchanged e-data via the Vietnam Automated for Seaport Customs Management (VASSCM) system.

According to the Customs Control and Supervision Department, the execution of the Automated System for Customs Management at Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport has achieved many outstanding results.

The system has helped customs control goods through the exchange of information related to exports and imports of businesses on the National Single Window. The information related to imports of operators has been connected to the VASSCM. The customs declarant does not have to carry out procedures at the customs office when receiving goods, reducing costs and facilitating businesses. These positive results have been appreciated by importers, exporters and air cargo terminal operators.

However, at seaports, inland waterway ports, international airports, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), international railway stations, many operators have not understood their responsibility in the management and supervision of goods, and have not built and supplemented warehouses, yards and ports to meet requirements of separating the site for storage of imports, exports and transited goods and the inland cargo storage area; and have not yet met conditions on warehouses, yards and sites as prescribed by law.

Regarding the supervision of land transport, in order to strengthen solutions to strictly control import and export activities through land border gates, especially for consumer goods, the GDVC has instructed the declarant to declare information before the goods arrive at the border gate by land or inland waterway.

The modernization of the management of border gates, ports, warehouses and yards has achieved many positive results, however, to meet the management requirements, as well as unify the customs modernization towards a Digital Customs model and Smart Customs, the GDVC will continue to review and assess the situation in the whole sector.

Specifically, the country’s top customs agency requests the local customs departments to implement a comprehensive review of land border gates, seaports, international airports, international railway stations, and inland waterway ports, warehouses, yards and sites in the customs control area nationwide.

The GDVC also asks the departments to review land border gates, seaports receiving international ships; transshipment sites; international airports; international railway stations; inland waterway ports; checkpoints at land border gates, international intermodal railway stations, seaports, inland waterway ports invested by the Customs or those eligible for customs control invested by operators; bonded warehouses, CFS warehouses, bonded warehouses, Off - Airport Cargo Terminal, duty-free shops; checkpoints at the inland port; places for gathering, inspecting and supervising exports and imports, and express delivery goods.

Local customs departments are also required to review, make a list, and conduct a physical inspection of warehouses and sites that are invested by operators and are recognized before the effective date of Decree 68/2016/ND-CP, their name and operation function are not in line with the name of warehouses and sites but they meet the operating conditions as prescribed in Decree 68/2016/ ND-CP.

The overall assessment will help the GDVC to have a basis to assess the current situation at border gates, ports, warehouses and locations, thereby building a database and equipment investment plan to serve Smart Customs in the near future, ensuring the supervision and management of customs operation in border gates, seaports, warehouses, yards and sites.