{
  "id": 2059575,
  "title": "Centralised customs clearance paves the way for smarter trade",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/centralised-customs-clearance-paves-the-way-for-smarter-trade",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-20T02:34:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Vietnam Investment Review",
    "slug": "vietnam-investment-review",
    "url": "https://vir.com.vn/centralised-customs-clearance-paves-the-way-for-smarter-trade-159042.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After a two-month pilot, the centralised customs clearance model has cut shipment processing time by 12 percent compared to May 2026 and by around 14 percent compared to the first quarter of 2026. This model also reduces direct interaction between businesses and customs officials. Daily, seaports, border gates, and international airports handle tens of thousands of customs declarations. With cross-border goods flows increasing, the customs authority must maintain strict controls to prevent fraud while shortening processing times, cutting costs, and facilitating trade for businesses. The shift from geographically dispersed management to centralised customs clearance using a unified data platform is seen as a significant step in the development of digital and smart customs. Dao Duy Tam, head of the Customs Control and Supervision Department, says the move aligns with the party and state's emphasis on digital transformation, administrative reform, and establishing a unified focal point for administrative work. The pilot began at Customs Branch No. III on June 1, following the Ministry of Finance's guidance in Notice No 710/TB-BTC dated September 12, 2025. The model has brought several improvements, including digitising documents through data fields supported by AI tools. This allows businesses to avoid re-entering data, cut errors, and reduce the costs of printing and storing paper documents. The centralised model also establishes a unified workflow, making processing times more predictable for businesses and enabling them to organise logistics activities more actively and reduce compliance costs. Processing time for a shipment fell by 12 percent after the introduction of the centralised model compared to May and by around 14 percent compared with the first quarter of 2026. The model also promotes paperless administrative procedures as digitised and centrally processed documents reduce the need for direct contact between businesses and customs officials. This saves businesses time and eliminates intermediary stages in administrative procedures. Centralised customs clearance isn't just about transferring procedures to an electronic system; it involves a change in management thinking from geographical processing to data-based, centralized management; and from a fragmented to a unified process across the entire system. The Customs Department considers changing perceptions and mindsets a decisive factor, requiring a shift from manual management to digital thinking and from decentralisation to centralisation. This step is crucial in building digital and smart customs, as data becomes the foundation for regulatory management and services for businesses.",
  "summary": "Centralised customs clearance is streamlining procedures cutting shipment processing times and reducing direct contact marking a significant step towards a more efficient transparent and digitally driven customs system",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}