Challenges and ways of speeding up the integration of the logistics industry among the ASEAN nations topped the agenda of a semianr in the central city of Da Nang on August 22.

While opening the event in the run-up to the 42 nd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meetings (AEM), Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) considers liberalisation of logistics one of its top priorities and is currently developing a specific roadmap for this field.

The objective of the roadmap is to accelerate liberalisation and facilitation of logistics sub-sectors until 2013 and turn the ASEAN into a logistics centre in the Asian-Pacific region in the long-term.

Tu said the integration of the logistics industry will help accelerate linkages between production sectors in each country, as well as among the ASEAN member nations, thereby turning the bloc into a united market and a common production space as set in the overall plan on the ASEAN Economic Community.

Experts shared the view that, during the logistics integration process, several regional countries, including Vietnam , are facing challenges, especially the differences in regulations on transport, customs clearance for commodities, administrative procedures and technical standards.

The shortage of managerial personnel in the logistics industry in a number of regional countries is considered the biggest challenge, according to the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO)’s representatives.

To surmount these hurdles, industry insiders suggested the ASEAN nations join hands to build a set of legal standards and strictly observe these norms.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Doan Duy Khuong said the VCCI has cooperated with the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council to map out an ASEAN green land to facilitate the flow of goods and services in the region.

With the application of e-customs declaration procedures, businesses are now able to reduce costs when they spend less time at border gates.

VCCI will work as a bridge for domestic companies operating in logistics, transport and supporting industries to join in projects designed to improve logistics management capacity carried out by experienced partners such as JETRO and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific estimated global logistics revenues exceeded 1.2 trillion USD a year, equivalent to 16 percent of the world’s GDP.

Vietnam holds a great potential for logistics as its export turnover is forecast to reach 200 billion USD within the next decade./.