Manifest is one of the indispensable operations in international

import and export activities.

I. What is Manifest?
Manifest is a system for receiving goods declaration sheets
along with documents and papers of shipments used for customs
clearance for ships on entry and exit. When the shipment arrives
at the port, the vessel will receive an Arrival Notice (ie Arrival
Notice). The customs declaration will be made by the agent at
the port, the shipment information that needs to be declared
includes: bill of lading number, quantity of goods, shipment
details, ship date, shipping release date how much is single.
What is Manifest?
The information used for customs declaration must be consistent
with the shipment information provided by the exporter. The fact
that shipping lines and forwarders declare shipment information
with customs will be called manifest declaration. More
specifically, the Forwarder will declare the manifest for the
House Bill of Lading, while the shipping line will declare the
manifest for the Master Bill of Lading.
When the consignee arrives to receive the goods, the customs
authority will compare the information about the shipment on
the delivery order (ie Delivery Order) with the information
declared by the shipping company on the manifest. Goods will
be delivered when the matching information is the same and
vice versa. Thus, it can be seen that, if the recipient wants to
receive the goods soon, the manifest must be conducted very
carefully.
2. Where is the manifest?
Declare the manifest directly on the national one-stop portal.
The declaration form follows the standard format published by
the General Department of Customs.
Declare directly at the website of the General Department of
Customs.
II. Commercial Invoice
Commercial Invoice is a commercial document used for the
payment between the exporting and importing parties, requiring
the importer to pay the exact amount recorded to the exporter.
What is the function of Commercial Invoice?
Still the basic function of most types of invoices: Used for the
payment between the seller and the buyer, the exporter and the
importer, the basis for the seller to demand money and the buyer
to pay.
Second, the commercial invoice is the basis for calculating
import and export tax, those who make the customs declaration
will understand clearly about entering the invoice amount into
the customs software.
And third, Commercial Invoice is the basis for comparing
information with other documents in the process of the parties
performing the contract as well as carrying out the relevant
import-export procedures.
Content & form of Commercial Invoice?
I will present it in the form below for you to easily visualize:
Buyer (Buyer/Importer): Includes basic information such as
company name, address, email, phone number, fax,
representative, depending on payment conditions will include
bank account information of the importer
Seller (Seller/Exporter): Same as buyer
Invoice number: A valid abbreviation specified by the exporter
Invoice date: According to international business practice,
usually an invoice is made after the contract is signed by the
parties and before the date of goods export (the date of bill of
lading - Bill of Lading) to match the set of export documents.
password.
Payment methods (Terms of Payment): can name some of the
following popular methods: - T/T, L/C, D/A, D/P.
Commodity information: On Commercial Invoice it is quite
general, mainly the name of the goods, the total weight (gross
weight), the number of blocks (measurement), the number of
packages in bags/pieces/cartons… respectively and the unit
price. to calculate the total amount to be paid. For more
complete details, you should see the goods information on the
Packing List, bill of lading or C/O (if any).
Amount: The total value of the invoice, usually in both numbers
and words, along with the face value of the payment currency.
Incoterms: Usually will be written with a certain location (eg
CIF Hai Phong, Vietnam). It should be noted, because the
amount on Invoice is not always 100% of the factory sale price.
Besides, there are some other common information: POL (port
of loading), POD (port of discharge), Vessel/Voyage (name of
ship/trip number), Destination (Destination - often coincides
with POD)...
III. What is Proforma invoice?
Before signing the contract, the two parties need to agree on a
price. The seller will send a quote through Proforma Invoice so
that the buyer can estimate the price of the shipment. Proforma
Invoice is known as a pro forma invoice (PI). This is an invoice
not used for payment, but only as a form of price notification.

Therefore, this invoice refund may change when both parties do

not agree on the price. The timing of the proforma invoice is not
clearly specified, but is usually before the goods are on board
the vessel.

When will Proforma Invoice be released?

In fact, there is no exact rule to determine when PI is available.
It is just to facilitate the transaction, the two parties present this
document during the negotiation process. Specifically, it is
released when:
The seller issues shipment documents to the buyer when the
goods have not been delivered.

The seller needs a document confirming the value of the

shipment to clear import and export customs, depending on the
country.
2. Contents of Proforma Invoice

Necessary contents of the proforma invoice are:

Seller and buyer information

Number and date PI

Payment: promote payment terms suitable to the buyer and the

seller's wishes. Attach information about your bank account
number to make the payment process.

Information related to goods

Port of loading: Name of loading port in Vietnam such as Hai

Phong Port, ...
Port of Destination: Port of Destination

ETA (Estimates Time Arrival): Estimated date of arrival

IV. What is Packing List?
The Packing List is also known as the detailed Packing List of
the goods, a detailed description and the dimensions and weight
of each shipment. Therefore, thanks to the Packing List, the
forwarding companies will know how to pack the goods
accordingly.

The Packing List shows the following information:

Title + P/L Number + Date

Exporter (Shipper)
Importer (Consignee)
Information of import representative (Notify party)
Train name & trip number on Booking (Vessel / Voy)
Booking Number (There are some shipping lines with different
Booking numbers and B/L numbers)
Container number + seal number
Port of Loading
Port of Discharging
Description of goods
Number of packages (Number of packages)
Net Weight
Gross weight (gross weight)
What is Packing List?

2.Role of Packing List

Packing List is used to:

Mandatory document for customs declaration.

Based on goods information, is a document supporting
international payment.
Declare the carrier to issue the bill of lading.
Buyers base on information on Packing List to check goods
upon receipt (import).
Documents to support insurance claims in the event of loss or
damage to goods.
So help the Forwarder confirm how to load and unload, what
kind of container to use? (20' or 40', departmental or refrigerated
containers, etc.); Can be loaded and unloaded by workers,
specialized equipment such as forklifts, cranes... ; How to
coordinate trucking, how many tons of trucks to use;
Determining the location of goods when having to check goods,
during customs clearance.
3. Why have a Packing List
If you don't complete a packing list a multitude of problems can
arise that can affect your business. These problems include not
receiving/delivering goods, being fined by customs authorities,
etc
An export packing list should be affixed to the outside of each
shipping container, preferably in a waterproof package and an
envelope clearly marked “Packing List Included.” It is the
responsibility of shippers and forwarding agents to determine if
the total weight and volume of the shipment and cargo is correct.

Release of Merchandise

After complete entry is made, product is released by customs

and esti- mated duty paid. A bond must be posted to guarantee
payment of duty upon final assessment of duty. A bond may be
secured through a resident surety company, resident, citizen, or
posted in the form of cash or other government obligations.

Liquidation and Protests

1. Liquidation: This involves the final ascertainment of the

duties and drawback accruing on an entry by customs.
2. Protests: If an importer disagrees with the liquidation of an
entry, it is possible to file a protest in writing with the district
director within ninety days after notice of liquidation. The
decision can be appealed to the Court of International Trade, the
Court of Appeals for the Federal circuit, and the Supreme Court
of the United States.