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HO CHI MINH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF POLITICS

TRAN VAN TRANG

Human resource for the modernization of
Vietnam Customs in international integration

SUMMARY OF THE PHD THESIS IN LAW
FIELD OF STUDY: Political economics
CODE: 62 31 01 02

HANOI 2017
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Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. ĐOÀN XUÂN THỦY

Reviewer 1: ..................................
Reviewer 2: ................................
Reviewer 3: ..................................
The thesis will be defended in front of the Thesis
Committee at Academy level, according to the Decision
of the President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy
of Politics , organized at the Ho Chi Minh National
Academy of Politics
At…… hour…… date …… month …… year……

The thesis can be found at:

Decision number 1514/ QD-BTC of Minister of Finance, to successfully
implement economic – social development goals for the period 2011- 2015
and orientation to 2020, the work on human resource has not yet reached the
standard recommended by the World Customs Organization and still below
standard of ASEAN group -4 and many other developed countries.
In addition,
Besides, in terms of quantity, there has not been a job position based
assessment and a reform of organizational structure to meet the model of ecustoms, one national door, one ASEAN door mechanism. There has also
not been a review of Resolution No. 39-NQ / TW dated 04/17/2015 of the
Politburo of the downsizing and restructuring of staff and public servants.
For the above reasons, the author has chosen the topic of "Human
resources for modernization of Vietnam Customs in the international
integration" as research topics of his doctoral thesis in political economics.
2. The aim and tasks of the thesis
*The aim of the thesis
This study aims to clarify the theoretical rationale and practices of human
resources issue in order to modernize the customs in the context of
international integration; to analyse and assess the status of customs resource
in according with the modernization of Vietnam customs; to propose solutions

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and measures to develop human resources to accelerate the modernization of
Vietnam Customs in line with the international trend in the country's future.
* Research Tasks

administration of the whole nation: General Department of Customs;
provincial Customs Department; Customs unit at the borer
In term of time, the situation analysis, data analysis on the plan to customs
modernization in the period from 2011-2015 and propose direction and and
solutions for the period from now till 2025 and vision to 2035

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4. New contributions of the thesis
Firstly, the thesis contributes to developed the concept of Vietnam
Customs human resource;
Secondly, the thesis clarifies the role of human resources as a key factor to
the modernization of customs in the international economic integration,
introduces the criteria system for assessment to meet the requirements of
modernization for customs sector and identifies the key factors affecting
human resource for the modernization of customs sector in international
integration.
Thirdly, on the basis of analysis and evaluation of the status of human
resource in the modernization of Vietnam customs in international integration
from 2011-2015, the thesis identifies major limitations of Vietnam customs
human resource
Fourthly, the thesis identifies the cause of the limitations mentioned above.
Fifthly, the thesis proposed recommendations to develop human resource
for the modernization of Vietnam customs in the context of international
integration by 2035.

that have been raised include the followings
- Affirming the importance of development strategies for human
resource development in customs sector at a national level, and
confirming the need to follow and to satisfy short term and long term
demand with the the quantity, quality and qualifications
- Activities to developed human resources in customs sector need to
reform in term of form and duration, subject, and training content, to
meet new requirements of international integration.
- In order to manage and employ staffs effectively, it is necessary to
carry out administrative reform, to strengthen the work on assessment,
analysis working capacity of officials; simplify the rules and procedures
to prevent harassment; strengthening integrity for officials.
- To maintain and attract high-quality human resources, in addition
to the ensuring the regime and policies for officials, leaders, managers
must know how to encourage, build confidence, and expectations for
officials and civil servants to build the most effective of their capacity
and institutional capacity. The relevant studies also refer to the creating
of enabling and professional working environment, and core values of
professional ethics is to align employees with organizations.
In general, relevant authors have conducted in-depth studies on
specific aspects of the strategy, mechanisms and policies, focusing on
training and retraining of customs human resource.
However, there remains a gap in conducting a comprehensive and
unified research on human resource to modernize Vietnam custom
sector in the context of international integration. This thesis will focus its
study in the following issues:
Firstly, the need to systemize and clarify basic theoretical issues on
human resource for customs sector such as concepts, key features, roles,
the relationships between human resource and work quality; factors that
impede the work of human resource development, human resource

