During June 2019, USAID helped the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) to organize six consultative workshops to gather feedback and recommendations on amending Circular 38 and Circular 39 - regulation guidance on Vietnam’s Customs Law. The workshops helped identify the challenges and practical compliance-burdens faced by import-export businesses in relation to implementation of the circulars. It was attended by 775 representatives (420 men and 355 women) of import-export enterprises, 35 local customs departments, and three relevant ministries. Nearly 80 comments from the private sector and 50 recommendations from the customs  representatives focused on issues such as an automated e-customs system, decentralization of tasks from central to local customs, customs duties, and customs valuation applied to import-export goods. GDVC Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh, who chaired the public consultative workshops, advised that the Circulars would be revised based on these workshops.

So What? A new Circular will be developed that will benefit both business interests and balance the effective customs management and revenue collection. Promoting trade facilitation by simplifying the customs procedures will help to improve Vietnam’s regional competitiveness, by making it a more attractive and predictable investment location and supporting the Indo-Pacific Vision’s competitiveness pillar.