Northern Vietnam port city eyes three potential sites for free trade area

Vietnam’s northern city of Hai Phong has proposed three locations for a 6,400 hectare new-generation free trade area, all connected to major seaports.

In a draft resolution on piloting special mechanisms and policies for Hai Phong’s development, the city weighed the South Hai Phong Economic Zone, Nam Dinh Vu Industrial Park, and Cat Hai Island, all linked to the Lach Huyen deep-water port, as potential sites for the project.

The 2,300-hectare first proposed site, situated within the South Hai Phong Economic Zone, spans the entire southern part of the coastal expressway, through Vinh Quang, Hung Thang, and Dong Hung communes in Tien Lang district.

The site is located at Hai Phong’s southwestern gateway, bordered to the northeast by the Van Uc River, making it suitable for port and inland waterway development. To the southeast, it adjoins the planned Tien Lang International Airport, offering advantages in road, waterway, and air transport.

Authorities plan to develop the area into a multi-sector business and production hub, encompassing industry, commerce, services, finance, and banking.

The second, at the Nam Dinh Vu Industrial Park and the southern part of Dinh Vu Island, covers about 2,700 hectares. This area is expected to host high-tech manufacturing, key industries, and port logistics.

The 1,400-hectare third proposed site includes Cat Hai Island, the Phu Long urban and tourism service area, and surrounding regions. It borders berths 1-12 at Lach Huyen Port and the rail terminal linking Lach Huyen to the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh railway, positioning it as a strategic hub for high-tech manufacturing, key industries, and port logistics.

The three will be meticulously planned into distinct functional zones, each with clear boundaries and scales, which will be interconnected by modern transportation infrastructure and may include fencing to facilitate customs control of goods, vehicles, and passengers entering and exiting.

Currently, Hai Phong's seaport system is the largest in northern Vietnam and the second-largest in the country. It serves as Vietnam's international gateway to the Pacific Rim, with 11.53 kilometers of wharves and more than 40 ports and 69 berths.