The Customs sector must accelerate reforms and digital transformation.

(Chinhphu.vn) - The Customs sector needs to accelerate institutional reforms, digital transformation, streamline its organizational structure, and modernize management to facilitate trade, reduce logistics costs, and contribute to achieving double-digit economic growth targets.

Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan: Digital transformation is not a trend but a vital task aimed at enhancing national competitiveness and achieving socio-economic development goals. Photo: VGP/HT

Streamlining the organizational structure and promoting digital customs.

On the afternoon of May 15th, Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan chaired a meeting on the performance of tasks and future directions of the Customs Department.

Attending the meeting were Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi, Director of the Customs Department Nguyen Van Tho, along with leaders of units under the Ministry of Finance and the entire Customs sector. The conference was connected online to 20 regional customs branches across the country.

Reporting at the meeting, the Customs Department stated that from March 1, 2025, the Customs sector will officially transform its model from 35 local customs departments to 20 regional customs branches, in accordance with Decision No. 382/QD-BTC of the Ministry of Finance.

Streamlining 53.77% of organizational structures is identified as the foundation for optimizing resources, improving management efficiency, and aiming to achieve a budget revenue target exceeding VND 516,500 billion in 2026.

Simultaneously, the Customs sector is implementing many tasks in a coordinated manner, such as perfecting institutions, reforming administrative procedures, building digital customs, modernizing risk management, expanding the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window mechanisms, and investing in information technology infrastructure and customs surveillance equipment.

Currently, the industry's information technology system serves more than 243,000 businesses with a 100% rate of electronic declarations. The process of receiving declarations and customs clearance is automated according to operational rules, reducing the processing time for green-channel declarations to just seconds.

In addition, the Customs sector is providing 216 administrative procedures, including 120 fully online procedures, 58 partially online procedures, and 27 online information provision procedures.

Notably, as of April 15th, the Customs sector's online public service system had received and processed nearly 6.76 million online applications.

Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan chaired a meeting on the performance of tasks and future directions of the Customs Department. Photo: VGP/HT

Promote institutional reforms and facilitate trade.

According to the Customs Department, by the end of April 2026, the unit had completed 3 projects submitted to the Government , 3 projects submitted to the Ministry of Finance, and 7 projects at the Department level as part of the 2026 key work program. At the same time, the department also completed an additional 7 projects submitted to the Government, 7 projects submitted to the Ministry of Finance, and 22 projects at the Department level outside the program, including 1 decree and 3 circulars that have been issued.

Currently, the Customs Department is continuing to develop many important legal documents, including 1 law, 3 decrees, and 5 circulars. Regarding the task of amending and supplementing the 2014 Customs Law, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has added the draft law to the 2026 legislative program, and it is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval at the October 2026 session.

According to Nguyen Van Tho, Director of the Customs Department, the centralized customs clearance model and the smart customs ecosystem are crucial solutions for processing over 6.6 million declarations amidst staff reduction. He stated that a highlight of May 2026 will be the pilot implementation of the centralized customs clearance model at the Customs Sub-department of Region III to ensure uniformity and objectivity in operational procedures.

In his remarks, Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan highly appreciated the achievements of the Customs sector in improving institutions, reforming administrative procedures, digital transformation, combating smuggling and trade fraud, preventing drug trafficking, and international cooperation. The Minister emphasized that digital transformation is a vital task to enhance national competitiveness and achieve socio-economic development goals.

According to the Minister, the Customs sector needs to focus on eight key tasks: improving institutions, developing information technology, administrative reform, combating smuggling and trade fraud, revenue collection, international integration, reorganizing the organizational structure, and investing in infrastructure.

Director Nguyen Van Tho stated that the Customs Department will continue to promote digital customs, reform procedures, and strive to exceed revenue collection by 10%. As of May 15th, the Customs Department had reduced and simplified 33 out of 39 administrative procedures as planned and implemented an additional 13 procedures, achieving 117.94% of the plan. Furthermore, the department plans to eliminate all 16 business conditions in 2026.

Mr. Minh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/nganh-hai-quan-phai-tang-toc-cai-cach-chuyen-doi-so-102260515182507596.htm