Goods are transported and sorted at the air cargo terminal - Photo: CONG TRUNG
Following the article "Logistics Capital Flows Accelerate Towards Long Thanh Airport" on Tuoi Tre Online, many experts believe that the wave of investment around the new airport is only the beginning. The bigger question is whether Long Thanh will be able to bring down logistics costs.
Costs only decrease when goods flow seamlessly.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Hung, Acting General Director of Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV), said that Long Thanh Airport is nearing the milestone of commercial operation in December 2026.
This is the time when many airlines and logistics companies are hoping to open a new cargo hub in the South.
However, a modern airport only handles a portion of the cargo journey. Before entering the terminal, goods still have to travel from factories, industrial zones, and raw material sources to warehouses, inland ports, connecting roads, and finally to the airport.
If these links operate disjointedly, deliveries will remain slow, and costs will be difficult to reduce.
Representatives of the Vietnam Logistics Services Business Association believe that Long Thanh will only fully realize its advantages when road, rail, waterway, and air transport are organized into a network with shared data.
For example, a shipment that needs to be delivered quickly requires not only a modern terminal but also smooth access roads, streamlined procedures, a transit warehouse, and readily available vehicles.
The pieces of this network are gradually becoming clear. On July 5th, QTM Company is expected to start construction of the QTM International Port in My Xuan, with an investment of over 5,733 billion VND, covering 71.23 hectares, comprising 8 berths, and capable of receiving ships up to 60,000 DWT.
The port is less than 30km from Long Thanh Airport, opening up the possibility of combining maritime and air transport.
Goods are processed at Tan Son Nhat airport's cargo terminal before being loaded onto the aircraft - Photo: CONG TRUNG
Another link that businesses are eagerly awaiting is the Trang Bom railway logistics center. Mr. Tran Quy Nhan, vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Association, believes that this center could consolidate goods from Dong Nai , the Southeast region, and the Central Highlands, then connect them to Long Thanh or Cai Mep - Thi Vai.
Currently, the cost of transporting a 20-foot container from Trang Bom to Cat Lai port is approximately 11.3-14.4 million VND. If connections to Long Thanh or Cai Mep - Thi Vai are improved, the cost could be reduced by 10-20%.
The fares don't automatically decrease.
According to logistics companies, the addition of new airports, railways, or ports does not automatically mean a decrease in freight rates. The important thing is to maintain a stable flow of goods in both directions.
Mr. Nhan argued that if a truck carries goods to the port but returns empty, the cost of the empty return trip is still included in the service price. The same applies to air travel.
If Long Thanh has a high volume of exports but low volume of imports, it will be difficult to utilize aircraft and trucks efficiently, and freight rates will be unlikely to fall significantly.
Therefore, Long Thanh should not be viewed as a standalone airport, but rather as the nucleus of a new logistics network in the South. When the airport, seaports, railways, ICDs, warehouses, and procedures are seamlessly connected, goods will have the opportunity to travel faster and more cheaply.
Logistics companies are interested in the $16 billion Free Trade Zone (FTZ).
At a conference connecting associations in Ho Chi Minh City to reduce logistics costs, held on June 26th, Ms. Dang Minh Phuong, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Logistics and Port Association, stated that free trade zones (FTZs) will be a new advantage for logistics in the South, alongside inland container depots (ICDs) and dry ports.
"Foreign investors entering Vietnam are very interested in free trade zones. If developed comprehensively, FTZs will not only be free trade zones but also logistics centers, helping to optimize warehousing, packaging, goods arrangement, and reduce operating costs," Ms. Phuong said.
Dong Nai province is developing a free trade zone project covering approximately 8,100 hectares, with a total investment of $16 billion, connecting Long Thanh airport, Phuoc An port, and industrial zones.
If implemented in conjunction with ICDs, inland ports, the Trang Bom railway, the QTM port, and cargo terminals, businesses can consolidate, store, package, process, and route goods for sea or air transport within a single ecosystem.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chi-phi-logistics-cho-cu-hich-tu-san-bay-long-thanh-100260630152506519.htm
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