The 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Customs Directors-General will take place from June 4-6 on the island city of Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang.

Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc led a Vietnamese delegation to the 28th ASEAN Finance Minister’s Meeting that took place in Luang Prabang, Laos, on April 5.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) held the sixth symposium on the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) on April 4 to further boost the private sector's engagement and expand the use of ASW to enhance trade efficiency.

Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn has said the bloc is looking to expand its single window initiative with Japan to boost two-way trade this year, marking the 50th anniversary of their bilateral dialogue relations.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired the eighth meeting of the National Steering Committee on ASEAN Single Window, National Single Window and Trade Facilitation (Commission 1899) in Hanoi on August 5.

ASEAN and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on August 5 held the fifth symposium on the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) to plan for greater private sector engagement and facilitate cross-border trade.

Thailand’s Cabinet has approved the setting up of a National Digital Trade Platform and assigned the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) to work with related agencies and the Joint Standing Committee of Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) to achieve this.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has moved to put more public administrative services online towards a more simplified and transparent administration.

While specialised customs inspections have been reduced in recent times, the streamlining process has yet to make substantial progress and businesses are still largely unsatisfied with the results so far, heard a meeting in Hanoi on May 13.

Customs cooperation and healthy financial infrastructure remain the top challenges for ASEAN in its efforts to strengthen economic integration and redistribute economic wealth, reported The Nation – an English-language daily newspaper based in Bangkok, Thailand – on April 8.

Thailand aims to conclude negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and fully implement the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) for all 10 member countries by the end of this year.

The 10th meeting of the ASEAN-US Joint Cooperation Committee took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 28, focusing on evaluating projects and cooperation activities within the ASEAN-US strategic partnership.

Vietnam has expanded the exchange of electronic certificate of origin (e-C/O) to aid trade activities.

After nearly four years of implementation, the National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window mechanism have brought about great benefits to businesses.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Finance to submit a draft action plan on the promotion of ASEAN Single Window (ASW), National Single Window (NSW), and trade facilitation by the end of August, and a draft decree on the work by the end of September this year.

The implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) and ASEAN Single Window (ASW) customs mechanisms has produced positive results, facilitating trade development in Vietnam, said Deputy Finance Minister Vu Thi Mai at a press conference on July 19.

Vietnam is among the leading nations in implementing the commitments to the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), said a Vietnamese official.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a meeting Hanoi on January 9, asking ministries and sectors to work harder to officially connect Vietnam with the ASEAN Single Window mechanism in 2018.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will continue reforming administrative procedures and improving the business environment to lure more investments into the sector this year.

Subjective and objective shortcomings have hampered the national single window (NSW) mechanism from fully benefiting businesses, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has said.