HCMC – Regulations regarding the consolidation of transit cargo with export goods under Decree 167/2025/ND-CP should be amended, according the HCMC Import- Export Association (HIEA)
Speaking with reporters today, Pham Van Xo, chairman of HIEA, argued that the current regulatory language does not align with operational realities and could potentially disqualify numerous domestic Container Freight Stations (CFS) from their long-standing operations. The association has submitted a formal document to the prime minister and the Ministry of Finance, highlighting significant bottlenecks arising from the implementation of this Decree, which amends earlier regulations on customs procedures and supervision.
The core issue lies in Point e.3, Article 43 of Decree 167, which mandates that cargo consolidation must be conducted exclusively at CFS warehouses located at final border gates or centralized inspection and supervision sites for postal and express delivery items. According to HIEA, this specific requirement effectively strips inland CFS warehouses of their eligibility to consolidate transit cargo with export goods, despite these facilities having maintained rigorous customs supervision systems for years.
According to Xo, many inland CFS locations currently operate with a degree of functionality and oversight equivalent to, or even exceeding, that of border-gate sites, while simultaneously handling large volumes of cargo that alleviate pressure on primary ports.
Thus, if inland CFS warehouses are barred from consolidating these cargo types, millions of square meters of warehouse infrastructure risk underutilization, leading to wasted investment and increased logistics costs for enterprises. Such a shift could jeopardize jobs within the logistics sector and diminish Vietnam’s competitiveness in regional transshipment and transit activities.
In the interim, HIEA recommends that the Ministry of Finance and customs authorities provide flexible guidance to prevent disruptions to the logistics supply chain.
