Viet Nam targets TIR to strengthen trade ambitions

IRU and the General Department of Viet Nam Customs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on the promotion of transport and trade in the region, and to support Viet Nam’s expected accession to the UN TIR Convention.

Aiming to bring the country into the global TIR network of over 70 countries – where it will join its biggest trading partner, China – the MoU sets out a roadmap to raise awareness in Viet Nam of TIR’s potential to facilitate trade and enhance regional integration.

With a mutual commitment to carry out annual action plans towards TIR accession, the two organisations have pledged to exchange and share information on policy, legal frameworks and regulation.

Signed today in Geneva in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam, UNCTAD Secretary General and six ministers from Viet Nam, the MoU includes assurances to promote operational understanding and cooperation relating to customs clearance and transit.

It is the continuation of IRU’s longstanding outreach to Viet Nam’s key trade and transport actors, most recently with knowledge sharing sessions that were held with public and private stakeholders and a trip in March 2017 to the Lang Son border, which is the busiest border crossing between Viet Nam and China.