The regulation was issued by the Ministry of Finance’s General Department of Customs.

Many of the rubber companies have complained about the new rule, saying that it would take at least three to five days to deliver the invoice from head offices to customs offices, according to Dinh Van Tien, head of the Viet Nam Rubber Group’s Export – Import Department.

With such a delay, companies would have to pay extra fees for storage, or to transporters waiting to load goods.

The Viet Nam Rubber Group (VRG) said member companies whose head offices are in HCM City, central provinces and other areas could face rising costs if they had to send original invoices to customs offices located far away.

Last year, Viet Nam exported 680,000 tonnes of rubber with a turnover of US$1.2 billion.

Viet Nam exports rubber to China over the border, accounting for 50 per cent of total rubber exports.

The VRG exports rubber to 37 countries. Last year, its profit was VND4,000 billion. — VNS