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Viet Nam Customs and U.S. Customs and Border Protection jointly organize Smuggling Interdiction Workshop at Noi Bai International Airport Customs Checkpoint

From May 21–22, 2026, the Department of Viet Nam Customs, in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), organized a technical workshop on Smuggling Interdiction at the Customs Checkpoint of Noi Bai International Airport.

The activity was a part of the bilateral cooperation workplan for 2026 agreed upon by Viet Nam Customs and CBP, aiming at further strengthening effective technical cooperation between the two customs administrations by expanding collaborative activities from the central level to operational customs units at checkpoints. Thereby, the Noi Bai International Airport Customs Checkpoint was selected as the first unit to implement this program before potential expansion to other customs checkpoints.

Participants to the workshop include experts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), representatives of the Customs Department, and officials of Noi Bai International Airport Customs Checkpoint.

                                         (Participants attending the workshop)

Mr. Phung Quang Minh, Deputy Head of Noi Bai International Airport Customs Checkpoint, while giving the opening remarks, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating and interdicting smuggling and illegal trafficking of narcotics, wildlife, and other illicit goods via airway.

He also said that Noi Bai International Airport is currently the second largest airport in Viet Nam and the country’s largest air cargo hub, with the extension of cargo transportation activities to major industrial parks and manufacturing centers of the North such as Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, where many large-scale high-tech, electronic, and export manufacturing enterprises are located. Amid the rapidly increasing volume of export/import cargo and travelers, customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport are facing growing risks related to smuggling, illegal transportation of narcotics, currency, prohibited goods, wildlife, and IPR infringing goods, with increasingly sophisticated and complex concealment methods and tactics.

Therefore, enhancing enforcement capacity, information and data analysis for risk assessment and targeting, as well as strengthening international cooperation and intelligence sharing, is of practical significance for customs officers working at such a key operational location as Noi Bai International Airport.

During the workshop, U.S. experts delivered presentations on a variety of specialized topics, including traveler assessment, selectivity and examinations of travelers’ luggage and personal items, narcotics trafficking and concealment techniques, internal conspiracies within the air transportation industry, as well as identification of wildlife products such as rhino horns and ivory. These contents were developed based on real-life scenarios, combining theoretical instruction with practical experiences shared by U.S. law enforcement agencies.

In addition, to enhance the practical applicability of the workshop contents, participants also took part in field exercises on passenger assessment techniques and baggage selection and examination right at the baggage area of incoming travelers at Noi Bai International Airport. These practical activities helped participating officers improve their observation, assessment, risk analysis, and real-world operational response skills in the airport customs environment.

                         (Participants practising at the airport)

Through the workshop, frontline customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport had the opportunity to learn from and gain practical insights into field operations conducted by CBP – one of the world’s largest border law enforcement agencies, with advanced risk management and targeting systems as well as extensive experience in customs control and border security enforcement.

The workshop also served as an opportunity for the two customs administrations to further strengthen and showcase the effective collaborative partnership, thereby contributing to the promotion of sustainable economic and trade relations between Viet Nam and the U.S.

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