Hai Phong (VNA) – Hai Phong city, with its strategic position as a northern gateway for international trade, extensive seaport system and inland waterway network, is seeking to better tap its waterways to boost the marine economy and become a modern regional logistics hub.
Untapped waterway potential
According to the Hai Phong Maritime Administration, inland waterways carry coal, agricultural products, ores, stone, cement and other bulk cargoes, helping ease pressure on roads, particularly those connecting seaports and industrial parks.
However, container transport by waterway accounts for only about 5.6% of total container throughput in Hai Phong's seaport area. Most containers are still transported by road, contributing to high logistics costs and traffic congestion.
Key obstacles include limited bridge clearance, channel depth, navigation aids and transport organisation. Low bridges restrict vessel capacity, while transit times, warehouse and factory connections, and transshipment costs affect businesses' choices.
Do Van Tan, Deputy Director of Tan Cang Waterway Transport JSC under the Saigon Newport Corporation, said waterways offer advantages in cost, carrying capacity and infrastructure efficiency. A single barge can replace hundreds of container trucks with a crew of around five, reducing fuel, labour and per-container transport costs. Waterway transport also helps avoid road congestion and ease pressure on the national transport network.
However, fragmented infrastructure investment and low bridge clearance continue to hamper container barge operations, he said.
Le Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong Logistics Association, said Vietnam's import-export turnover is expected to exceed 1 trillion USD in 2026, while containerised trade continues to grow by more than 10% annually.
As deep-water ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hai Phong expand, Vietnam could attract more of the world's largest container ships and become a transshipment destination for neighbouring countries, including China, Laos and Cambodia. Developing a modern container fleet with suitable designs, greater capacity and cleaner fuels is therefore increasingly important.
Cuong also highlighted the need to review regulations on pilotage and tugboat services, which can increase logistics costs and carbon emissions while constraining maritime, coastal and inland waterway container transport.
Coordinated development solutions
The Hai Phong Maritime Administration said Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, issued by the 14th Party Central Committee on July 28, 2026, sets targets for Vietnam's fleet to handle around 20% of maritime transport by 2030 and reduce logistics costs to approximately 12% of GDP.
Fleet development should be aligned with cargo demand from industrial parks, economic zones, seaports and import-export networks. Regulations on river and sea transport vessels, pilotage and tugboat services should ensure safety while avoiding unnecessary business costs.
Tan called for coordinated infrastructure investment, policy reform and digital transformation. Priorities include maintaining and dredging key channels, raising bridge clearance along routes linking Hai Phong's ports with northern industrial parks, and developing dedicated barge berths, particularly in the Lach Huyen area.
A shared digital platform connecting transport operators, ports, customs authorities and regulators will streamline procedures, improve vessel scheduling and reduce costs.
He also proposed incentives for waterway container transport, lower handling and delivery surcharges at selected ports, and support for investment in cleaner vessels powered by electricity or biofuels.
A representative of HATECO Hai Phong International Container Terminal said expanding barge transport will help maximise the city's port capacity, ease road congestion, reduce logistics costs and cut carbon emissions.
Hai Phong and neighbouring localities aim to increase cargo and container volumes transported by barge by 8% in 2027, 10% in 2028, 15% in 2029 and 20% in 2030, helping reduce pressure on roads./.
