Experts call for full steam ahead on HCMC transshipment port project

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern economic hub, should push ahead with its planned $5.5 billion Can Gio transshipment port to drive regional growth, heard a workshop on Friday.

Participants told the event that the international port in the outlying district of Can Gio is vital in the current context, so the city should consider assigning experienced businesses to participate in the investment process and later operations.

The major project is expected to bring breakthroughs to the entire HCMC region, and delays could mean missing opportunities, said economic expert Tran Du Lich, a member of in the government's advisory group.

It will support regional growth because by enhancing the competitive advantages of the southeastern region and Vietnam, while not competing with the Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport cluster in nearby Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, but instead complementing the system, said Lich.

The southeastern region comprises of HCMC and the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc, and Tay Ninh.

An important part of the ambitious project is protecting the environment, as Can Gio district, home to the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, is considered “the green lung” of HCMC, Lich stressed.

HCMC Customs director Dinh Ngoc Thang said that it is estimated that the project, once complete, will help cut logistics costs for Vietnam, which does not have an international transshipment port.

Vietnam Logistics Business Association chairman Le Duy Hiep said the project is a suitable model in Southeast Asia. It will help build the container fleet in Vietnam, and lead to the establishment of a coastal urban area in Can Gio together with future major logistics centers.

Hiep noted that to become an international transshipment port like Singapore, the project needs modern infrastructure and technology, not to mention appropriate mechanisms and policies.

The HCMC-based Portcoast Consultant Corporation is in charge of the project's planning. Its CEO Pham Anh Tuan said the proposed site is in the transition zone of Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve; it is uninhabited, and will not affect the reserve’s core zone. The port will mainly use green technology and clean electricity.

According to the plan, there will be seven development phases, with the first expected to be completed in 2027. The final phase is set for completion in 2045. The whole project will also include the construction of a new road running to HCMC’s downtown area and a new bridge over the Long Tau River.

Tuan also said the city has approved its logistics development strategy with seven logistics centers to connect with the port. He added the new connecting road will have minimal impacts on the biosphere reserve.

HCMC Vice Chairman Bui Xuan Cuong told the workshop that Can Gio district offers adequate conditions to house an international transshipment port. He said he had asked the city's Department of Transport and relevant stakeholders to complete planning this May, giving priority to environmental protection.