Haiphong, the future modern logistics centre

The conference in Haiphong city saw the attendance of many Belgian companies operating in Vietnam

The conference is an occasion for businesses to have a general view of logistics and to look for business opportunities in Haiphong. Businesses and investors got a chance for broad discussions about investment and business opportunities in Haiphong, where they have seen rapid improvements in infrastructure facilities in recent years.

Speaking at the conference, Nguyen Xuan Binh, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, stated that Haiphong is an important port city and the biggest gateway from North Vietnam to the international sea. Over the past time, the Vietnamese government and the authorities of Haiphong have always focused on improving infrastructure facilities, including logistics infrastructure. In the coming time, the direction of Vietnam is to develop the city into a modern and developing city to serve as a logistics hub for Vietnam and the surrounding region that is always ready to welcome investors to enter into co-operation with the authorities.

During the conference, representatives from various well-known organisations such as real estate consulting firms, the European Business Association in Vietnam, and logistics firms have given presentations, providing a diverse and multi-dimensional view of the status of the city's logistics industry with pointers on developing Haiphong into the logistics centre of Vietnam. The topics of the presentations ranged from “Haiphong – Vietnam's gateway to the world” and “A new milestone in the relations between Vietnam and the EU” to “Supply chain – from the perspective of an infrastructure developer” and “Opportunities in the warehousing sector in Lach Huyen Port area”.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, Deputy Chairman of Haiphong People’s Committee

Paul Jansen, Ambassador of Belgium in Vietnam, emphasised the strong partnership between Belgium and Haiphong and its potential to encourage investment and trade in the context of the newly signed EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, “The conference is one of the most important events during the Vietnam-Belgium cultural and economic exchange festival."

During the conference, HATECO and Infra Asia Investment Ltd. (IAI) from Hong Kong, along with shareholders of DEEP C Industrial Zone, have signed a partnership bill to expand the development activities of the industrial zone in Quang Ninh. Within the context of this bill, the two companies expressed their intention to co-invest and partner in the project to develop Bac Tien Phong Industrial Zone (DEEP C Quang Ninh II), one of the industrial zones of DEEP C Industrial Zone Group.

DEEP C Industrial Zone was established in 1997 in Haiphong under a partnership between Rent-A-Port corporation from Belgium and the city’s authorities. With more than 22 years of development, DEEP C has turned Dinh Vu-Cat Hai peninsula from a remote swampland into a chain of industrial zones of the largest size in Vietnam, with more than 3,000 hectares of land area for rent, attracting more than 100 projects with a total investment of approximately $3.5 billion, creating more than 10,000 jobs.

DEEP C is also a pioneer in developing standardised industrial zones, focusing on a sustainable economy in manufacturing. DEEP C Industrial Zone has contributed greatly to the economic and social development of Haiphong, at the same time strengthening the relationship between Belgium and Vietnam.