Vietnamese ports handled 733.18 million tons of cargo in 2022, a year-on-year rise of 4 per cent, figures from the Vietnam Maritime Administration show.

More than 179 million tons were exports, down 3 per cent against 2021, while more than 209 million tons were imports, a year-on-year decline of 2 per cent. Nearly 343 million tons were domestic cargo, up 12 per cent year-on-year.

In particular, containers heading overseas via seaports were estimated to total 25.09 million TEUs, up 5 per cent against 2021.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Xuan Sang said Vietnam’s fleet is now able to fully meet domestic transport demand. Vietnamese vessels transported some 1.29 million tons of cargo last year, up 10 per cent year-on-year, mainly to and from China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

However, analysts said Vietnam’s port and shipping industry will face many difficulties in 2023 due to the economic downturn, which will negatively affect trade.

To deal with the challenges, the sector will focus on mobilizing internal and external resources to develop port infrastructure and on implementing a master plan to develop Vietnam’s fleet.