Each company has to spend about 14.9 hours to complete a cross-border trade transaction and incur direct costs of around VND3.8 million (US$165) for logistics services, according to the 2022 Administrative Procedure Compliance Costs Index (APCI) report.

The report was compiled by the Prime Minister's Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through the LinkSME project aimed at promoting reform and enhancing the connectivity of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The report indicates that the time required to carry out logistics-related activities has increased for all cargo flows. The trend of using full-package intermediary services continues to rise, with an average annual increase of 11 per cent for such services.

With efforts to promote non-cash payments and combat irregularities in import-export tax activities, the survey conducted by LinkSME shows that the proportion of businesses that filed tax declarations online in 2022 was 81.1 per cent higher than in previous years. The payment of informal expenses to facilitate customs clearance procedures continues to decline over time.

The indices also show that positive changes stemming from the customs system continue to outweigh other related agencies such as specialised inspection bodies or port management and business units. The Viet Nam Automated System for Seaport Customs Management (VASSCM), once widely used, potentially brings about breakthroughs in the reform of cross-border trade procedures. — VNS