On 17 September 2026, Deputy Director of the Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development under the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Trinh Thi Huong, chaired a technical meeting on tax and customs to further address issues raised by business associations and enterprises in the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang on 8 August.
The meeting also welcomed representatives from the Department of Taxation, Department of Customs, and Department of Tax, Fee and Charge Policy Management and Supervision, as well as representatives from AmCham, BritCham, KoCham, VASEP, and other business associations.
Representing EuroCham Vietnam, Ms. Do Thi Thu Thuy, Member of our Transportation & Logistics Sector Committee (TLSC), presented concerns regarding the Draft Decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 134/2016/ND-CP, particularly the proposal to remove the import duty exemption threshold for low-value goods, especially goods imported through international express delivery services.
In response, representatives of the tax authorities provided the following updates:
- Stakeholder consultation is still underway: The draft Decree is still undergoing broad consultation with ministries and agencies directly affected by the proposed amendments.
- Adjusting to evolving risks from e-commerce growth: The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce and double-digit growth in the domestic retail market in 2024, 2025 and the first half of 2026 have facilitated greater access to foreign goods for domestic consumers. This has led to a significant increase in the volume and frequency of low-value import shipments. While the existing tax exemption was initially introduced to reduce administrative costs and facilitate trade, customs authorities have also observed instances of trade fraud, including the splitting of orders or under-declaration of values to benefit from the exemption, resulting in potential revenue losses and challenges to effective customs management. As transaction volumes continue to grow, the current mechanism may also create an uneven competitive environment between imported goods and domestically produced goods.
- Exemption to remain with narrowed threshold: The tax authorities clarified that the current approach is not to completely abolish the import duty exemption threshold for low-value goods. Instead, the exemption mechanism would be maintained, while the applicable threshold would be significantly narrowed.
EuroCham highly appreciates the Ministry of Finance’s open and constructive approach in listening to and addressing the 119 issues raised by business associations and enterprises at the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang and at this technical meeting with the Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperate Development. EuroCham will continue to follow up on the development of the Draft Decree and further engage with the relevant authorities to reflect practical insights from the business community, contributing to a more competitive and transparent business environment in Vietnam.