Based on Karl Marx perspective on material production is the existing
condition for human being and human beings are the centre of the labour and
production process, human resource are approach from perception that labour
force include are part of productive productive forces of humanity. Labour force
is not only a factor of production needs, but also a factor for developing in line
with the level of production. In the process of development of the social
production, labour force is constantly improved and developed. The formation
and development of the market economy has created new conditions for the
development of the labour force. Compared with other commodities as inputs of
production and business activities, labour is increasingly fuller awareness as an
important resource.
When it comes to human resources, first of all, it includes all workers who
have capacity to participate in the economic - social development process and
the generations of social workers who continue to participate in the economic social development process Therefore, human resource is not merely include the
number of existing labourers, but also other material intellectual resources,
labour skills, attitude and working style. All these elements belong to the quality

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of human resource. Along with that, human resource also related to other factors
such as training structure and industrial structure and age structure ...
2.1.1.2 The concept of human resource in customs sector
Human resource in custom sector is part of workforce in the customs
sector, including human resources for authorities in the General Administration
of Customs authorities, provincial customs department, and customs unit.

opening is particularly seen in the reform of customs procedures during the
period 2011-2015 with very positive results. The customs sector has been
recognized by Government and the public as one of the leading industry in the

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reform of administrative procedures.
- At the bilateral level, many countries negotiate together negotiations to sign
bilateral agreements on the basis of the principles of free trade zones, or in the
extent of international economic integration. According to this trend, Vietnam
Customs has negotiated and signed many important bilateral collaborative
documents aiming to create favourable condition for trade investment, tourism
relation between the two countries through professional customs measures and
the identification of general professional standards.
- At the multilateral level, many countries establish or participate together in
the institutions, regional or global economic organizations. In general,
institutions, regional economic organizations are operating on the basis of the
fundamental principles of the WTO (signing and participating of institutions and
international economic institutions; conducting relevant activities in each
country to secure the achievement of the objectives of the integration process
and the implementation of regulations on integration).
* The integration model related to customs
The thesis introduces some popular models of international integration at the
present such as the Free Trade Area (FTA) Customs union; common market;
Allied currency; Economic union; Economic Cooperation Forum; Trade

- Developing and improving institution:
Building a system of customs legislation towards the modernization,
synchronization, following policy on administrative procedure reform and
international commitments and standards. In order to enhance transparency,
encourage people, businesses to follow the law and other regulations provided
in the customs legislations.
- Reforming customs administrative procedures
Procedures and customs management regime should be simple, automated,
harmonization and adherence international to standards, and practices. Thereby
to reduce the cost, time to enhance healthy competition for domestic and foreign
enterprises.
- Developing human resource in line with the process of modernization
Ensuring sufficient quantity and quality officials to meet the requirements of
reforming and modernization of the organizational structure. Customs human
resource is an important factor, determining the success of or failure of reform,
development and modernization of customs and economic integration of each
country.
- Investment in machinery and equipment, application of modern technology
Developing information technology systems of modern customs-based
centralized data processing to fully integrate key function of customs. Creating
favourable condition for the process of declaration process, increasing accuracy
and developing a centralized database, the implementation of commitments in
the integration process in connection with the regional countries.
2.1.2. Features of customs human resource
In addition to the common features of state management human resource,
customs human resource has some unique features. Firstly, it is as a specialized
force that requires a carefully training and re-training; Secondly, in the the
context of market mechanisms, customs human resource has a very tight
relationship with finance, therefor it maybe dominated by private interests,
influencing the public interest. Third, customs human resource is representing

requirements of modernization. And these criteria’s will be used in
assessing the situation of customs’ human resource whether meet the
requirements of the Vietnam Customs Modernization in the international
integration or not?
2.2.1. System of evaluation criteria groups
Group of criteria for evaluating the quantity, quality, human
resources structure
In term of quantity: the Customs sector must have sufficient human
resource to meet the requirements of the assigned tasks; In term of
quality: the Customs sector must have human force meets the quality
requirements to meet requirements of assigned tasks and goals of
modernization of international integration; In term of organizational
structure: Human resource of the Customs must have a reasonable
structure to meet the human resource requirements at all levels under the
divert political requirements. In addition to the three above criteria, the
fourth criterion is that those working in the field to advise policy
formulation, improvement of customs law policy must have the
understanding of international law, international treaties, multilateral
treaties and bilateral. At the same time, officials, customs officers carry
out cooperation and external relations, negotiations and professional
2.2.1.2. Group of evaluation criteria for recruitment, training,
management, special priority regime for human resource to meet the
requirement for modernization of customs
in international
integration.

