A transport route connecting Quy Nhon Port in the south-central province of Binh Dinh with Northeast Asian countries is to open on June 3.

A container is handled at Quy Nhon Port 

Ho Lien Nam, Head of the Sales Department at the Quy Nhon Port JSC, said the route will help the shipment of goods from the central and Central Highlands regions to Northeast Asian markets, which are major importers of Vietnamese goods, in a shorter period of time.

He noted that up to 60% of commodities exported from Quy Nhon are wood chips, wood pellets, and tapioca.

However, the shipment of certain goods of high value, such as frozen fruit, has faced difficulties as there has not been direct transport routes to those markets, Nam said, adding that such items usually have to transit in Singapore before being delivered to Northeast Asia, which lengthens the transport time, undermines the value of the goods, and raises delivery costs.

If the route from Quy Nhon Port to Northeast Asia operates well, such problems will be resolved and new operational directions for the port will be created, he said.

Some 1,400 containers with 17,000-19,000 tonnes of goods will initially be transported on the route every month. Trips will rise from one every week to two by about mid-August if demand increases.

Executives from Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines), which manages Quy Nhon Port, said the opening of the new route will herald a new development stage for the central and Central Highlands regions, including Binh Dinh province, as it will help facilitate trade with Northeast Asia by cutting transport time and cost and improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods compared to regional rivals.

Quy Nhon Port handled more than 2.4 million tonnes of cargo in the first quarter of 2020, up 14% year-on-year. Revenue also grew 18% year-on-year to VND212 billion (US$9.1 million).