Technical Report No. 8 PORT AND SHIPPING

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Vietnam National Transport Strategy Study (VITRANSS)
Technical Report No. 8
Shipping and Ports
• In the north, Hai Phong port has functioned as a gateway port ever since its
operation in 1876 with only a 60-meter long quay. Its physical nature as a river
port, however, hardly allows large vessels of more than 7,000 DWT to dock.
The port also requires substantial and continuous dredging works to maintain
its access channel. Under such circumstances, Cai Lan port, 40 km northeast
of Hai Phong, was proposed as an alternative deep-sea port in the first master
plan done in 1970 by the USSR. After several revisions of the port
development plan, three berths are now additionally being constructed to the
existing single berth. In the course of planning, designing and construction,
however, there is an increasing awareness to preserve the precious
environment of Ha Long Bay.
Headed by Hai Phong port, a local port network can be observed involving
small river ports like Ninh Phuc, Hanoi, Viet Tri, and Nam Dinh. Industrial ports
for coal, cement and oil are located separately along the coast and river.
• In the central region, Danang port has functioned as a gateway port since the
country’s unification. Its Tien Sa jetties can accommodate vessels with 30,000
DWT. The existing facilities at Danang port are being expanded through the
construction of a container pier (adjacent to the Tien Sa jetties). The port
development, however, will have to overcome present problems like high
waves, narrow cargo handling areas and a weak access road to the city
center. Moreover, due to the small population and insufficient number of
industrial establishments in the hinterland, the port’s throughput is far behind
that of Hai Phong and Saigon ports.
There are three more major seaports (i.e., Cua Lo, Qui Nhon and Nha Trang)
dotting the long central coastline. With port improvement and/or additional
infrastructure, these ports can receive vessels with 10,000 DWT throughout
the year. However, the current traffic demand may not justify large
investments in these ports. It needs industrial boom towns and
transshipment/transit ports at many places, such as Vung Ang, Chan May,
Lien Chieu, Dung Quat, Van Phong, etc., to generate sufficient traffic demand.
Despite the present limited traffic demand, however, port development is very
active in the region. When the regional economic crisis ends, it would be
essential to carefully review the viability, timing and location of
proposed/ongoing port projects in this area.
• In the south, Saigon River is the busiest navigational route where numerous
ports are located. It accommodates various kinds of vessels and barges up to
20,000 DWT, which however is not enough for overseas shipping activities.
Saigon port, established in 1860, is the most important port of the country.
However, since it is located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, it can hardly
modernize due to narrow cargo-handling space on land and congested traffic
in the city. Due to these factors, the Vung Tau-Thi Vai port area is becoming a
crucial port.