HANOI, July 10, 2019 -- Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance launched the USAID Trade Facilitation Program.  It was attended by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene, as well as representatives from local government agencies, international organizations, and business associations.

The five-year, $21.7 million USAID Trade Facilitation Program aims to support the Government of Vietnam to adopt and implement a risk management approach to customs and specialized inspection agencies, which will strengthen the implementation of the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement of which both Vietnam and the United States are members.

The USAID Trade Facilitation Program will work with the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC), under the Ministry of Finance, to strengthen the role and capacity of Vietnam's National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and their associated working groups to improve the efficiency of specialized inspections and customs-to-business partnerships.

The USAID Trade Facilitation Program will be implemented until 2023 and will support the standardization of policies and procedures for export and import, strengthen national and provincial coordination, and build the capacity of provincial customs officers.  This will help Vietnam develop a more attractive and predictable trade and investment climate for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises  as well as international traders and investors.

For more information on the USAID Trade Facilitation Program, visit: https://go.usa.gov/xykES

For photos of the event, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmEWo4QR