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Stevedoring operations at Hiep Phuoc port, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thu Hoa.

According to the organizers of Vietnam Logistics Forum 2016, the Forum was held to connect logistics enterprises and export-import enterprises, domestic companies and foreign enterprises; and between enterprises and State management agencies, promoting the development of logistics services, contributing to trade facilitation and enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnam enterprises in the international market.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Do Thang Hai said, in the context of international economic integration, logistics has become an extremely important service sector which operates as a useful link to connect specific activities of global value chains such as supply activities, production, circulation, distribution and market expansion.

The development of logistics services can bring benefits as much as the reduction of trade barriers, which is the key to improve competitiveness sustainably for the business community in the context of economic integration.

However, the Deputy Minister, Mr. Do Thang Hai also pointed out some drawbacks of Vietnam logistics services, including high service costs, small scale and weak capacity in providing services. Management policies of the Government have initially put a positive impact on the logistics sector but they are also overlapping and inconsistent. In addition, there is a lack of infrastructure and lack of synchronized connections; weakness of human resources in both quantity and quality and low awareness and application of logistics management and supply chain in many export and import enterprises.

"The problems are preventing the development goals of the logistics industry and indirectly reducing the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises in the international market, because domestic enterprises are suffering very high costs", the Deputy Minister, Mr. Do Thang Hai stressed.

Mr. Le Duy Hiep, the Chairman of the Vietnam Logistics Association said that hundreds of logistics companies in the world have had representative offices in Vietnam for decades. For each area of ​​seaport services, Mr. Le Duy Hiep said that domestic enterprises only dominated the exploitation of port services and warehousing services while international transportation services, international container shipping and transportation networks of domestic enterprises are quite poor, due to lack of investment.

In working sessions, delegates focused on exchanging priority recommendations and action plans for national development of the logistics industry. In 2 independent discussions on the topic “The development of the logistics sector” and “From planning to implementation”, delegates focused on analyzing the shortcomings and inadequacies in the development of logistics services and solutions to reduce the costs of logistics services.

Mr. Au Anh Tuan, the Deputy Director of the Supervision and Management of Customs Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs presented his solutions to simplify the legal framework, facilitate trade and reduce transaction time, which emphasized the target of Customs in the facilitation of trade and reduction of time of Customs clearance for exported and imported goods.

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Chairing the discussion "From planning to implementation", the Deputy Director General of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Mr. Vu Ngoc Anh said that in order to develop logistics services in particular and the logistics industry in general, there is a need for collaboration and support from relevant units, including international organizations. In this session, many senior experts of the World Bank introduced domestic enterprises about international experience in planning and implementing logistics actions with the help of the World Bank.