HCMC authorities okay Cai Mep Ha port project

The Ho Chi Minh City administration has granted in-principle approval for the Cai Mep Ha container and general port project and okayed a consortium as its investor.

The project, located in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau area, will be developed by a consortium comprising Geleximco Group, International Transport and Trading Corporation (ITC Corp), and the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC).

Total investment is estimated at VND50.82 trillion ($1.95 billion). Of this, investors’ equity will amount to VND7.62 trillion ($293 million), accounting for 15% of the total, while the remaining VND43.2 trillion dong ($1.66 billion), or 85%, will be raised from other sources.

The project will be implemented in three phases. Phase one, scheduled for 2025-2030, will involve construction and commissioning of the first berth, expected to begin operations in Q4/2028 with a capacity of 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year.

Phases two (2031-2040) and three (2041-2050) will further expand and complete the port, raising total capacity to 10.8 million TEUs annually.

The port will cover a total area of 351.2 hectares, including 229.4 hectares for container terminals and 121.8 hectares of water area in front of the berths.

Once completed, the port will be capable of handling container vessels of up to 250,000 deadweight tons, or 24,000 TEUs, as well as feeder ships and barges serving coastal and inland waterway transport.

Following the in-principle and investor approvals, municipal authorities said investors would be responsible for the legality and accuracy of project documentation, securing sufficient financing in line with committed timelines, and completing procedures related to land use, environmental protection, construction, planning and financial obligations per regulations.

Relevant departments have been tasked with guiding and supervising implementation to ensure the project proceeds on schedule and complies with approved plans and legal requirements.

The Cai Mep Ha project is positioned as a gateway port and an international transshipment hub, serving export-import container cargo on long-haul routes as well as international transshipment services.

The former Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, now part of Ho Chi Minh City after their merger last July, currently has seven container terminals in operation, including five at the Cai Mep port complex - Gemalink, SSIT, TCTT, CMIT and Cai Mep Thuong (TCCT & TCIT) - and two at the Thi Vai port area, SP-PSA and SITV.

Ho Chi Minh City plans to establish a free trade zone (FTZ) linked to Cai Mep Ha Port, with future expansions to Can Gio, An Binh and Bau Bang, optimizing unique local advantages while maintaining a unified management model, according to a new resolution.

The municipal People’s Council on December 26, 2025 approved a draft resolution outlining the procedures for establishing, expanding, and adjusting the boundaries of the FTZ. The move implements the parliament’s Resolution 260 amending and supplementing some articles of Resolution 98/2023 on piloting special mechanisms and policies for HCMC’s development.

Accordingly, the southern metropolis will initially establish a single FTZ at Cai Mep Ha in the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, covering roughly 3,800 hectares.