PORTCOAST LEVERAGES DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCE VIETNAM’S PORT DEVELOPMENT

By esri.com - 20/10/2026

Mr. Tran Phuc Minh Quang, Deputy General Director of Portcoast, shares how digital twins support Vietnam’s port development and opportunities for direct connections to European and North American markets. “By integrating reality capture data, BIM and GIS, Portcoast creates digital twins that connect information across planning, design, construction and operations. Within a shared visual environment, stakeholders can evaluate expansion plans, identify infrastructure clashes and collaborate more effectively. The value of a digital twin goes beyond a 3D model: it helps engineers, managers and investors develop a shared understanding of data to make informed decisions. The podcast also explores AI’s potential to detect changes and predict maintenance needs.”

Portcoast on Esri’s podcast

On 20 October 2026, the Esri & The Science of Where podcast released an episode in its Ports series titled “The Living Digital Twin Behind Vietnam’s Port Expansion”. In the episode, which runs about 21 minutes, Mr. Tran Phuc Minh Quang, Deputy General Director of Portcoast, explains how digital twin technology supports the development of Vietnam’s port system and helps the country connect directly with markets in Europe and North America.

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Direct connections to distant markets depend on ports that can handle large vessels and grow with demand. Expanding a port means coordinating many elements, including berths, channels, container yards and connecting infrastructure. These decisions involve many stakeholders and large amounts of technical data, which makes it harder for everyone to share the same picture of a project.

From reality capture to a living digital twin

Portcoast builds its digital twins by combining reality capture data with Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Reality capture records existing conditions on site, BIM describes the engineering design of each structure and GIS places everything in its geographic context. Together, they form a digital model of the port and its surroundings.

The twin is called “living” because it does not stop at a single snapshot. It links information across the whole life cycle of an asset, from planning and design to construction and operations, and is updated as new data comes in. Information created at one stage stays available and useful at the next.

A shared environment for better decisions

In one shared visual environment, stakeholders can evaluate port expansion plans, identify clashes between new and existing infrastructure early and work together more effectively. According to Mr. Quang, the value of a digital twin goes beyond a 3D model. It gives engineers, managers and investors a shared understanding of the data, so that they can make well-informed decisions.

Looking ahead: AI and predictive maintenance

The podcast also looks at the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital twins. AI could detect changes in a port by comparing successive sets of data and predict when maintenance will be needed. This would help port operators move from reacting to problems toward planning maintenance in advance.

The full episode can be played above or on Esri’s website: The Living Digital Twin Behind Vietnam’s Port Expansion.