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attitude and demand, professional ethics. Group of external factor
outside customs sector: The tendency to have a wider integration into
international economic; The rationality and uniformity of the legal
system of customs and related business processes; The level of
development of science - engineering, information technology of the
nation and the level of application of these achievements into the state
management of customs activities..
2.3. Experience on the ensuring human resources toward the
modernization of customs in the international integration and
lessons learned for Vietnam Customs
2.3.1. The experience of some countries in the world on the
modernization of customs human resource toward international

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integration
The thesis has examined the experiences of France, Japan, Malaysia via
the available documents. These are the countries have modernized of
customs for quite some time. Their experience in human resources to
modernize customs in the international integration is pretty rich for
Vietnam.
2.3.2. The lessons learnt for Vietnam Customs
Firstly, it need to have a fully aware of the role, the importance of
human resources for developing customs reform and modernization of
the customs service of international integration in odder to adopt



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apparatus model and the tariff laws.
. Since Republic democratic of Vietnam was established, the political
tasks of Vietnam Customs is closely and timely service of the revolutionary
tasks. In the period of 1945- 1954, its tasks were to generate revenue for the
national budget, to control import and export goods, to fight against
smuggling between the free and occupied areas. From 1954-1975, Vietnam
Customs is the tools to ensure proper implementation of the regime of the
State as the monopoly tool of foreign trade, foreign exchange, to implement
tariff policy (tax collecting of non-tradable goods), to receive supported
goods and to prevent cross-border smuggling. Since the Paris Agreement
was signed, Vietnam Customs conducted preparation conditions for
deployment of the South was liberated. After the unification of Customs
activities all over the country from the northern border to the southwest
border, seaports, international airports, post offices, cargo stations.
So far, the Customs has made tremendous contribution in the process of
protecting national sovereignty and security, in the process of integration,
the country's economic development, attracting foreign investment.
Especially, taxes are collected annually that have great contribution and
maintain exceeded budget revenues, creating a solid base with the state
budget resources. To date, the Customs has been received many valuable
awards of the Party, State, Government.
3.1.2. The process of modernization of Vietnam Customs in the
international integration and the achieved results in the period of
2011-2015

automatically.
* The tax collection
In the period of 2011- 2015, average collection budget of the
Customs reach over 225 trillion / year, higher than the average of the
period 2008 - 2010 (150 trillion / year). This number was 235,000 billion
in 2014 and 260 100 billion in 2015.
* The prevention of smuggling, trade fraud
Calculated from 2011 to the end of the third quarter / 2014, Customs
has found and deal with 91 899 cases, value of the violation goods were
estimated at 2,397 billion, the amount of budget revenues reached 697
568 billion. It has prosecuted 70 criminal cases, detection, arrest, made
some initial investigative activities and refer 222 cases for other agencies
to prosecute and investigate.
Besides, other activities have also achieved many results that have
contributed to successfully fulfil tasks of state management of customs,
such as the inspection after customs clearance; Development evaluation
index system for effectiveness; Applying risk management;
Development the relations of customs and business;
3.2. Situation of the human resource in the process of
modernization of Vietnam Customs in the period of 2011-2015
3.2.1. Situation of the quantity, quality and structure of human
resource of Vietnam Customs
* In terms of quantity
According to the report on the number and quality of cadres and civil
servants in the period of 2012 -2016 in the General Department of
Customs, as of 31.12.2015, the whole sector had 10 361 civil servants
(counting only the payroll, available in the offices), of which:
- The General Department: 1,392 people (13%);
- The Provincial or city Customs Department: 8,969 people (87%);
- Total number of female staff: 3,541 people (33.2%);

have college degree or above in English;
- In term of mental: Officials of Customs are mostly university
graduates. Besides, staff rotation policy gave officers, customs officials
have the opportunity to combine between policy formulation and
implementation; To strictly abide by the policy ò the Party and law of the
state in the deployment of work and in daily life. Having good moral
quality, casual lifestyle, bright, healthy, united, along with the masses, be
always help comrades and colleagues. Strictly abiding by the practice
thrift and combating waste, corruption, implementing provisions of the
charter party about things party members do not allow to do.

