Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will need nearly 400trillion VND (16.08 billion USD) to upgrade its seaport system by 2030, heard aworkshop held by the Ministry of Transport in Hanoi on November 8.

The workshop looked into the detailed planning schemeof seaports, harbours, wharves, floating terminals and water areas and another planningscheme of the inland container deport system in 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Xuan Sang said thedomestic seaport system, with more than 90km in total length, can handle about750 million tonnes of cargo each year.

More than 90% of Vietnam’s exports and imports have gone through the seaports, helping the country ensure its macro-economicstability, the official added.

Seaports have been formed at northern and southern gatewayslike Lach Huyen in northern Hai Phong city than can handle ships of up to 132,000 DWT and Cai Mep in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province which is designed tosustain ships of up to 214,000 DWT.

Deputy Director of the Consulting Centre for TransportDevelopment Investment (CCTDI) Pham Hoai Chung said Vietnam has put 10 inlandcontainer deports into service.

The facilities and inland clearancedeports are located along the five out of the 15 economic corridors and zones includedin the planning scheme, and handle about 4.2 million TEUs of cargo each year.

Chung suggested public-private partnership (PPP) in inlandcontainer deport investment, and expanding and diversifying investment forms withthe involvement of different economic sectors.

Representatives from localities and enterprises andexperts stressed the need to define orientations to utilise the country’s coastline.

Sang asked localities to uphold their responsibility inplanning, saying local budget should continue to be used in maritimeinfrastructure development./.