Definition

Noun: * Customs office, customs house: A government office or building responsible for collecting duties (taxes) on imported goods and controlling the flow of goods across borders. This term is now considered archaic and is primarily associated with the French colonial period in Vietnam.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hàng hóa nhập khẩu phải được kiểm tra tại nhà đoan. (Imported goods must be inspected at the customs office.)
  • Thuật ngữ "nhà đoan" thường thấy trong các văn bản thời Pháp thuộc. (The term "customs house" is often found in documents from the French colonial period.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "nhà đoan" is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to refer to the customs administration during the French colonial era. In modern Vietnamese, "hải quan" is the standard and only term used for "customs".

Variants and Related Words

• Hải quan (n): The modern and standard Vietnamese word for "customs" (both the institution and the officers).
  • Cục Hải quan (Customs Department), nhân viên hải quan (customs officer).
• Thuế quan (n): Refers specifically to "tariffs" or "customs duties" (the taxes themselves).
• Trạm kiểm soát (n): Can mean "checkpoint" or "control station", which may include customs functions.

Synonyms

• Sở thuế quan (n, archaic): An older term for a customs office or tax bureau.
• Hải quan (n): Customs (modern synonym).

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of "nhà đoan" is a historical government office for customs control. It carries a strong connotation of the colonial administrative system. It is not used in contemporary official or everyday language regarding modern customs procedures.

1. (cũ) Customs-office