Vietnam needs seamless logistics, effective links from production areas to seaports and international markets, and faster fixes to bottlenecks in planning, infrastructure, regulations and data if export growth is to be sustainable.
Data from the Ministry of Finance's National Statistics Office show that Vietnam spent more than 34.3 billion USD on imported services in the first nine months of 2026, up 15% year on year. Transport services accounted for 16.4 billion USD. Logistics costs are estimated at 16–17% of GDP. The authorities aim to bring them below 12% by 2030 and develop five or six modern logistics centres meeting international standards. Reaching that target requires a unified and efficient national network rather than isolated infrastructure projects.
Bui Ba Nghiem, a senior expert at the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Agency for Foreign Trade, identified planning as the main obstacle. Industrial parks, raw-material areas, logistics centres and seaports are not yet connected. Planning is divided by administrative boundaries even though cargo moves across regions. He said priority should go to routes and hubs with real transport demand, while existing capacity should be used before new investment begins.
The same requirement applies to the national logistics-centre network being planned by the ministry. Centres should be located along economic corridors, near production areas and trade gateways, with clear functions and without scattered investments that lack sufficient cargo.
Bac Ninh and Hung Yen illustrate possible directions. Bac Ninh plans to link logistics with waterways, railways and aviation. Hung Yen plans 14 inland container depots and 16 logistics centres. Road transport still dominates, while links with waterways and railways, bonded warehouses and transshipment hubs remain limited.
Vietnam also needs changes in multimodal transport and infrastructure for each export group. Costs and congestion will persist while road transport dominates unless inland waterways, railways and coastal shipping are used on a larger scale. Rail links to industrial parks and seaports, inland container depots, warehouses, cargo collection centres and waterway capacity need to be developed together rather than separately.
Truong Van Cam of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association said domestic logistics costs are about 9–10%, while margins are usually 3–5%. The association recommends expanding the customs priority regime, increasing waterway, rail and sea transport, and reviewing seaport infrastructure fees to reduce the burden on companies.
Nguyen Duy Dat, an expert at the Institute of International Business and Logistics under Thuongmai University and vice chairman of the Hanoi Logistics Association, said corporate management systems should connect to customs through Open APIs. He said e-port platforms should be standardised so data can move between companies, ports and regulators. A national logistics database covering cargo flows, transport capacity, warehouses and costs in real time would strengthen the system.
Logistics is part of Vietnam's draft export-import strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, said Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Agency for Foreign Trade. The draft calls for a national fleet suited to key export and import cargo, the study of medium- and long-term credit mechanisms, and stable demand for domestic shipping companies. It also proposes inter-regional industry, logistics and trade corridors linking industrial parks with seaports, airports, border gates and distribution networks.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is drafting a decree to replace Decree No. 163/2017/ND-CP on logistics services and is studying a separate Logistics Law. The rules should be accompanied by coordination among sectors and provinces and less overlap in the management of transport, customs, tax and insurance. Vietnam also needs a national logistics database and wider use of artificial intelligence, big data and automation to optimise transport and warehousing, reduce waiting time and cut operating costs.
Trade experts said export-import turnover through e-commerce platforms was only about 4.4 billion USD in 2025, out of total turnover of 930 billion USD. Long-haul transport costs and procedures still limit access to distant markets. Online export growth therefore needs order fulfilment, international delivery, data infrastructure and support for companies building storefronts on major e-commerce platforms.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
