Ca Mau Customs Driving Business-Centric Reforms

The Ca Mau Customs Department oversees customs operations in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces. Over 34 years of development, the department has obtained significant achievements through the concerted efforts of its staff, underscoring the role and position of the customs sector in national construction and defense, particularly in the era of global economic integration.

Mr. Cao Van Mien, Director of the Ca Mau Customs Department

Excellently completing all tasks

The Ca Mau Customs Department administers customs in the two farthest Mekong Delta provinces, the southernmost provinces of Vietnam. The region is flanked by the sea on three sides, featuring key international maritime routes and serving as a maritime hub in Southeast Asia. Located in a strategic location, the key tasks of Ca Mau Customs are to facilitate trade and support the business community to carry out customs procedures. With seafood and fertilizer exports as key international trade drives, the department has importantly assisted these products to reach out to the world market, overcome strict technical barriers, and penetrate deeper into major markets in the world such as Europe, the United States, Australia and Canada. The volume and value of imports and exports have always advanced year after year. In 2022, the department processed 9,354 declarations with a total import and export value of US$1.24 billion. In 2023, it handled 9,592 declarations totaling US$1.17 billion. In the first six months of 2024, the department settled 4,155 declarations valued at US$534.23 million.

In addition to outstanding results with customs procedures, tax collection for the State Budget has also been very remarkable. Despite handling not many commodity lines, the Ca Mau Customs Department has actively worked with the highest political effort to complete its State Budget collection tasks. In 2022, the state budget revenue was VND353.65 billion, 76.82% higher than the target assigned by the Ministry of Finance. In 2023, the value was VND159.61 billion, 27.69% higher than the target. In the first six months of 2024, the state budget revenue was US$143.21 billion, 25.07% higher than the target.

To support businesses on their development journey, the Ca Mau Customs Department consistently provides assistance to the local business community. Every year, the department hosts a customs-business dialogue where difficult matters in understanding and applying laws in customs procedures faced by enterprises are all grasped and enthusiastically guided for solution by the department. Thus, the department has been highly appreciated by the business community for coordinated implementation.

In recent years, the Ca Mau Customs Department has effectively advanced digital transformation and streamlined customs procedures in an electronic environment. Currently, 100% of customs procedures are performed electronically at the department and at its affiliated units, with the database centrally processed at the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Customs authorities have exchanged information before the arrival of commodities. All tax payment procedures are conducted through the 24/7 electronic tax payment system. In addition, the department has coordinated with commercial banks to collect State Budget revenue through commercial banks to facilitate businesses in tax payment and ensure sufficient, timely and accurate collection. It has provided online public services around the clock; applied the priority business regime according to the standards of the World Customs Organization (WCO); adopted risk management methods in customs operations; and implemented the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window. Notably, all records have been processed on time and met service time and quality requirements.

In addition, the department has paid special attention to controlling and simplifying administrative procedures. The department has collected opinions from the business community on the implementation of administrative procedures, thus proposing options for cancellation, amendment and simplification. As a result, all administrative procedures in the customs sector have been settled in time, helping businesses reduce time, cost and paperwork, and create maximum convenience for commercial activities.

The Ca Mau Provincial Customs Department holds a conference to launch and sign an MoU for phase 2 of the pilot program supporting voluntary customs law compliance by enterprises

Continuously improving the capacity for business support

Mr. Cao Van Mien, Director of the Ca Mau Customs Department, said, to effectively facilitate trade and enhance customs capacity and efficiency, the department will focus on consistently implementing the following four solutions:

First, synchronously and transparently implementing regulations and commitments according to international standards; applying Technology 4.0 to State customs management, laws on export and import tax for exported and imported goods; ensuring close connection, unifying requirements for modern State customs management; minimizing customs clearance and release time, reducing time and costs for businesses.

Second, supporting the business community to carry out customs procedures in a simplified, harmonized and compliant manner with international standards and practices; synchronously applying modern customs management methods at the stages before, during and after customs clearance and between stages in a unified and continuous manner.

Third, developing professional personnel, mastering modern technology and technical equipment; taking the motto of the declaration of customer service as the center of performing public duties; always listening, understanding, sharing and supporting the business community in the most timely and effective manner.

Fourth, applying modern technologies to business processes; performing customs procedures in the electronic environment to meet modern technological flows according to the structure of e-government and the orientation of digital government that Vietnam is aiming for.

By Cong Luan, Vietnam Business Forum