RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/ACC/VNM/20/Rev.2 
26 April 2004 
 
 (04-1861) 
Working Party on the 
Accession of Viet Nam Original:   English 
 
 
 
ACCESSION OF VIET NAM 
 
Action Plan for the WTO Agreement on Implementation of  
Article VII of GATT 1994 (Customs  Valuation Agreement – CVA)  
 
Revision  
  The following revised Action Plan for the WT O Agreement on Implemen tation of Article VII 
of GATT 1994 (Customs Valuation Agreement – CVA), is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. 
  
______________ 
  WT/ACC/VNM/20/Rev.2 
Page 2  
 
 The Roadmap on Implementation of the Agreement on 
 
Implementation of Article VII of GATT 1994  
(Customs Valuation Agreement – CVA)  
An update on developments and commi tments since the 7th Working Part  
Developments in legal frameworks for Customs Valuation Agreement implementation  
1. Circular No 118/2003/TT/BTC promulgated on 8 December 2003 to provide guidance on 
technical procedures and regulations for customs office in implementing Decree No 60 officially started the substantive implementa tion of a customs valuation system based on 
transaction value in conformity with the WTO' s Agreement on Implementation of Article VII 
of GATT 1994 (CVA) on 1 January 2004. Initially,  the new customs valuation system is 
applicable, on a pilot basis, to a limited scope  of goods and importers, in order to identify 
problems and resolutions if necessary before its scope be widen to a comprehensive coverage. 
2. Though Decree 60 does have an Article on reser vation for application of minimum prices, in 
an attempt to move to a customs valuation sy stem without minimum prices as suggested by 
members, Circular No 118/2003/TT/BTC did not impose minimum prices on selected imports 
within its scope. 
Preliminary review of the initial implementation period
 
3. Skills and capabilities of customs officials involved in valuation has been significantly 
improved through training courses. However, given the sizable number of customs offices 
and officers needed to be trained, training continues to be challenging and a highly prioritized works on the way ahead. Especially, practical ca pabilities and skills need to be strengthened 
further. Viet Nam proposes members which are experienced in the implementation of the 
CVA to support Viet Nam in this training regards. 
4. Procurement and deployment of  technical equipments and tools at customs offices as well as 
the development of customs databases have b een carried out with due attention and with 
valuable supports from international or bila teral donors, namely World Bank, US, EU, and 
etc.... 
5. Practical experiences in implementing the ne w custom valuation which is reflected through 
statistics gathered at import/export check points, indicate that for majority of entries transaction value has been accepted as customs valu e, while there is negligent number of non-
compliant suspects, this in turn  suggest a possibility of early extension in the scope of the new 
customs valuation system to include all formal imports. 
6. Besides, implementation of the new system al so confirmed the actual occurrence of problems 
identified earlier in the planning stage, such as calculation of adjustment to the transaction 
value, or difficulties in calculating value accord ing to computed and deductive method in Viet 
Nam's context.  WT/ACC/VNM/20/Rev.2 
 Page 3 
 
 
 Commitments in implementing the CVA  
7. To reflect the determination to join WT O, based on the capacity  assessed in the initial 
implementation stage, and to follow suggestion by members, Viet Nam commits to abide by 
all WTO’s provisions in regard of custom valuation at the accession. 
8. Viet Nam kindly requests members to assist  Viet Nam through technical assistance programs 
and experiences sharing so that Viet Nam coul d implement the commitments effectively and 
guarantee the sustainable result out of the implementation. 
__________