Electronic customs declaration still stuck

khai báo hải quan - Ảnh 1. — Customs officers at Saigon Port Area 2 guide businesses through some problems with cargo declarations - Photo: QUANG DINH

The reason is that some address information on declarations, customs documents... is no longer displayed.

The Customs Department said that it has issued many documents directing units to coordinate with relevant agencies, port and warehouse businesses, etc. to adjust information on systems related to the customs sector, ensuring data synchronization.

Previously, the Customs Department issued a notice not requiring businesses to submit documents at the new address until completing the information change procedure after July 1.

Network "hangs", businesses struggle

Mr. Ho Van Duy, director of ABZ Company (HCMC), specializing in customs declaration procedures, said that with the new system, customs declaration codes are collected from localities, so at customs branches, new declaration department codes arise. Therefore, "unfamiliar" businesses will be stuck in handling.

For example, at the Saigon Port Customs Area 1, under the management of the Customs Sub-Department Area 2, there are 3 codes including: import department code, export department code and supervision department code. Because the codes are separated by commodity group, 10 declaration department codes arise instead of 3 codes as before.

"Meanwhile, the information technology section currently only recognizes 5 codes, the rest are not recognized. When the business records are automatically assigned to civil servants for processing, from the 6th department code onwards, there is an error, so businesses are confused," said Mr. Duy, adding that customs will flexibly help businesses clear customs until the technology system is stable.

Mr. LVT, an employee of a company specializing in container shipping, FCL/LCL and import-export customs procedures in Ho Chi Minh City, said that businesses are impatient because the automatic mechanism of assigning civil servants to check documents makes customs procedures take more time, especially for goods that are classified as yellow or red because they have to go through many stages of inspection.

"If you meet a customs officer who is familiar with making import and export declarations and understands the nature of the goods, it will be very convenient for businesses. If the goods, especially chemicals, are not familiar with the item code, the risk management and inspection of many parts will be required, which will prolong the time the goods are stored in warehouses and yards," said Mr. LVT.

Customs has forecasted and supported promptly?

According to Tuoi Tre, in some groups discussing customs procedures on social networks, many businesses shared many situations that occurred in other customs procedures that businesses... did not know how to handle.

For example, on the group "Customs Procedures and Electronic Customs" with more than 115,000 members, an account asked that import tax had been paid to customs 24/7, the bank had deducted money but the customs account had not yet received a notification. "Making an item go through many different customs, each one has a different way. This customs officer approves, the business follows. When it is transferred for cross-checking, it meets another customs officer, who gives a different assessment. The business hopes to reach an agreement in writing," a business (anonymous account) complained.

Many businesses are not clear about the new declaration code on the new system, the system is slow so they have not updated and paid taxes; or the value added tax rate of some exported goods to domestic customers has been reduced to 8% but the customs declaration of incoming goods is still 10%, customs has not updated...

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, a customs leader of the Customs Branch of Region 2 said that before the new system was deployed from July 1, the agency had sent a document informing customs declarants and businesses about difficulties related to connection and communication that could occur.

"Although the system conversion process is going smoothly, the customs sector still foresees difficulties in connecting with ministries, branches, treasuries, banks, ASEAN single-window portals... Therefore, customs units in particular always have a department to support professional and technical activities to strengthen and promptly handle any arising issues, ensuring that businesses' import and export activities are not interrupted," he said.

Affirming that the implementation of the automatic mechanism to assign civil servants to check documents on the VNACCS/VCIS, ECUS... systems for customs declarations in the yellow and red channels is a positive point, this person said that "when everything is completed, businesses will feel this convenience".

Customs clearance of goods increased by double digits

The Customs Department said that in the first half of 2025, customs authorities processed an estimated amount of goods worth 431.4 billion USD, an increase of 16% (equivalent to an increase of 59.4 billion USD) over the same period last year.

Of which, the export value is estimated at 219.3 billion USD (up 14.2%, equivalent to an increase of 27.2 billion USD over the same period last year) and the import value is estimated at 212.1 billion USD (up 17.9%, equivalent to an increase of 32.2 billion USD over the same period last year). Vietnam's trade balance of goods in the first 6 months of the year is estimated at a surplus of 7.1 billion USD, down 40.6% compared to the surplus in the same period in 2024.

The accumulated state budget revenue in the first 6 months of 2025 from import-export activities reached VND 222,749 billion, equal to 54.2% of the assigned estimate, an increase of 10.3% (equivalent to an increase of VND 20,874 billion) over the same period in 2024.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khai-bao-hai-quan-dien-tu-van-vuong-20250711082047248.htm