Prospects and challenges of the seaport logistics industry

Dong Nai logistics transport enterprise delivers goods at Cat Lai Port. Photo: Duy Hung

In the context of challenging global trade, especially unilateral tariff barriers, the business results of the seaport sector also show differentiation. To continue growing, businesses in the industry are making efforts to closely follow market developments, promote technology application, cooperation, and maximize their potential and advantages.

Business results are mixed.

For seaport enterprises, business results in the first half of 2025 are differentiated, with some ports achieving good revenue results while others have not achieved their set targets.

At Dong Nai Port Joint Stock Company (Long Hung Ward), in the first 6 months of the year, the company's revenue reached 746 billion VND and net profit was nearly 225 billion VND, up 17% and 32% respectively, achieving 53% and 62% of the yearly plan. This is the 5th consecutive year that the company has maintained positive revenue growth from transportation and loading and unloading activities through the port thanks to the exploitation of additional output of rolled steel, iron and steel, steel billets, etc. The source of aluminum and the source of goods from units renting yards at Go Dau Port have been maintained relatively stable.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, General Director of Dong Nai Port Joint Stock Company, the company is focusing on investing in infrastructure, wharves, and specialized loading and unloading equipment to handle containerized goods in a timely manner, reducing cargo congestion at the port.

Similarly, Tan Cang Long Binh Joint Stock Company (Long Binh Ward) achieved revenue of VND248.5 billion in the first 6 months of the year, up 6.18% over the same period. This company announced that on August 29, it will close the list of shareholders receiving dividends for 2024. With nearly 38.2 million shares in circulation, it is estimated that the company will spend about VND56 billion to pay dividends to shareholders. In 2025, the company aims to achieve VND549 billion in revenue and VND110 billion in profit after tax, corresponding to a growth of 12% in revenue and 6% in profit compared to 2024.

For Tan Cang - Cai Mep International Port Company Limited, the business results in the first 6 months of the year recorded positive signals, with throughput exceeding 1 million TEU, an increase of 16.2% over the same period last year. Notably, in March 2025, the port reached the milestone of 20 million TEU of cumulative output since its operation.

The situation is the opposite for Phuoc An Port Investment and Exploitation Petroleum Joint Stock Company, with revenue of nearly VND 29 billion in 6 months, but a loss of VND 248 billion. The total accumulated loss by the end of the second quarter of 2025 is approximately VND 279 billion. Although it is the largest seaport in Dong Nai province, because it has just been put into operation, the loss figure was predicted by the company in advance. The company's board of directors had anticipated when setting a plan for a loss after tax in 2025 of nearly VND 450 billion. In the coming time, this company expects to welcome more shipping lines to dock and is also spending more than VND 1.5 trillion on construction work and about VND 579 billion on purchasing equipment.

Prospects and challenges for the second half of the year

Assessing the macro situation of the seaport industry in 2025, the Board of Directors of Dong Nai Port stated that in the context of being affected by the world economic and political situation, the industry will have many opportunities to benefit from the shift in supply sources. However, businesses cannot be subjective because the world economic situation is still fluctuating with many complex and unpredictable factors. Currently, Dong Nai Port is accelerating the construction of wharf B6 and fuel depot to serve Long Thanh Airport, while focusing on negotiating with customers in fields such as: petroleum, gas, chemicals... to lease tank yards, helping to reduce the pressure on revenue and output of the general cargo industry in the Go Dau area.

Meanwhile, Dinh Xuan Khanh, Director of the Logistics Center of Tan Cang Saigon Joint Stock Company, is concerned about the high logistics costs in Vietnam. According to Mr. Trung, the cost of lifting and lowering containers at Vietnamese ports is 40% higher than international rates, with a 40-foot container costing up to 1.4-1.5 million VND. The dependence on international carriers causes freight rates to increase when demand for goods increases, putting pressure on businesses in the import-export sector. This cost not only reduces profits, but also makes it difficult for Vietnam to compete with countries with more efficient logistics systems such as Singapore or Malaysia.

However, in the overall picture, when Vietnam's import and export are still growing quite well in the first half of 2025, at the same time the Government is determined to achieve the annual growth target of over 8% and the global economy is recovering, especially large countries with growth again, the prospects for the logistics industry in general and seaports in particular are very large. That also forces the seaport industry to quickly change to adapt. Neighboring seaport enterprises can proactively connect and share resources as well as customers with each other, while the State increases investment in infrastructure, upgrades traffic connections... creating an ecosystem and a smoothly operating supply chain to facilitate businesses to exploit their potential.

Van Gia

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202508/trien-vong-va-thach-thuc-cua-nganh-logistics-cang-bien-5172948/