In term of the organizational structure
Decision No. 65/2015 / QD-TTg dated 12/17/2015 of the Prime
Minister define the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure
of the Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance. According to
the regional customs model, at 3 levels: General, Department, Branches.
Vietnam Customs has joined and become an official member of the
World Customs Organization (WCO) since 01/7/1993 and has since
expanded relationships with the world customs organization and ASEAN
customs.

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3.2.2. The situation of recruitment, training, management and use
of, remuneration customs’ human resource

educated, trained to work in modern and highly specialized
environments. Professional knowledge and professional skills, career fair
of the team of customs officials are the main advantages. Leaders of
Customs at all levels are generally qualified and professional knowledge
and skill and practical experience. Thereby, it has created the image of a
modern force and are appreciated by business community, customers and
authorities at all levels.

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3.3.2. Limitations
- Productively of officers still relatively low compared to customs of
advanced countries around the world and in the region.
- Professional qualifications of a few customs officers, are failing to
meet the assigned work requirements.
- Some soft and computer skills, foreign languages of some customs
officials is limited
- There exists a moral degradation, the lifestyle of some customs
officers.
3.3.3. Reasons
* Reasons of achievements:
The achievements made in human resources for customs
modernization in international integration stems from two main reasons:
Firstly, the State and the Ministry of Finance have paid attention to
promote reforms, modernizing the Customs;


Forum (ASEM); Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); The
largest organization of global trade WTO; Agreement on the TransPacific Partnership (TPP). In the future, the situation of the world and
the region are more complicated, the process of globalization and
international integration continues to accelerate. The countries
participate deeper into production networks and global value chains.
Appeared in many forms of new economic links, the international and
regional financial institutions, new generation bilateral and multilateral
agreements.
* The trend of international integration of customs
From now to 2025, trends and national, international context will
have an impact on the tasks of customs authorities:
- The signing of agreements to facilitate trade: FTA, WTO, TPP, ...
leading to a sharp reduction of tariffs under the FTA, WTO ...
- The pressure increases the workload by facilitating trade and
downsizing will have a strong impact on human use of the Customs.
- Strong application of information technology in the operation of
state administrative agencies in general and of the Custom in particular
will have requirements on equipment investment, improve the quality of
civil servants, improving by procedures which will create the foundation
and scientific basis for successful implementation these goals.
* Roadmap of Customs modernization
In the period of 2016 - 2020, the XII Congress of the Party have set
out many goals of socio-economic development for ensuring national
security, social security, improving the quality of people’s life will
implement strongly up to 2020 for the target that Vietnam basically
become an industrialized country toward modernization. Along with that,
the international trade activities of Vietnam will increasingly diverse,
increase in both quantity and quality, direct impact to the mission of
customs authorities.

promote and encourage the internal resources, accelerate productivity;
encourage exports, investment, especially application of high
technologies, investing in the difficult social and economic areas,
promoting economic restructuring towards increasing the share of
industry and services; ensuring high and sustainable economic growth,
contributing to stabilizing and improving the people's life.
Secondly, revenues of the Customs contributed nearly 30% of total
budget revenues, to contribute to ensuring the necessary expenditure of
the state budget and partly for the accumulation; strives for growth of
average annual revenues of over 10%.
Thirdly, Customs ensures clear, transparent activities and gradually
ensure equal and fair legal environment; to apply e-customs procedures
in the customs sector and to create advantage condition for businesses.
Fourthly, the system of customs policy ensures the reasonable,
selective protection for the economy, key industries to create a
foundation for the implementation of the industrialization and
modernization of the country to promote manufacturing development, to
enhance the competitiveness of the economy. At the same time, actively
integration, implementation open-door policy to encourage foreign
investment in Vietnam, to expand export markets of goods; to ensure
national interests.
Fifthly, to simple customs procedures gradually, especially the strong
application of informatics tool in the operating steps toward
simplification, transparency, clarity and objectivity, transparency,

