Multimodal transport infrastructure paves the way for tourism and logistics to accelerate growth.

VHO - On May 21st, the Ministry of Construction organized a conference to promote the development of multimodal transport, focusing on improving transportation infrastructure, logistics, and transport services to enhance national competitiveness and create new opportunities for the development of inter-regional tourism and services.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh believes that when road, air, waterway, railway, and seaport infrastructure are effectively connected, it will create conditions for the formation of inter-regional tourism corridors.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh stated that the development of multimodal transport is not just a matter of transportation but is also linked to the capacity to connect the service, tourism, and trade chains of the economy .

According to the Minister, when road, air, waterway, rail, and port infrastructure are effectively connected, it will facilitate the formation of inter-regional tourism corridors, shorten travel time, improve the quality of passenger transport services, and increase accessibility to destinations. This also forms the foundation for the development of tourism logistics, accommodation systems, aviation services, seaports, and waterway transport.

At the conference, the Ministry of Construction emphasized the need to review and adjust transportation planning and local planning in a synchronized and interconnected manner following the merger of administrative boundaries. Priority multimodal transport corridors will be studied and developed to increase inter-regional connectivity, linking logistics centers, seaports, airports, and key service and tourism cities.

Minister Tran Hong Minh also stated that the Ministry of Construction will coordinate research on investment incentive mechanisms to develop a fleet of large-capacity container ships and inland waterway vessels, and a modern fleet of aircraft to serve international transport; while simultaneously promoting connectivity between seaports, inland ports, inland waterway terminals, and logistics businesses to reduce intermediary costs and improve the quality of transport services.

Overview of the Conference

According to the report presented at the conference, by 2025, Vietnam's freight transport volume is expected to reach over 3 billion tons; passenger transport is projected to reach approximately 6.1 billion trips. However, the transport structure remains unbalanced, with road transport accounting for over 75% of the market share, while rail transport only accounts for about 0.18%.

Representatives from the Ministry of Construction stated that multimodal transport in Vietnam currently accounts for less than 10%, significantly lower than the 25-40% in developed countries. The reasons for this are not only a lack of infrastructure but also in the inefficient organization, connectivity, and utilization of existing systems.

Besides infrastructure investment, the Conference also called for accelerating digital transformation and green transformation in transportation activities; building an international-scale community of logistics, transportation, and service businesses; and increasing linkages between transportation businesses and manufacturing, import-export, and tourism businesses to form a synchronized and modern service ecosystem.

According to the Ministry of Construction, statistics show that Vietnam's import and export turnover reached nearly 930 billion USD. The volume of goods transported reached over 3 billion tons, an increase of 14.1% compared to the same period.

Of these, road transport volume saw the highest growth, reaching over 2.2 billion tons, an increase of 14.7%; container throughput at seaports reached approximately 34.3 million TEU, an increase of 12%; these results have made a significant contribution to Vietnam's GDP growth of 8.02% (the highest rate in the 2011-2025 period).

However, conflicts in the Middle East, the far-reaching impact of tariff policies on global supply chains, and rising fuel prices are causing significant fluctuations in freight rates and international shipping routes.

In this context, multimodal transport in Vietnam still faces many shortcomings, with an imbalance in market share. Road transport accounts for a large proportion (approximately 75% of the volume of goods transported), while high-volume transport modes such as rail are underdeveloped and account for a very small proportion (only 0.18%).

Furthermore, Vietnam's maritime fleet is limited, with most of its transport volume concentrated in foreign shipping companies. Inland waterway transport, which handles large volumes at low costs, is underdeveloped due to limitations in waterways and bridge clearance; connections between rail transport and seaports, inland container depots (ICDs), and major cargo hubs are virtually non-existent...

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/doi-song/ha-tang-van-tai-da-phuong-thuc-mo-duong-cho-du-lich-logistics-but-toc-230322.html