New international port in Mekong River Delta on the cards

The port would facilitate the economic development of the entire Mekong River Delta region

On March 13, at the third meeting on the sustainable development of the Mekong River Delta and adapting to climate change, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The emphasised that transport is the core of the economy. The more convenient transport is, the more developed the economy is, he explained, as transport development paves the way for the economy.

Thereby, over numerous tenures, especially in 2016-2020, the government poured a lot of resources into developing the transport system of the Mekong River Delta. In Resolution No.120/NQ-CP dated November 17, 2017 on the sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta, the government highlighted the disadvantages of the local transport system that cannot accommodate the potential of the province.

"The government assigned the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and localities two tasks. First, adjusting the master plans of the regional transport system and building a mid-term plan for 2021-2025 for further investment in the regional transport system. Second, concentrating all resources to accomplish all major projects and developing projects in the region. Thereby, the MoT has worked closely with localities to carry out these tasks," the minister said.

So the minister proposed developing a deep-water port in the Mekong River Delta to receive vessels of 100,000 DWT and connect Vietnam to the world.

"We will call for investors to develop this port. Along with Can Tho International Airport, the port and airport will enable the Mekong River Delta to develop and change the economic structure from a salinised region to an industrial region," Minister The said.

Additionally, a number of projects are being accelerated. Over the last three years, Cao Lanh Bridge, Vam Cong Bridge, and Cao Lanh-Rang Soi Boulevard have already connected Cao Lanh and Kien Giang. Moreover, VND5 trillion ($217.4 million) of public investment will be disbursed to develop the three expressways connecting Trung Luong, My Thuan, and Can Tho, which have just started construction. Of this, My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway will be finished in 2022.

"In the public investment plan for 2021-2025 for the transport system of the Mekong River Delta, the MoT and the Ministry of Planning and Investment have agreed to disburse VND57 trillion($2.5 billion), far more than the VND29 trillion ($1.26 billion) of the last development period. We hope the transport system of the region will be improved significantly by 2025 in a sustainable direction," Minister Nguyen Van The said.

The Mekong River Delta includes one centrally-run city Can Tho, and 12 other provinces as Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau. It has a total area of 3.94 million hectares and a population of 17.5 million, accounting for 12 per cent of Vietnam's natural land area and 19 per cent of its population.