The Minister made the statement at a national conference on developing inland waterway transport logistics on October 14.
In the ministry’s submission to the Prime Minister, a total of nearly VND4 trillion (US$ 176,689,199) is needed for investment in projects to develop the southern waterway and logistics corridor for the period of 2022-2025. This project is expected to significantly improve infrastructure, shorten transportation time and reduce transportation costs.
According to the Ministry of Transport’s calculations, VND 157,533 billion is required for the development of inland waterway infrastructure in the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.
According to the Department of Inland Waterways, in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, water transport has promoted its role and advantages. The volume of goods transported by waterway is 45 percent in the Red River Delta, 47.5 percent in the Southeast, and nearly 80 percent in the Mekong River Delta.
However, according to Bui Thien Thu, Director of the Department of Inland Waterways, this number is still not commensurate with the potential, especially when the rate of carrying out container transport by inland waterways at seaports is still very low because the waterway infrastructure is still inadequate when the investment in waterway infrastructure is fairly small compared to other types of transport.
