Vietnam steps up customs clearance to match ASEAN levels

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VietnamThe Vietnamese government will further streamline customs procedures to cut down on shipment clearance time and align it with overall standards in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.

In a new executive order, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has instructed the finance and the customs agencies to remove unnecessary customs procedures so as to reduce by half the clearance time for import and export goods by year-end, according to local reports.

This is to ensure that by 2015, Vietnam will be on the same level with the ASEAN-6 countries of Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei in average time for completing export and import procedures and customs paperwork, said a report from VietnamNet.

Customs has also been asked to fast-track implementation of information technology systems, the ASEAN one-door mechanism, and the one-door customs mechanism in pursuit of this objective.

The administration likewise wants closer supervision of customs staff to minimize shady dealings during customs clearance and warns of termination of services for violators.

At the same time, the government will continue investing in equipment to improve the checking of goods at border gates.

Meeting growth targets

As this developed, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also asked his Cabinet members to look for feasible solutions and measures to ensure that targets set for 2014 are met.

Vietnam is aiming for a 5.8 percent growth in 2014, and the Prime Minister stressed that this target will not be adjusted.

He urged the officials to put priority on solving issues related to economic restructuring, GDP growth, macroeconomy, and easing business difficulties.

Photo: hermitsmoores

1 COMMENT

  1. A good initiative from the government to match with other countries of ASEAN group. Customs is a very important part now for any countries development and it is a nice intent from vietnam to step up its services with rest of associate countries.

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