The remaining agencies under the department will also be equipped with similar systems, under a requirement by the General Customs Department, according to Le Dinh Loi, deputy head of the HCMC department.

The camera system at the customs agency at the Saigon Port Zone III has been completely installed and became operational two weeks ago, while that of the agency at Cat Lai Port is under construction.

The cameras are expected to replace the checks and supervision of the customs officers over activities at the ports, Loi said.

The cameras will record all activities inside the customs clearance areas of the agencies, thus helping to reveal any abnormal behavior from the officers in charge, said a chief officer of the Saigon Port Zone III customs agency.

“In the two weeks since the system was installed, all activities at the port are normal,” he added.

The Cat Lai agency, meanwhile, intends to have the camera system installed at its container depot.

“The supervisors will no longer have to physically come to the depot to enforce their duty, but instead can stay at the information center for supervision,” an officer said.

Better supervision

“The cameras installed at the border gates will help reduce harassment there,” said a chief official of the Agency for Customs Supervision and Management under the General Customs Department, referring to the latter’s directive to supervise activities at international airports and road border gates via cameras.

“The cameras will be active 24/7, watching over all activities of passengers entering or exiting the country at the customs areas,” he said.

“In brief, the camera equipment is intended to better supervise the customs activities and ensure convenience for member of the public.”

Tourists will not be comfortable if they are surrounded by customs supervisors when completing procedures to enter and exit, and the cameras will remove this inconvenience, the official said.