Trade facilitation in Vietnam -recent progress and impact

Sammanfattning: Trade facilitation work in Vietnam is analysed in this paper. Trade flows are constrained by non-tariff barriers and through trade facilitation these barriers can be decreased. Trade facilitation has become a key topic in trade negotiations and research indicates that trade facilitation is likely to have a positive effect on trade, particularly in developing countries because of larger room for improvements. The purpose of the paper is to outline the main trade facilitation measures that the government has undertaken, to discuss the effect of trade facilitation on trade development and to examine the companies’ views regarding the business and trading environment in Vietnam. The study focuses on the main trade facilitation work, in particular within the customs administration offices. From the case study I draw the conclusion that Vietnam has undertaken a number of measures to facilitate trade and there has been a positive effect on the trade development. However, challenges that constrain further trade development remain.