VIET NAM’S BEST PRACTICES IN TRADE FACILITATION

INTRODUCTION

As a WTO, ASEAN, and WCO member, the Government of Viet Nam (GVN) is committed to, fair, open, and transparent international trade. Part of the promotion of fair and transparent trade is the provision of clear and effective Trade Facilitation (TF) measures and services for all classes of Goods, Services and Traders, and with the Viet Nam’s trading partners.

In accordance with Viet Nam’s obligations as an ASEAN and WTO member, and as signatory to GATT, GATS and ATIGA, Viet Nam has implemented the following world-class International Best Practice Trade Facilitation (TF) services:

1. VIET NAM NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW (VNSW)

As per Viet Nam’s WTO and ATIGA commitments, Viet Nam has implemented a National Single Window (NSW), through which traders submit applications for Certificates, Licenses and Permits, as well as submitting Customs clearance declarations and all supporting documents.

To date the system has on-lined over 188 administrative procedures covering 13 ministries and is estimated to have saved importers and exports over US$4.55 billion in fees and time delay costs.

Traders can now apply and pay for almost all cross border CLPS and Customs procedures on-line and at reduced cost, improving Viet Nam’s international competitiveness and increasing Viet Nam’s attractiveness as a country in which to invest and with who to do business with.

Viet Nam is committed to the extension of the the VNSW to all areas of cross border trade, and is currently implementing mutual, electronic recognition of Origin Certificates between Viet Nam’s fellow ASEAN members, and other trading nations.

The VNTR is now connected to complementary Single Windows (SWs) systems in many other ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and it will continue to expand this automatic data exchange and recognition network in 2021 to include Myanmar and Lao PDR.

In addition to the above, the VNSW was connected to the National Public Service portal in 2020, to further reduce business compliance costs and to better provide potential Traders with resources to register and establish their businesses. The VNSW also has links to the Viet Nam Trade Information Portal (VTIP), to ensure NTMs and their associated procedures and costs are clearly and transparently available to all members of the public and trading community.

The VNSW has continued to operate and provide value during the COVID-19 pandemic and may arguably have become more valuable during this period, as its ability to accept and clear shipments without face-to-face interactions with officials, has significantly added to Viet Nam’s ability to keep international supply chains open.

Detailed information can be found at the following link (only available in the national language): https://vnsw.gov.vn/

2. VIET NAM NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE PORTAL

On 9 December 2019, Viet Nam introduced the Viet Nam National Public Services Portal (VNPSP). The objective of the VNPSP is to provide the general public and traders with a clear and transparent set of rules, resources and regulations governing on-line public services and to thus create an attractive and dynamic environment to promote the growth of business and trade.

Under the VNPSP, citizens and enterprises can log in to public services and Government Ministries at all levels, from the provincial office level to national headquarters. Here they can obtain advice on managing and running businesses, apply on-line for local Certificates, Licenses or Permits (CLPs) (if required), be put in touch with potential business partners or investors, action Registration obligations, and provide feedback on how effective services are and how they might be improved.

The VNPSP contains all the appropriate legal explanations, forms, and administrative details, to ensure fair and transparent acceptance and processing of business application and services requests.

The VNPSP may be accesses at https://dichvucong.gov.vn/

3. VIET NAM AUTOMATED CARGO AND PORT CONSOLIDATED SYSTEM (VNACCS)

In 2014 Viet Nam launched its new on-line Customs clearance system, the VNACCS. In coordination with the VNSW, the VNACCS clears Customs declarations automatically, verifies CLPS with issuing Government Ministries and coordinates and verifies shipments and goods manifests with Port Authorities, Shipping Agents, Consolidators and other freight and goods services operators.

So effective has the new VNACCS system been, that typical clearance times for Green Channel shipments (shipments with no Risk indicators against them), have fallen from several days prior to 2014, to as low as 3 seconds today.

The time and delay savings for such enormous decreases in clearance times are obvious and have been major contributors to Viet Nam’s continuing and growing desirability not just as an investment destination and trading partner, but as a regional transshipment hub.

Under the VNACCS system, shipments are automatically scanned for Risk, Valuation, Classification and CLP obligations and criteria, assigned a risk rating and and inspection profile (if required), and all relevant parties, both public and private, are notified electronically.

The VNACCS may be accessed at http://www.vnaccs.com/

4. THE VIET NAM NATIONAL TRADE REPOSITORY (VNTR)

The VNTR continues Viet Nam’s commitment to Trade Facilitation (TF) and transparency and openness in international trade. Here you will find all the Measures covering cross border trade in Viet Nam, all Viet Nam’s current FTA and MFN agreements and commitments; and extensive rules covering Viet Nam’s Trade in Services obligations under GATS.

Please enjoy this site and for further information on the VNTR, please read our extensive FAQ section, which describes what the VNTR does and does not cover, as well as answering many common trade related questions.