According to Decision No. 140/QĐ‑TTg dated January 16, 2025 on the detailed planning of the seaport group, docks, piers, buoys, nautical waters for 2021–2030 with a vision to 2050, Hải Phòng Seaport is designated to become an international transshipment port. By 2030, the port will aim for a handling capacity of 215.5 million tons of cargo, including approximately 15 million TEU of containers. To fully harness its potential and advantages, further investment and development are needed to boost its competitiveness.
Setting new records
Situated on Vietnam’s major maritime axis to the world, the port has seen double-digit cargo throughput growth, including a 10.7% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. Early 2025 brought further records—highest handling productivity, docking of 10,000‑TEU containerships, and launch of new maritime service routes.
Before 2017, Hai Phòng’s services mainly connected through transshipment hubs in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Korea—without direct links to the US, Canada, or Europe. With the opening of the deep-water Lạch Huyện port, Hai Phòng has surged ahead. By the end of 2023, it ranked 30th among the world’s 50 busiest container ports, handling nearly 6 million TEU. Major terminal operators such as Hải Phòng Port, Tan Cang Hai Phòng International Container Port (TC‑HICT), and Cảng Nam Đình Vũ led this expansion. Global carriers like MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk, COSCO, ONE, NYK, and Wanhai now include Hai Phòng in their networks.
According to TC‑HICT, as the first deep-water container port in the North, it now operates 13 international services with direct routes to the US, Europe, and Northeast Asia. In 2024, it achieved a record throughput of over 1.6 million TEU—exceeding its designed capacity of 1.1 million TEU. Hải Phòng Port JSC handled nearly 40 million tons of cargo, including nearly 2 million TEU of containers, while its Nam Vũ terminal recorded over 1 million TEU for four consecutive years. The newly operational Hateco Hai Phòng (HHIT) International Port, though opened only in February 2025, received the largest containership to date—366 m long, 155,000 DWT.
Investing in a modern, integrated port
The Hải Phòng Port Authority reports over 17,000 vessel calls annually—the highest in Vietnam—demonstrating the port’s appeal to carriers and shippers. Port operators have invested heavily in new equipment to handle larger ships faster and reduce carriers’ costs. Nguyễn Văn Tiến, CEO of HHIT, noted that berths 5 and 6 are equipped with state‑of‑the‑art facilities: electric STS cranes capable of reaching 24 containers wide (to service the world’s largest container vessels), electric RTG cranes, and Vietnam’s first fully automated gates. Smart technologies like NAVIS N4 terminal operating software, IFS Cloud ERP, AI‑integrated OCR, TAS appointment apps, private 5G networks, and 24/7 surveillance cameras are also in use. With two main berths totaling 900 meters, the port can accommodate two 200,000‑DWT container vessels (18,000 TEU) simultaneously.
Overcoming challenges to become a regional hub
To become a regional and global transshipment hub, Hải Phòng must address limitations in scale, navigation channels, cargo diversity, logistics ecosystem, and transport connectivity. Currently, nearly 80% of cargo originates from Northern provinces and travels by road, overloading key access roads such as Nguyễn Trường Tộ – Bùi Viện, Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm – Nguyễn Văn Linh, Road 356, and the Tân Vũ – Lạch Huyện Bridge. The lack of hinterland logistics zones, inadequate port quay depths, and insufficient turning basins hinder full utilization.
Long-term infrastructure strategy
Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyễn Xuân Sang emphasized that to reach Asia‑level transshipment status, Hải Phòng must expedite investment in remaining berths at Lạch Huyện, accelerate construction of the Tân Vũ – Lạch Huyện 2 bridge and post‑port road, and complete Beltway 2. The city also needs to regulate informal container yards and prioritize creating bonded zones, logistics hubs, and inland dry ports to attract large import-export and distribution firms.