Lack of bandwidth, connections to state agencies, limit progress of HCMC e-customs service

The Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has been in the midst of a trial period for their online “e-customs” clearance procedures. The initial results are a bit disappointing, to say the least.

One of the project’s biggest shortcomings stemmed from the e-customs website’s limited bandwidth, causing information and valuable work and time to be lost.

Another obstacle is that the current model of e-customs has yet to be connected to trade organisations, state agencies including the State treasury, banks, the Department of Planning and Investment, tax offices or relevant service organisations. This has forced businesses to go back and forth among relevant offices to complete various procedures.

Furthermore, after fulfilling customs declaration online procedures, businesses still have to bring their printed documents to customs agencies for re-inspection, wasting company time and money.

This is the only article I’ve read so far about this, but it sounds like a case of trying to run before they could walk. What’s the point of having an online clearance system if businesses still have to print out the documentation to show to the inspectors?