Promoting the Cái Mép-Thị Vải deep-water port complex into an Asia-level international transshipment hub is not only a goal for HCM City’s marine economy development, but also a strategic task to enhance national competitiveness amid deep international integration.
The Cái Mép international port welcomes a mega container vessel. — VNA/VNS Photo
By 2030, the seaport system of HCM City (after the administrative merger with Bình Dương and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu) will need to handle between 440.8 million and 531.8 million tonnes of cargo, according to forecasts.
As the Government is adjusting the national master plan for the 2021–30 period with a vision to 2050, which sets a target of sustained double-digit economic growth (over 10 per cent) during the 2026–30 period, cargo volumes passing through the city’s seaports are expected to rise even further.
Mai Trung Hưng, deputy director of the municipal Department of Construction, said the Cái Mép-Thị Vải port area now mainly operates as a gateway port. Nearly 96 per cent of container throughput is Việt Nam’s import-export cargo, while just over 4 per cent is international transshipment cargo, mostly destined for Cambodia via the Tiền and Hậu rivers.
The port complex has seen its navigation channel from Buoy No.0 to the Cái Mép container terminals upgraded to a depth of 15.5 metres, the deepest in the country, allowing vessels of 160,000–200,000DWT to operate safely without dependence on tides. With these advantages, HCM City has been striving to raise the share of international transshipment cargo there. The target is to reach 10 per cent by 2030, and 20-25 per cent during the 2030–50 period.
In reality, most cargo handled at Cái Mép-Thị Vải originates from the city and the southern key economic region. Local industrial parks, export processing zones and distribution centres are the decisive “input” sources underpinning the vitality of the port cluster.
Given this, the city has outlined a series of major plans and orientations, including developing regional-level logistics centres, forming networks of warehouses and satellite inland container depots, accelerating supply-chain digitalisation, and reforming customs procedures.
At the same time, it is investing in transport infrastructure connecting to the port complex to maximise the efficiency of multimodal transport by sea, road and rail, thereby generating higher added value for the logistics system. Currently, the inter-port road and direct road connections from Cái Mép-Thị Vải to National Highway 51 are in operation, alongside other routes linking with other localities in the region under investment.
In addition, an inland waterway transport and logistics corridor in southern Việt Nam linking the Mekong Delta with Cái Mép, funded by the World Bank, is being implemented.
According to the municipal Department of Construction, investment in the Cần Giờ international transshipment port project has been approved in principle by the Prime Minister. Once constructed and put into operation, together with the completion of the Cái Mép Hạ terminals, the two port areas will complement each other in forming a gateway port system capable of competing with major seaports in Asia and worldwide.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Ngọc Vinh, deputy director of the Institute for Regional Development Research and Consulting under the University of Economics HCM City, noted that connectivity among Cần Giờ, Cái Mép-Thị Vải and Vũng Tàu will create an integrated coastal economic corridor combining production, logistics, services, tourism and energy.
As global trade undergoes strong restructuring, this opportunity needs to be seized and fully leveraged, with top priority given to turning Cái Mép-Thị Vải into a regional transshipment hub. This is not only a comprehensive challenge for the southeastern region but also for Việt Nam’s entire economy within the global maritime value chain, he opined.
In 2024, total cargo throughput at the port cluster reached 152 million tonnes, accounting for about 34 per cent of the nation’s total container volume.