Ambassador Michael W. Michalak addresses the Single Window workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Richard Nyberg

USAID Supports Vietnam National Single Window to Promote Growth

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

HANOI, April 21, 2009 – Vietnam’s customs authorities today launched a two-day workshop sponsored by the United States Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to further plans to implement a National Single Window that by 2011 will streamline cargo transfer and enhance trade efficiency.

This initiative speeds customs clearance and release of cargo by enabling data and information for imported goods to be submitted and handled in a single integrated process.  Vietnam and other ASEAN Member States have agreed to create their National Single Windows by 2012, a necessary step to achieve an ASEAN Single Window (ASW).  The ASEAN Single Window will allow the National Single Windows of Vietnam and other ASEAN Member States to interconnect in order to generate increased regional trade and economic growth. 

“The vision for any single window is simple: create a policy and information technology environment that will improve the handling of goods at borders so containers clear customs quickly and consumers enjoy secure and timely delivery of goods at a lower cost,” said U.S. Ambassador Michael W. Michalak.  “This is good for business, and what’s good for business is good for growth.”  

The USAID ASW project, located in Jakarta, assists efforts by ASEAN to establish a regional single window toward its goal of establishing the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.   This workshop in Hanoi marks the first time that the USAID ASW project has assisted a national single window program, underscoring the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting Vietnam’s economic development and regional economic integration.

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FURTHER READING

• ADVANCE: ASEAN Single Window (73 KB PDF)

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