The Entrepreneur calls on the government to resolve Vietnam’s critical logistics bottlenecks

DNHN - Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy, CEO of Trang Huy Logistics, spoke on behalf of many Vietnamese logistics enterprises.

She submitted several key recommendations to the Government aimed at removing long-standing bottlenecks, advancing green and digital transformation, and strengthening the nation’s competitiveness.

For nearly 15 years, Trang Huy Logistics, a company specializing in super-heavy and oversized cargo transport across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, has participated in major national projects such as the Vàm Cống Bridge, the VinFast manufacturing complex, industrial zones, energy projects, and strategic infrastructure. It is one of the few private enterprises adopting an ESG-oriented sustainable logistics model driven by a “national responsibility” mindset. Drawing from this experience, CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy has proposed a series of high-level policy recommendations to the Government. To clarify these issues, Enterprise & Integration Magazine interviewed her.

Many Party resolutions and Government strategies identify logistics as a new engine of economic growth. From the perspective of a business directly involved in major national projects, how do you assess the current landscape of Vietnam’s logistics sector? What are the bottlenecks?

CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy: I believe we are standing at a real turning point. The development pathway is clear: transportation infrastructure must go first; economic growth must align with green and digital transformation. Yet in practical operation, I see three major bottlenecks that are hindering the country’s competitiveness.

First, poor multimodal connectivity.
Despite significant investment in road transport, linkages with waterways, railways, and seaports remain fragmented. Heavy cargo that should be transported primarily by inland waterways for cost savings and lower emissions often ends up moving by road almost the entire route due to the lack of river ports, dry ports, and dedicated logistics corridors.

Second, the absence of digitalized data.
Project logistics still relies on manual surveys and handwritten notes for every new project. Without a real-time national digital traffic map, businesses waste significant time obtaining information that should be publicly available.

Third, the outdated and fragmented permitting system for super-heavy transportation.
Each trip requires a completely new permit, even when the vehicle has been fully registered, certified, and has completed hundreds of safe trips. This slows down project schedules, increases costs, and poses serious obstacles at a time when Vietnam is implementing multiple large-scale national projects.

Beyond these three gaps, Vietnam’s logistics sector faces systemic barriers that directly inflate national costs and undermine the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods.

First, logistics costs in Vietnam remain among the highest in Southeast Asia.
The reasons extend beyond infrastructure and terrain, they include the lack of standardization, inefficient transport corridors, redundant procedures, and long waiting times for approvals. High logistics costs immediately erode the competitiveness of Vietnamese products, especially as neighboring countries advance rapidly in green logistics and multimodal transport.

Second, the sector is highly fragmented.
Around 80% of logistics companies in Vietnam are small or micro-enterprises, operating independently with limited collaboration, inconsistent standards, and minimal investment capacity. With a small scale, it is hard to access capital, adopt modern technology, or compete with foreign players. Most companies still coordinate transport manually; about 90% have not adopted big data, ERP, TMS, or WMS systems in a structured way.

Third, human resource quality remains limited.
The logistics workforce lacks discipline, professional training, and deep expertise in project and heavy transport. In a field where minor errors can delay critical national projects, weak human capacity is a major risk.

As a representative of Vietnamese logistics enterprises, what solutions do you propose to address these issues?

CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy: Based on our operational experience, I propose three overarching solutions.

First, promote the formation of “transport alliances.”
This cluster-based model allows fleets to share cargo, routes, and infrastructure—such as depots and ports—helping optimize load capacity, reduce empty kilometers, lower logistics costs, and strengthen the competitiveness of domestic firms. Such alliances must be built on digital platforms and standard governance systems.

Second, support genuine digital transformation for logistics.
The Government could develop national interconnected platforms such as a driver–order matching app, a standardized ERP system for logistics firms, green credit programs, and preferential financing for technology investments. Without digital infrastructure support, local enterprises will struggle to compete with multinational logistics corporations that have used AI, big data, and IoT for years.

Third, fully technologize logistics from 2025–2030 and standardize national-level data.
This, in my view, must be a pillar. Real-time open data on bridge load capacity, restricted hours, traffic density, green routes, and priority corridors should be integrated into a unified national digital map. Businesses will then be able to make operational decisions based on data rather than guesswork, from planning routes to cost forecasting and emissions monitoring.

If these three groups of solutions are implemented alongside reforms on permitting, standards, and driver work-hour regulations, I believe Vietnam’s logistics sector will enter a new phase, greener, more digital, and far more competitive.

Trang Huy Logistics is known for its deep experience in super-heavy transport. Why is the current permitting mechanism seen as a major problem?

CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy: From a business perspective, the current permitting system no longer fits the country’s development needs. A super-heavy transport vehicle worth tens of billions of đồng, fully registered, certified, and with hundreds of safe trips, still must reapply for a permit every single time it moves. Each permit is valid for one route only. For the second or third trip, businesses must repeat the entire process, submitting documents, waiting for approval, and going through multiple administrative layers.

This “overly bureaucratic” system wastes enormous time, creates unnecessary congestion, and opens opportunities for negative side services.

I strongly recommend that the Government issue a national standard for super-heavy transport and allow a one-time, multi-use permit for vehicles that meet all technical requirements. In addition, Vietnam needs a rapid, unified nationwide permitting process: one portal – one standard – one deadline, eliminating the inconsistencies across provinces. If this is done, Vietnam’s productivity will increase significantly.

From the perspective of a company involved in major national projects, how do you view green logistics, a pillar of the Government’s green economy strategy?

CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy: Green logistics is not just about switching to electric vehicles or meeting higher emission standards. It is a holistic restructuring of logistics operations to make them smarter, more scientific, and less wasteful.

At Trang Huy Logistics, we implement three layers:

Operational optimization to reduce empty kilometers.
Technology integration: GPS, sensors, and dispatch software—to monitor fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions for every route.
Strategic advocacy for green credit incentives and project prioritization for companies investing in environmentally friendly fleets.

When incentives are aligned correctly, businesses will confidently invest long-term, and the green transition will be more substantial and meaningful.

What final message would you like to send to policymakers for more effective reforms?

CEO Nguyễn Thị Bích Thủy: Logistics is not a supporting service; logistics is an essential component of national productivity. Every hour a truck waits for a permit, every empty kilometer, every detour due to missing data represents wasted national resources.

Businesses are ready to invest in equipment, technology, management systems, and data sharing. What we need is a policy framework that is stable, transparent, consistent, and uniformly applied from central to local levels.

When both the Government and businesses view logistics as a pillar of national productivity, Vietnam will take a significant leap toward a green economy, a digital economy, and a modern infrastructure ecosystem. Only when we change can we truly transform, and only then can the nation break through and grow sustainably.

Digital transformation must go hand in hand with green transformation.

By Dr. Nguyễn Thúy Lan

Vietnamese version: https://doanhnghiephoinhap.vn/doanh-nghiep-kien-nghi-chinh-phu-giai-phap-cho-cac-diem-nghen-lon-cua-logistics-viet-nam-122425.html