The Haiphong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau ports have been conferred the “special” designation in a classification of all 34 ports in Vietnam.
The designation will give these ports, one in the north and the other in the south, higher priority in terms of investment and policies.
The remaining 32 seaports fall into three categories - first, second and third class.
Eleven ports are in the first class category: Quang Ninh (in the north), Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa (central region), Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Can Tho (in the south).
The second class has seven ports: Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Binh Thuan (central region), Dong Thap, Hau Giang and Tra Vinh (Mekong Delta, in the south).
The remaining 14 ports in the third class are: Nam Dinh, Thai Binh (in the north), Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan (central region), Binh Duong, Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang, An Giang, Vinh Long, Ca Mau and Kien Giang (in the south).
The government had issued Decree 76/2021/ND-CP on criteria for rating seaports, including their influence and scale. Ports that score 90% and above are special seaports. The first, second and third class ports have scores of 70 and above, 50 and above, and below 50, respectively.
In the first half of this year, seaports in Vietnam handled 371 million tons of goods, up 2% year-on-year. This included 94 million tons of exports, up 2%; 105 million tons of imports, down 8%; and 171 million tons of goods for domestic transfer, up 9% year-on-year.
Vietnam’s coastline stretches 3,260 kilometers long in 28 out of the nation’s 63 localities.