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Viet Nam Customs attends the 2026 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue in Dalian, China

As part of the Second Meeting of the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP2) in Dalian, China, Viet Nam Customs attended the 2026 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue (ACBD 2026), where it shared its approach to e-commerce management and strengthened engagement with the business community.

Advancing the Customs-business partnership

On 20 August 2026, the 2026 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue (ACBD 2026) opened in Dalian, China, on the sidelines of the Second Meeting of the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP2). The event brought together representatives of customs administrations and government agencies from APEC economies, international organizations, academia and the business community. The opening session featured remarks by the Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China; the Republic of Korea's Minister of Food and Drug Safety; deputy ministers responsible for agriculture from Thailand and Chile; and the Director General of Chile's National Customs Service. Representatives of the APEC Secretariat, ASEAN, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and leading global corporations also attended. Representing Viet Nam, Au Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of Viet Nam Customs, attended and delivered remarks at the opening session. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, also attended the event as an important partner of China Customs.

Under the theme "Connecting Customs and Business, Shaping the Future of the Asia-Pacific," ACBD 2026 promoted dialogue between customs administrations and the business community amid rapid changes in international trade, supply chains, cross-border e-commerce and emerging business models driven by digital transformation and technological advances.

Deputy Director General Au Anh Tuan delivers remarks at the opening session of ACBD 2026

In his opening remarks, Deputy Director General Au Anh Tuan noted that the changing trade environment is placing increasingly complex demands on customs administrations: facilitating legitimate trade while ensuring legal compliance and revenue collection, protecting society and strengthening supply chain resilience. He emphasized that digitalization, data analytics and emerging technologies should be deployed to deliver tangible outcomes, including simpler procedures, greater transparency and predictability, lower compliance costs for businesses and more effective customs management. He also underscored the role of the Customs-business partnership in reform and modernization. Feedback and practical experience from businesses provide an important basis for customs administrations to identify obstacles, refine policies and develop solutions aligned with the realities of trade. For Viet Nam Customs, digital transformation is not simply the digitalization of customs procedures; it is a shift towards a data- and technology-driven management model aimed at improving regulatory effectiveness and further facilitating business operations.

During the session on "Promoting Cooperation, Inclusion and Sustainable Growth in the Asia-Pacific," a representative of Viet Nam Customs presented "Viet Nam Customs' Management Model for Goods Exported and Imported through E-commerce Platforms." The presentation shared Viet Nam's experience in modernizing the management of this rapidly growing form of trade. Over the two-day dialogue, participants also discussed the use of technology, artificial intelligence and digitalization to facilitate trade; cross-border e-commerce; food safety and supply chain connectivity; Customs-business cooperation; Authorized Economic Operator programmes; and measures to strengthen regional supply chain resilience.

Meeting with FedEx on the sidelines

On the sidelines of the event, Deputy Director General Au Anh Tuan and the Viet Nam Customs delegation met with a FedEx delegation led by Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx.

FedEx executives described Viet Nam as an important market, expressed the company's intention to continue investing and expanding its operations, and acknowledged the support provided by Viet Nam Customs. The two sides discussed the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce and the need to modernize management methods to facilitate the movement of goods while maintaining effective controls and legal compliance.

Deputy Director General Au Anh Tuan said that Viet Nam Customs is developing a management model for goods exported and imported through digital channels. The model prioritizes connectivity and data sharing between customs and stakeholders across the ecosystem, the verification of information on parties to transactions, and the use of technology to improve management effectiveness and combat smuggling and trade fraud.

                                Viet Nam Customs and FedEx representatives pose for a group photo following the meeting

Drawing on its experience in multiple markets, FedEx observed that automation, artificial intelligence and electronic data connectivity will become increasingly important in processing large volumes of express consignments. The company expressed its readiness to share experience and technological solutions, and to deepen exchanges as Viet Nam Customs studies a new management system capable of connecting with express delivery companies and e-commerce platforms.

Looking ahead to APEC 2027

ACBD 2026 took on added significance as Viet Nam will host APEC 2027 and chair the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures. Deputy Director General Au Anh Tuan affirmed that Viet Nam Customs would draw on the experience, expectations and recommendations of APEC economies and the business community, while building on the outcomes of China's APEC host year in 2026 to prepare for APEC 2027 in a spirit of cooperation and consensus, with a focus on practical results.

Over the following three days, the Viet Nam Customs delegation continued its participation in SCCP2, actively contributing to discussions across the agenda and demonstrating its readiness to assume the SCCP chairmanship during Viet Nam's APEC host year in 2027.

Thùy Linh