EXBS VIETNAM: MEETINGS WITH BORDER SECURITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 005782 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC KCROUCH, EAP/MLS BBLACKSHAW CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION FOR INA RWATT DEPT OF ENERGY FOR NNSA TPERRY AMEMBASSY HANOI FOR PECKSTROM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL VN SUBJECT: EXBS VIETNAM: MEETINGS WITH BORDER SECURITY OFFICIALS BANGKOK 00005782 001.3 OF 003 SUMMARY ¶1. (SBU) EXBS Advisor and POL Officer met with Vietnamese border and port control officials in Hanoi, Lang Son, and Haiphong between October 30 and November 2, 2007. Rapid growth in industrial development and international trade is stretching the government's ability to monitor activities at land and sea ports of entry. Additionally, remote and often difficult border terrain provides smugglers ample opportunity to avoid official scrutiny. Although significant international assistance is being provided to Vietnam to enhance its customs organization and practices, the scale of the challenge suggests that additional targeted assistance would be useful. LANG SON PROVINCE ¶2. (U) Lang Son province is located in northeastern Vietnam. It shares a 253 kilometer border with China, and has the busiest land border crossing point into that country, with both road and rail links. EXBS Advisor and POL Officer, accompanied by DEA Country attaches, visited with provincial officials in Lang Son city and Customs and Border Army officials at the Friendship Border Gate. ¶3. (U) Terrain along the border is mountainous, and difficult to patrol. The province is sparsely populated, with only 740,000 people from seven main ethnic groups occupying 8300 square kilometers. In spite of this, local officials are focused on development and economic growth. In addition to being a gateway to Vietnam, Lang Son is also being developed as the main land artery from China to the rest of mainland Southeast Asia. In addition to the international rail link, four national highways cross the province. There are 693 registered businesses, and fourteen development projects being implemented by various NGOs. Most investment in the province is Chinese, but local officials hope to encourage other sources, including from the U.S. The average economic growth rate in the province from 2001 to 2005 was 10.4 percent. ¶4. (SBU) Local Customs officials told us that it has been difficult to keep pace with this growth. There has been an 80 percent increase in trade since 2006, but no increase in 
staff. Since January 2007, approximately $530 million USD in imports, $220 million USD in exports, and 330,000 visitors have passed through the border crossing. Between 50 to 70 trucks, 2 to 4 freight trains, and up to 2000 visitors per day are processed through the crossing. Visitors are of approximately 80 different nationalities. Fraudulent documents are a major problem. Besides legitimate traffic, officials told us trafficking in persons and illegal drugs are also issues of concern (although the drugs are reportedly smuggled through more remote border areas - there have been virtually no significant drug seizures at the crossing point). They acknowledged their WTO obligations with respect to intellectual property rights, but the abundance of pirated goods in the local markets indicated a need for significant improvement in barring this type of trade. ¶5. (SBU) To deal with these challenges, Vietnamese border forces are organized into three main agencies. Customs is responsible for inspecting cargo, the Border Army is responsible for immigration functions, and the Quarantine Force checks for diseases. Officials assured us there were effective joint working mechanisms, but institutional issues such as a lack of law enforcement authority by Customs officials, the inability of Chinese trucks to proceed beyond the crossing station, and the lack of interaction with counter drug officials in the crossing area seemed to compound the challenges. Customs officials had some computers, but Border Army officials complained of a lack of adequate equipment. The single baggage x-ray machine at the border gate was broken, and no manual inspection of baggage was observed. (Note: EXBS has provided night vision BANGKOK 00005782 002.3 OF 003 binoculars and anticipates providing some rough terrain vehicles for use in more remote areas. Other ideas are being developed.) Customs officials told us they apply risk management techniques to compensate for the lack of manpower. Officials also told us that Vietnam and China are negotiating a Transport Agreement that will allow vehicles to proceed further inland beyond the checkpoint. HAIPHONG PORT ¶6. (U) Haiphong is the third largest city in Vietnam, with approximately 1.9 million inhabitants. Its port is the largest in Vietnam's northern region. Approximately 16 million tons of cargo pass through Haiphong per year, 70 percent of it containerized. As in Lang Son, Customs shares border security responsibilities with the Border Army. Customs is responsible for all imports and exports, and is organized into three divisions. Division 1 handles bulk cargo, Division 2 handles containerized cargo, and Division 3 handles a mix of bulk and containers, as well as "special items." The Vice Director of Haiphong Customs proudly reported that Haiphong has one of the best safety records in Vietnam. ¶7. (U) Customs has used risk management techniques for the past two years to manage their inspection workload. Prior to using risk management, 80-90 percent of cargo was subject to inspection. Using risk management, approximately 36-39 percent of imports and 27 percent of exports are identified for closer inspection. Approximately one percent of imports and exports (roughly 1000 cases a year) have violations, which are mostly trade fraud (avoiding customs duties). There have not been any cases of weapons or drugs being smuggled. Most of the inspections are done manually, although there are some x-ray machines for checking luggage. Customs is planning on buying container x-ray screening machines for Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City in FY08, and the port has already designated the site for this equipment. HANOI ¶8. (U) The General Department of Vietnamese Customs is receiving significant international assistance. The European Technical Assistance for Vietnam (ETV) program is a wide-ranging project providing assistance in the areas of legal policy, taxation, accounting/audits/insurance, statistical analysis, quality assurance/standardization, and customs. Its assistance is mostly in the form of technical advice and strategies, rather than equipment. It interacts with the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, and Science and Technology. Its work with Customs is focused on strengthening capacity in drafting policies and laws to facilitate trade, implementing World Customs Organization standards, enforcing WTO intellectual property protections, anti-smuggling training, enhancing Customs lab capabilities, and integration with the ASEAN Single Window network by 2012. Support for the ASEAN Single Window program includes a team of expert advisors, overseas study trips, strategy and action plan development, and outreach to both public and private organizations to improve awareness, integration, and ultimately, economic growth. In addition to the ETV program, we were also told that Vietnam has received a $70 million USD World Bank loan to modernize its Customs operations. COMMENTS ¶9. (SBU) Vietnam's rapid increase in industrial development and trade suggest that corresponding programs to improve strategic trade and border controls are timely and necessary. Integration of international concerns and best practices can help balance host nation focus on economic objectives. GVN officials are aware of the challenges posed by implementing higher export control standards in the face of an increasing volume of cargo and appear to genuinely welcome cooperation with the U.S. Although significant assistance is currently BANGKOK 00005782 003.7 OF 003 being provided, the scale of the challenge and pace of development suggest that additional targeted assistance would be useful and well-justified. BOYCE