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| Officials of Hai Phong Port Area 3 Customs Branch (Hai Phong Customs Department) inspect import and export goods. Photo: T.Binh |
Business-centric approach
As a unit with a large workload with tens of thousands of businesses carrying out procedures and millions of declarations each year, Hai Phong Customs has determined the task of administrative reform and trade facilitation, contributing to attracting investment into the area as one of the key and thorough tasks.
According to Director of Hai Phong Customs Department Nguyen Duy Ngoc, the unit has always focused on administrative reform, customs modernization, and promoting the development of Customs-Business partnerships according to the motto “business-centric approach”. At the same time, the has received problems and recommendations from the business community to promptly resolve or propose and advise competent authorities on solutions to remove difficulties, accompany, support, and facilitate the sustainable development of the business community.
In 2024, Hai Phong Customs identifies key tasks and solutions on administrative reform, customs modernization and trade facilitation such as: strengthening customs management supervision at all stages, ensuring compliance with operating mechanisms and procedures according to the development orientation, running the digital customs management model, modernizing monitoring equipment, improving customs management capacity and facilitating trade and foreign investment, in accordance with international practices and standards.
Focusing on risk management at all operational stages, collecting and analyzing key risk information to take inspection and supervision measures to ensure effective implementation of customs management and trade facilitation activities.
Actively deploying digital transformation in the spirit of innovation, creativity, comprehensiveness and practicality; accelerating administrative reform and customs modernization; continuing to develop the Customs – Business partnership in a practical and effective way to create favorable conditions for import and export activities while ensuring customs management.
Opening up the flow of import and export goods
Representatives of the import-export business community in Hai Phong area and businesses outside the area doing procedures at Hai Phong Customs have recognized and appreciated reform efforts to open up the flow of import and export goods of the department.
Ms. Tran Thuy Trang, Deputy General Director of Jasan Vietnam Co., Ltd. (VSIP Hai Phong Urban, Industrial Park and Service Area, Thuy Trieu Commune, Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong) said that the company was established in 2014, is a Chinese FDI enterprise with total investment capital of VND1,100 billion, average annual sale of VND2,500 billion, specialized in manufacturing and exporting high-quality socks to the US, Japanese, European markets…
After 10 years of investing in Hai Phong, the company has felt a strong and clear change in the administrative reform and facilitation of departments and agencies of Hai Phong City, especially customs reform.
“In the process of customs clearance, the company is always guided enthusiastically by civil servants of the Hai Phong Customs Department. Any problems during the clearance are consulted and solved promptly. Therefore, every year the company carries out thousands of import and export declarations, but they are all cleared quickly and conveniently,” said Ms. Tran Thuy Trang.
Established in 1996 (headquartered in Hong Bang district, Hai Phong), being the leading electric wire and cable manufacturing enterprise in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, in 2023, LS VINA Electric Cable and System JSC completed its goal of US$558 million in sale, of which exports reached US$146 million.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, Head of Purchasing Unit of LS VINA Cable and System JSC said: nearly 30 years of production, business, import and export activities, the company has always received support and companionship of Hai Phong Customs Department and local authorities. Especially in difficult times like the Covid-19 pandemic, the company received support and help from Hai Phong Customs to import raw materials to serve the needs of production and export, creating prestige with customers.
The import-export business community in the area also appreciated the organization of dialogue conferences with import-export businesses by Hai Phong Customs Department and its affiliated branches.
The dialogue conferences not only help to answer problems in the field of import and export but also are a chance for businesses to raise their difficulties to local authorities.
Mr. Pham Van Phuong, Head of Import-Export and Purchasing Unit of IDEMITSU Vietnam Lubricants Co., Ltd. (Dinh Vu Industrial Park, Hai An District, Hai Phong) cited: through the Dialogue Conference with import-export businesses in 2024 with the theme “Cooperation – Development – Efficiency” organized by the People’s Committee of Hai Phong City on March 20, 2024 (Hai Phong Customs Department was assigned by the leaders of Hai Phong City to preside over the conference – reporter), the company had an opportunity to report to the leaders and departments of Hai Phong City about the congestion at Dinh Vu liquid cargo port, causing imported cargo ships to have to wait 3-5 days to dock, raising costs for the company of about US$10,000 per day.
Sharing with reporters, representatives of many businesses in the area expressed their desire to continue to receive effective companionship and support from Hai Phong Customs to restore and develop production, business and import and export in a sustainable way.