By accelerating decentralization and delegation in parallel with administrative procedure reform, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is creating clear improvements in import–export governance, reducing costs and enhancing efficiency.

Decentralization and delegation: A pillar of import–export reform

In the process of institutional reform and strengthening the effectiveness of state management, decentralization and delegation have become a core orientation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, particularly in the import–export sector—a field that directly affects national competitiveness and the business community.

At the recent conference reviewing professional work in 2025 and outlining tasks for 2026, organized by the Import–Export Department, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Import–Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), stated that alongside reviewing and improving the policy and legal framework, the Department has strongly focused on administrative procedure reform, simplifying business conditions, and especially accelerating decentralization and delegation to local authorities.

“The Import–Export Department has developed content on decentralization and delegation in the import–export sector, coordinated with relevant units to submit it to the Ministry’s leadership for reporting to the Government for issuance of Decree No. 146/2025/ND-CP; at the same time, it submitted for issuance Circular No. 38/2025/TT-BCT and Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT to guide local implementation,” Mr. Tran Thanh Hai emphasized.

A notable figure reflecting the determination of this reform is that out of 87 tasks of the Ministry of Industry and Trade related to import–export, the Import–Export Department has decentralized 47 tasks, accounting for 54% of the total. In parallel, 44 out of 85 administrative procedures have been reviewed and simplified in terms of documentation requirements or processing time.

As a result of these efforts, compliance costs for the 44 administrative procedures have been reduced from VND 1,306 billion to VND 882 billion, equivalent to a reduction of 32.5%. This represents a substantial saving for the import–export business community.

At the same time, since Decree No. 146/2025/ND-CP and Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT officially took effect on July 1, 2025, decentralization and delegation in the field of origin of goods have been implemented in a substantive manner across many localities.

According to the Import–Export Department, 22 out of 34 provincial and municipal Departments of Industry and Trade have now implemented decentralization and delegation in the area of goods origin. These include border and gateway localities as well as major economic centers such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Lam Dong and Lao Cai.

Notably, 22 out of 34 Departments of Industry and Trade have fully implemented 36 administrative procedures related to certificates of origin (C/O) and approval documents, with the exception of certain special cases such as Hanoi and Tay Ninh, which operate within their assigned scope.

In addition, 12 out of 34 Departments of Industry and Trade have completed the transfer of tasks from regional Import–Export Management Offices to direct implementation by the Departments themselves, in line with the spirit of decentralization and delegation under Circular No. 40/2025/TT-BCT.

However, 12 localities have yet to implement or are still completing documentation to deploy decentralization and delegation in the field of goods origin, indicating that this reform remains in a phase of “implementation alongside refinement.”

Recognizing the highly specialized and technical nature of rules of origin, the Import–Export Department has issued four guidance documents and submitted three directive documents for issuance by the Ministry’s leadership, aiming to ensure consistent understanding and implementation between central and local authorities.

This has been accompanied by direct support activities, including three conferences in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang; two in-depth training courses in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh; and numerous direct working sessions with key provincial Departments of Industry and Trade.

Speaking to Cong Thuong Newspaper on the effectiveness of these efforts, Dr. Nguyen Minh Phong, an economic expert, said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s push for decentralization and delegation in import–export management is a correct and timely step, aligned with institutional reform requirements and current business operations. When more procedures are handled locally, enterprises can significantly shorten travel, waiting and processing times, thereby reducing compliance costs and enhancing proactiveness in production and business activities.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Phong noted that decentralization not only brings direct benefits to enterprises but also helps enhance the role, responsibility and capacity of local officials at all levels. When authority is delegated alongside appropriate control mechanisms, local governments can become more proactive in supporting businesses and resolving issues at the grassroots level.

Importantly, stronger local involvement also helps curb fraud in the import–export sector, especially origin fraud. Local officials are “closest to businesses,” with a clearer understanding of production capacity, scale and actual operations, enabling them to more readily detect irregularities and improve management effectiveness compared with the previous centralized model.

From the business perspective, Mr. Tran Minh Hieu, Chief Executive Officer of TNG Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company, told Cong Thuong Newspaper that since import–export procedures—including issuance of certificates of origin (C/O)—were decentralized to the local level, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and provincial Departments of Industry and Trade have provided effective support to enterprises in handling C/O-related procedures. Guidance on processes and documentation, as well as timely clarification of issues, has helped businesses feel more confident in utilizing free trade agreements.

Enhancing implementation quality and increasing utilization of preferential C/O

Looking ahead to 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Trade continues to identify effective implementation of rules of origin as a focal point in advancing decentralization and delegation in import–export management.

According to the Import–Export Department’s orientation, the top priority is to promptly address difficulties and obstacles related to goods origin for enterprises, while intensifying communication and dissemination of new regulations and updated rules of origin requirements under the free trade agreements to which Viet Nam is a party.

The objective is not merely to “delegate authority” to localities, but also to increase the utilization rate of preferential C/O for exported goods, thereby enhancing value and competitiveness of Vietnamese products in international markets.

The Import–Export Department will also work closely with local authorities to ensure that issuance of C/O and approval documents for self-certification of origin is carried out effectively, efficiently and with assured quality, while urging remaining localities to complete their implementation plans as soon as possible.

In addition to training and in-depth capacity-building, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will conduct professional inspections at Departments of Industry and Trade that have newly implemented decentralization and delegation, ensuring that the transfer of authority is accompanied by quality control and consistent nationwide implementation.

Decentralization and delegation in import–export management represent an important reform step, helping to shorten administrative processing times and reduce costs for enterprises.

Source: Bao Cong Thuong