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tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Customs Department
under the Ministry of Finance. Besides, the task of the customs
authorities has also been added, improved to meet the actual
requirements and integration development.
4.2. Solutions to develop human resources to modernize Vietnam
Customs in the international integration in 2025, Vision 2035
4.2.1. To develop and improve the system of regulations on customs’
human resource development
Building and completing the system of regulations on customs
workforce development as the system of legal documents on
management of human resources is essential and fundamental.

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Therefore, they are the most important solutions, anonymous groundbreaking precedent in the difficulties, resolve existing conflicts in the
process of ensuring human resource of Vietnam customs recently,
towards implementing the direction, objectives and requirements of
modernization customs in the international integration next time.
The content of the above solution consists of two issues which are
both independent and be the two integral part of human resource
management measures of the customs in the international integration
which currently include: Firstly, to complete the system of regulations
on customs’ human resource development; Secondly, to build a new
system of regulation for the development of customs’ human resource,
including specific contents.


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a success of the management of human resources. However, due to the
movements of practice, to continue to improve the evaluation criteria of
customs’ human resource in the international integration is an urgent
task. Therefore, it can be seen it is also the basic solution and also reflect
the core values of human resource work that help leaders, managers have
an overview, to assess the quality of human resource in practice, then
having the solution to promptly deals with shortcomings and limitations
to develop customs’ human resource.
The above solution consists of three contents that are both
independent and close relationships with each other, which includes: To
built and put into operation in practice of the criteria for assessment
quality, quantity and structure of customs’ human resource; To closely
monitor the operation of such criteria in practice; To timely complete set
of overrated criterions.
In order to implement the above solutions, it should conduct specific
measures including:
* In term of the number of customs staffs
Based on current staffs and staff needs for each position (determined
in accordance with the process of defining staff) to assess the response of
the current workforce: excess / deficiency of each position. Since then, to
proposed restructuring plan, rearrange layout suitable human resource.
Applying the method according to the wasted time to calculate the
number of civil servants to match job requirements, including groups of
professional position and group of supported and service employment.
* In term of the quality of customs’ human resource

integration up to 2025, with a vision to 2035; has solved the immediate
human resource and create human resources for long-term development.
The main contents of this solutions includes: Timely organizing
training for those who are officials, newly recruited civil servants to
update customs’ basic knowledge in each position; Regular training and
retraining in-depth professional knowledge, specialized for the cadres,
civil servants who are directly executable tasks; Organizing the
workshops, training course on experience exchange, practical lessons in
several large localities to timely draw lessons for others. Collaborating
regularly with the World Customs Organization, the developed countries,
the countries that have signed multilateral agreements, bilateral to learn,
share international experience, international standards.
Specific measures to implement the solution include:
Firstly, the work of training and retraining focus on specialized
knowledge and professional knowledge, synthesis skills since the newly
recruited.
Secondly, to develop a plan linked to demand from business units; on
the other hand the business unit must also have a very specific plan to
coordinate with the Vietnam Customs, the training institutions for
training and retraining of thematic topics for civil servants.
Besides, it also need to innovate forms of training methods to suit the
requirements and the development of the economy, international
integration process.
4.2.4. To build the flexible mechanism of staff management based
on work efficiency
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Executive had
resolutions on international integration, the Prime Minister has approved
the Customs Development Strategy until 2020. The Prime Minister has
approved and the Prime Minister signed the Regulations on functions,
duties, powers and organizational structure of the Customs Department

wage and specific factors). To mobilize funding from external funds,
such as financial, experts to implement target tasks in Vietnam such as
the World Bank, Asian development Bank, project on Governance to
comprehensive growth (USAID -GIG), project of the Norwegian
government funded through the world Customs Organization ...

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