Mr. Pham Anh Tuan (Portcoast): Ho Chi Minh City Needs Breakthrough Policies to Develop a Maritime–Financial Ecosystem

By baoxaydung.vn - 09/10/2025

Mr. Phạm Anh Tuấn stated that international maritime centers are always associated with financial hubs and free trade zones. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City needs breakthrough policies to establish an integrated maritime–financial ecosystem that can connect financial services, marine insurance, and international businesses.

Outstanding advantages after the merger

At the end of September, the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence announced the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for the 2020–2024 period. According to the ranking, the Cai Mep port cluster remains firmly in 7th place globally, surpassing many major ports such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tanjung Pelepas.

This not only affirms Cai Mep’s position on the global maritime map but also opens up new development potential for Ho Chi Minh City’s port system after the merger.

At a recent meeting, Mr. Pham Quoc Long, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Agents, Brokers, and Maritime Services (Visaba), said: “This is the right time for Ho Chi Minh City to build an international maritime center, located in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area.”

According to Mr. Long, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City possesses outstanding advantages — it is close to international shipping routes, has a naturally deep channel with little sedimentation, favorable year-round climate, and a well-developed system of waterway - road - aviation transportation.

With a population of about 14 million, accounting for nearly 10% of the national workforce, the city has all the necessary infrastructure, economic, financial, and service factors to form a regional-scale maritime center.

Mr. Long added: Global maritime centers usually consist of about 20% port infrastructure, 50% maritime services such as brokerage, ship management, classification, finance, insurance, repair, and shipbuilding, and 30% operational environment including policy, customs, tax, and logistics indicators.

The establishment of a Free Trade Center and non-tariff zone in Ho Chi Minh City will be an important driver for the formation of an international maritime center.

Flexible connection between modes of transport

Mr. Le Quang Trung, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC), analyzed that in the region there are many major maritime centers such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. However, Vietnam still holds a competitive advantage in geographic location, lying directly on a key international maritime route.

In addition, Vietnam can flexibly connect by road, rail, air, and water, expanding its trade network to neighboring countries.

“While Singapore mainly serves transshipment cargo, Vietnam has a great advantage in import-export goods and opportunities to attract foreign investment,” Mr. Trung said, emphasizing that if built, the international maritime center in Ho Chi Minh City will not compete but rather complement other regional hubs, contributing to the development of the global logistics ecosystem.

According to Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of Portcoast Consultant Corporation, the Asia–Europe shipping route passing through the Ho Chi Minh City area accounts for more than 40% of global container throughput. Meanwhile, the domestic cargo volume in southern Vietnam accounts for over 30% of the total cargo through Vietnamese seaports. Container cargo in the Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Mep area alone makes up about 70% of the nation’s total container volume.

In terms of infrastructure, Cai Mep Port can accommodate vessels of over 232,000 DWT. At the same time, the logistics system and post-port infrastructure are being heavily invested in, aiming toward multimodal transportation.

Many logistics centers and support service zones have also been planned, creating significant room for the growth of Vietnam’s maritime and logistics sectors in the coming period.

Need for open mechanisms and synchronized infrastructure

According to the detailed planning of seaport groups, wharves, buoys, water areas, and navigable zones for the 2021–2030 period with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City’s seaport system currently includes 80 ports with 188 berths.

Among these, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area has 24 ports and 45 berths, with an average channel depth ranging from 14 to 16.8 meters, capable of receiving large vessels.

Despite many advantages, experts believe that several “bottlenecks” still need to be removed if Ho Chi Minh City wants to realize its goal of becoming an international maritime center.

One of the urgent requirements is to establish open mechanisms and policies, especially in customs and port-opening policies, to facilitate the development of international transshipment cargo.

Additionally, it is necessary to complete transport connectivity infrastructure, develop logistics centers and inland ports, and encourage businesses to invest in green, digitalized, and automated maritime services.

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan stated that international maritime centers are always associated with financial centers and free trade zones. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City needs breakthrough policies to build an integrated maritime–financial ecosystem that connects financial services, marine insurance, and international enterprises.

The priority application of automatic customs declaration will help shorten clearance times and reduce administrative procedures, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnam’s seaports. It is necessary to quickly establish a shared data ecosystem for the port system, enabling information exchange between authorities, shipping lines, and cargo owners.

According to Mr. Pham Quoc Long, adjusting container handling service charges is an important solution to generate reinvestment capital for port infrastructure and technology.

Currently, handling charges at Vietnam’s deep-water ports are only about half those in the region. Specifically, at Cai Mep, the average rate is USD 57 per 20-foot container and USD 85 per 40-foot container, equivalent to only 51–53% of Singapore’s rates and 43–44% of Hong Kong’s (China).