Dong Nai is qualified to import cars.

Import and export activities at Phuoc An Port. Photo: Ngoc Lien

However, among the goods undergoing import procedures at Dong Nai's customs offices, cars have not yet been included in the list of goods allowed to be imported as announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade .

Qualified but not yet allowed to import cars

According to Decision No. 23/2019/QD-TTg, dated June 27, 2019 of the Prime Minister promulgating the List of imported goods that must go through customs procedures at the import gate (Decision No. 23), passenger cars with less than 16 seats are one of 14 imported goods that must go through customs procedures at the import gate.

To implement Decision No. 23 of the Prime Minister, on December 20, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular No. 21/2021/TT-BCT (Circular No. 21) regulating border gates for importing passenger cars with less than 16 seats. Accordingly, from January 2022, 6 Vietnam seaport customs offices are allowed to import passenger cars with less than 16 seats in the following provinces and cities: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City has 2 customs offices allowed to import cars.

In Dong Nai, Nhon Trach Customs Clearance Center is one of the province's five customs clearance centers with the strength to exploit and carry out automobile import procedures because the area under its management has Phuoc An Seaport (Phuoc An commune), one of the largest seaports in Dong Nai province, officially put into operation from the end of 2024.

With an area of over 164 hectares and a total investment of over 11 trillion VND, Phuoc An Port has 9 wharfs with a total length of about 2.8 km, capable of receiving ships of up to 60,000 tons. This seaport is expected to become a link in the logistics chain development strategy of Dong Nai and the Southeast region.

Currently, Phuoc An Seaport has cooperated with many international shipping lines such as: WANHAI, MSC, SITC... Mr. Truong Hoang Hai, General Director of Phuoc An Port Investment and Exploitation Petroleum Joint Stock Company said: Phuoc An Port has a strategic geographical location close to Thi Vai River, which is a key shipping route to the East Sea. In addition, the port is also close to key industrial zones of Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, so it is very convenient for attracting investment and transiting goods.

In particular, in 2026, when Long Thanh Airport comes into operation, Phuoc An Port will increase in value as it is less than 30km from the airport. This will continue to be a strength, an ideal condition to attract investors, and at the same time form a multimodal logistics chain domestically and internationally.

Contribute to increasing state budget revenue from car imports

According to the assessment of the Regional Customs Branch XVIII (Dong Nai province), Phuoc An Port is the center connecting the traffic system between the Ring Road 3, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, Dau Giay - Phan Thiet Expressway and in the near future there will be more inter-port roads. When the traffic system is synchronously connected, along with the development of the system of industrial parks, export processing zones, warehouses, Long Thanh Airport and seaports, it will contribute to promoting the strong development of the import-export sector. To meet the needs of import-export goods, the Regional Customs Branch XVIII has made efforts to reform administrative procedures in the customs sector, improve the quality of staff, especially promoting digital transformation, applying the Smart Customs model in inspection and handling of customs clearance procedures to ensure compliance with regulations.

In the 10 months of 2025, the total state budget revenue of Dong Nai province reached over 75 trillion VND. To complete the 2025 collection task and prepare revenue sources for 2026, the tax and customs sectors are making efforts to maintain and develop sustainable revenue sources, achieving high efficiency according to the set goals.

Recognizing the advantages of Phuoc An Port in being able to receive imported automobiles, at a meeting with provincial leaders on financial work for the first 10 months of 2025, Head of the Regional Customs Branch XVIII Le Van Thung said: The customs sector is making efforts to exploit revenue sources. The production situation of enterprises is still facing many difficulties. In particular, the US continues to issue warnings about taxes. Import-export turnover with tax only reaches 15% of the province's total import-export turnover.

Dong Nai has proposed to be allowed to carry out car import procedures at Phuoc An Port. According to the regulations in Decision No. 23 of the Prime Minister, Dong Nai is not a place to import cars, while Dong Nai has large enterprises such as: Do Thanh Auto Joint Stock Company, Suzuki Vietnam Co., Ltd. and Truong Hai Group... but cars still have to go through import procedures from other places.

According to Mr. Le Van Thung, if Dong Nai is allowed to import cars, Nhon Trach Customs and the capacity of Phuoc An Port will contribute significantly to the economic development of the locality, bringing in large budget revenue, especially in the coming period, Dong Nai will have a lot of pressure to increase budget revenue.

Ngoc Lien

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202511/dong-nai-du-dieu-kien-nhap-khau-o-to-d033112/