'Goods in the West have to bear extra fees because the region has no ports'

Because there is no central seaport, each ton of goods exported or imported from the Mekong Delta incurs an additional cost of approximately 10 USD, according to Mr. Nguyen Van The.

This information was provided by Nguyen Van The, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Agencies Bloc (formerly Secretary of Soc Trang province), at the workshop on the planning for the development of Tran De seaport on August 7th.

According to Mr. The, because the Mekong Delta lacks a central gateway port, all goods from the region that are to be exported or imported must be transshipped through Ho Chi Minh City, incurring an additional cost of approximately 10 USD per ton of exported goods.

"Up to this point, there is no location as good for a seaport as Tran De. Because the port is only about 60 km from Can Tho City, very close to the provinces of Bac Lieu, Kien Giang , Hau Giang, Ca Mau...", Mr. The said, adding that without this port, the Mekong Delta "will remain poor forever".

Mr. Nguyen Van The, former Minister of Transport, speaks at the conference. Photo: An Minh — Mr. Nguyen Van The, former Minister of Transport, speaks at the conference. Photo: *An Minh*

According to the plan, the Tran De - Soc Trang port area will cover approximately 5,400 hectares, with the capacity to receive general cargo ships and container ships with a deadweight tonnage of about 100,000 DWT (equivalent to 100,000 tons), and bulk cargo ships of 160,000 DWT. The project requires approximately 50,000 billion VND in initial capital, with a designed capacity of 80-100 million tons per year. The port is expected to connect the Mekong Delta economy with international shipping routes via the East Sea, and is anticipated to be a breakthrough in quickly transporting goods from the 13 provinces of the Western region to other countries.

The former Secretary of the Soc Trang Provincial Party Committee also stated that the Mekong Delta is developing strongly in agriculture and forestry but not in industry due to a lack of expressways and ports. Once transportation infrastructure is fully connected, it will boost regional industrial development, leading to the formation of industrial zones and clusters, and bringing about high socio-economic benefits.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Ho Quoc Luc, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company, said that the company specializes in seafood products, exporting approximately 25,000-30,000 tons annually. For the past 27 years, the company's goods have all been transported to ports in Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

"If there were a Tran De seaport in Soc Trang, it would reduce transportation costs, minimize risks for orders, increase reliability in import and export of goods; and create a competitive advantage for the region," Mr. Luc said, adding that with 1,500-2,000 export containers per year, having a seaport would save approximately 20 billion VND in costs.

Currently, over 70% of the import and export goods from the Mekong Delta region are transported by road to the ports of Ho Chi Minh City. This situation has increased transportation costs, wasted time, affected the quality of goods, and put pressure on the road transport system.

At the workshop, Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province, Tran Van Lau, stated that the Mekong Delta still faces many difficulties and its development has not been commensurate with its potential. In particular, transportation infrastructure remains limited and lacks uniformity. Based on the proposed suggestions, the province will coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to research and integrate them into the process of preparing the pre-feasibility study report for the project, which will then be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Xuan Sang said that by the end of this year, or at the latest by 2024, the Ministry will complete the planning of the seaport waters of the region and Soc Trang province and submit it to the Government for approval, in order to soon implement the Tran De port project. "The Government has included Tran De port in the national investment and development goals. This is a project that the Government and the National Assembly are very committed to in order to develop the Mekong Delta," he said.

Tran De is a coastal district of Soc Trang province located on the Southern Hau River National Highway connecting Can Tho City, Hau Giang province, and Bac Lieu province. The district has 12 km of coastline, with great potential for tourism and marine economic development.
An Minh

An Minh

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