Vietnamese laws reviewed based on EU FTA commitments

The Vietnam Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) held a one-day workshop on customs and transparency attracting businesses and policy-makers in Hanoi on Thursday.

According to the VCCI, Vietnam’s customs laws are quite consistent with its EVFTA commitments since both are based on Kyoto Convention, the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs. Yet, the main problem lies in the implementation of the law.

According to General Department of Vietnam Customs, goods quality assessment conducted by agencies other than customs accounts for 72% of the time spent on clearance. For example, agro-produce needs to undergo hygiene and food safety assessments in addition to customs clearance.

To resolve this situation, experts underscored co-operation between customs and other related agencies.

Besides customs, the workshop also discussed the compatibility of the two laws on transparency and in theory there is no significant disparity between that of Vietnamese law and the country’s EVFTA commitments.