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Seaport planning needs drastic improvement
The development of a seaport system in Viet Nam is stymied by ineffective investment and inappropriate planning, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
The Viet Nam Seaport Development Masterplan was approved in late 2009 with the aim of developing a nationwide seaport network that will ensure smooth flow of export and import goods.
The new masterplan also aims to overcome shortcomings in the 1999 plan that failed to balance demand and capacity at a national level. It also seeks to define clearly the role of the national seaport system.
There are currently 39 seaports in Viet Nam and the masterplan divides them into six groups according to their geographical locations. The estimated volume of goods transported annually via the system by 2015 is 500-600 million tonnes. This is expected to double by 2020 and reach 2,100 million tonnes by 2030.
The plan envisages capital investments in developing public infrastructure connecting the seaports, including dykes and roads linking the ports with the national road network.
However, the ministry says in an appraisal report released late last month that the investment has not been effective as it lacks focus.
The Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday cited the report as saying the main reason for this situation was inaccurate research and untime adjustments.
The masterplan, designed for the next 10 years with a vision to 2030, calls for a total investment of between VND360 trillion (US$19 billion) and VND440 trillion ($22 billion) by 2020.
The report notes that there are 17 seaports, almost half the country's total, operational in the central region with a majority of the ones built over the last 10 years being deep-water ports. However, the central region only sees 15 per cent of the country's total goods circulated through its seaports.
Meanwhile, key port areas like HCM City and Hai Phong have not received investment priority, the report says.
The country's economic hub, HCM City and the northern coastal city of Hai Phong, handle the majority of the goods circulated in the country.
HCM City is the main seaport for the whole of the southeastern region as well as the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the goods that go in and out of the country, while Hai Phong is the principal port in the northern region.
HCM City and Hai Phong are also strategically located in the national seaport system, according to the MPI's assessment. They play a pivotal role in the country's economic development, but the seaports in both cities have not received the infrastructure investment they need to meet the increasing demand for handling goods.
Traffic congestion is a serious issue that affects seaports in both HCM City and Hai Phong. Poor and improper investment in infrastructure connecting the seaports have resulted in a system overload.
The MPI report says all the roads connecting the seaports are small and have to handle all kinds of vehicles, while the existing railroad system only meets 15 per cent of the demand.
The report proposes that the Government focuses investment from all sources on key seaports that serve as inter-regional hubs.
It also asks the Government to pay more attention to the development of infrastructure connecting seaports in HCM City and Hai Phong.
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