Government announces list of 34 seaports in Vietnam

DNHN - TP. Hai Phong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau are two localities with seaports classified in a special group according to the List of Vietnamese seaports just announced.

Hai Phong port is classified as a special seaport group

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has just signed Decision No. 804/QD-TTG dated 8/7/2022 announcing the List of Vietnam's seaports; including 34 seaports. Which, there are 2 special seaports: the Hai Phong seaport and Ba Ria - Vung Tau seaport.

According to Decision No. 522/QD-BGTVT announcing the list of ports belonging to Vietnam's seaports, out of a total of 296 ports belonging to Vietnamese seaports. Hai Phong has 52 ports, typically including Hai Phong (main port area, Hoang Dieu), Vat Cach, Dinh Vu, Petrol 19-9, Doan Xa, Transvina, Hai Dang, Greenport, Chua Ve, Forbidden Gate, Fisheries II, Caltex, Nam Trieu shipbuilding industry, etc.

The list of 11 seaports of class I includes: Quang Ninh seaport, Thanh Hoa seaport, Nghe An seaport, Ha Tinh seaport, Da Nang seaport, Quang Ngai seaport, Binh Dinh seaport, Khanh Hoa seaport, Ho Chi Minh City seaport, Dong Nai Seaport and Can Tho Seaport.

7 seaports of class II include Quang Binh seaport, Quang Tri seaport, Thua Thien Hue seaport, Binh Thuan seaport, Dong Thap seaport, Hau Giang seaport and Tra Vinh seaport.

The remaining 14 seaports belong to class III, including Nam Dinh seaport, Thai Binh seaport, Quang Nam seaport, Phu Yen port, Ninh Thuan seaport, Binh Duong seaport, Long An seaport, Tien seaport Giang, Ben Tre seaport, Soc Trang seaport, An Giang seaport, Vinh Long seaport, Ca Mau seaport and Kien Giang seaport.

Commenting on the opportunities for Vietnam's seaports in 2022, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Seaports Association, Tran Khanh Hoang, said that from mid-2020 until now, the world economy has recovered strongly, sea freight market has also become active. If at the beginning of 2020, new orders for container ships only accounted for 8.5% of the existing fleet's capacity, now this figure accounts for 23-24%. It is forecast that the growing container fleet and the trend of increasing vessel tonnage will be a great opportunity for Vietnam's seaports, with a focus on the gateway ports of Cai Mep-Thi Vai (Ba Ria-Vung Tau) and Lach Huyen port. (Hai Phong).

Classification criteria and assessment methods

The classification of seaports is based on the criteria specified in Decree No. 76/2021/ND-CP issued by the Government on July 28, 2021, including criteria on the scope of influence and criteria on the size of the seaport.

In particular, the criterion of the influence of a seaport is assessed based on the master plan for the development of the seaport system approved by the competent State agency, through criteria such as seaport serving for socio-economic development of the whole country, or inter-region and having the function of international transhipment, or international gateway port; seaports serving the socio-economic development of the whole country or inter-region; seaports serving the socio-economic development of the region; seaports serving the local socio-economic development.

Criteria for the size of a seaport are evaluated based on the throughput of goods and the tonnage of ships received at the seaport, through 2 criteria including the throughput of goods through the seaport and the tonnage of ships received at the seaport.

The Decree stipulates the assessment and classification of seaports according to the scoring method. The rating scale is 100 points. The rating scale is determined specifically for each criterion.

Based on the score, seaports are evaluated and classified into 4 categories. In particular, the group of special seaports has a total score of over 90 points, class I seaports have a total score of over 70 points to 90 points, class II seaports have a total score of 50 to 70 points, and class III seaports with a total score of fewer than 50 points.

In 2021, the master plan for the development of Vietnam's seaports for the period of 2021-2030 with a vision for 2050 was approved. The master plan focuses on developing two areas Lach Huyen, Nam Do Son (Hai Phong) and Cai Mep (Ba Ria-Vung Tau) to become international transhipment ports. The master plan identifies the target that by 2030, Vietnam's seaport system will meet through the cargo volume of more than 1.1-1.4 billion tons; which, is container cargo from 38-47 million TEU; passengers from 10.1 to 10.3 million passengers.

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