Vietnam Seaport Development: In Need of Synchronous and Scientific Planning

Vietnam's seaport system planning aims for the efficient, synchronous and harmonious development of marine economy in the overall national economy on the national scale or on the global scale on a greater extent in the process of international integration. In fact, the seaport development plan approved in 1999 generally had accurate predictions of cargo throughput development of the port system. According to the Vietnam seaport system development planning for the period till 2020, with the orientation towards 2030, and with the outlook to 2050, multi-aspect scientism was given emphasis to the construction of wharves.

 

First of all, scientific planning must take cargo sources into account when a new port is constructed. The port is built when there is an available source of cargo. In the past years, seaports have been built on local wants, rather than real demand. As a result, a series of seaports remain unused or underperformed from their design capacity. Many ports are operating at just 20 percent or 30 percent of their capacity - a huge waste to the economy. Small ports with outdated technologies cannot compete for cargo sources while new ones built with the cooperation of foreign partners are underperforming.

 

Without scientific evaluation, seaport construction becomes a mainstream trend. Many provinces and cities built ports without due assessment on real local demand. Many ports are operating without stable source of cargo.

 

According experts, if unplanned seaport construction is not put to an end, many ports will suffer losses after being brought into operation. Authorities should not grant port construction certificates if there is no real demand and should stop providing finance for ineffective underway ones to focus more on effective ones.

 

Secondly, geographic conditions and locations also need to be taken into consideration. The best ports must be built near the sea and passageways must be deep enough for ships to arrive and leave. A port that lies deep in the mainland affects exportation and importation of goods.

 

In addition, to be scientific, Vietnam’s seaport planning must take the rear into account. Normally, behind the port are material zones or production facilities to guarantee the stable and continuous supply of ports. It must be very wasteful to separate ports from industrial zones and development lines as logistics, supply, transportation, import and export activities will be less effective.

 

The lack of synchronicity of seaports with its front and back entrances is putting a heavy brake on the development of Vietnam's seaport system. Most ports are now confronting grave difficulty because of narrow passages in couple with sluggish construction of roads and railways connected to ports.

 

To ensure the uniformity in seaport planning, Vietnam must invest in such infrastructures as connecting infrastructure, cargo distribution centres, logistic services and specially preferential mechanism for convenient port operation and exploitation in synchronicity with modern unified management methods to form central ports of regional and international scales to meet Vietnam’s shipping needs and attract nationally and internationally transhipped cargo.

 

In addition, the synchronous development of ports and connective infrastructures will ensure smooth harbour and wharf operation and exploitation. It also needs to coordinate with affected provinces, cities, distribution service centres, and build synchronous infrastructure with transport facilities with seaport urban zones.

 

According to the seaport planning to 2010, with a vision to 2020, ports are divided into eight geographical groups, with three main centres called international gateway ports serving heavy ships and key economic zones. In the next 10 - 20 years, ports will be expanded and modernised to serve ships of that time.

 

Vietnam has great potential for marine economic development. With a 3,216 km coastline, the country possesses very favourable conditions to build a professional and uniform port system. However, the construction must comply with national unified planning and ensure scientism to have the best performances.