VietNamNet Bridge – Some seaports have been built to serve the plan on relocating ports from the inner city to the suburbs. However, many of the newly built ports just have been left idle.

Four years ago, in May 2009, the construction of the Saigon – Hiep Phuoc Port kicked off which would be the place for the Nha Rong – Khanh Hoi port in district 4 to relocate to, slated for 2011.

However, the Saigon – Hiep Phuoc Port JSC has officially announced the suspension of the project because of the lack of capital and some other problems. However, in fact, the project implementation stopped a long time ago.

Over the last four years since the day the construction began, there still has been no road to the port. The road D3 which links the port and the industrial zone remains on paper. The workers at the port project have to hire taxi drivers to cross the trails along the Soai Rap River to get into the port.  

The area which was reserved for workers’ tents has been left deserted for many months. The     stakes which were set before have been covered by the wild weed. If someone goes further into the port construction site, he would see several securities guards who are fishing and guarding the piles of stained and rusty steel.

Over VND1 trillion has been disbursed so far for the project implementation. However, the project has been halted when only 38 percent of the workload has been fulfilled because of the lack of capital.

The most visible thing in the port construction site was the 400 meter pier which goes along the Soai Rap River. Hundreds of billions of dong have been poured there, but the pier still has not been completed, while workers have left the construction site because they do not receive the pay from the investors.     

On the logistics area, a lot of unfinished construction items were seen, including the bulk storehouses, container yards.

The Saigon – Hiep Phuoc port is expected to cover a total area of 100 hectares. Once the port becomes operational, it would serve as an important gateway for the trade exchange in HCM City and the southern key economic region. This is expected to help turn the southern part of HCM City into a port urban area, facilitating the city’s plan to march towards the East Sea.

Nguyen Hoang Dung, General Director of the Saigon – Hiep Phuoc Port JSC, complained that the biggest problem for the port developer is that it cannot arrange the capital. As a result, the construction has been interrupted since late 2011. Meanwhile, a lot of half-done construction items have been degrading seriously.      

The Phu Huu International Port in district 9 seems to be “luckier” than Saigon – Hiep Phuoc, because it was completed and has been put into operation since 2009. However, since then, the port still has not been exploited in normal conditions, because there still has not been a road to the port.    

A road is under the construction which links Nguyen Duy Trinh road and the port. However, the road was not built by the port developer, but by the Ha Tien 1 Cement Company which builds the road to reach to the Phu Huu clinker grinding station.

Nguyen Xuan Hoang, Director of the Phu Huu Port JSC, said the company would share the same road, which is expected to be completed by June 2013, with the cement manufacturer. However, the road would not be suitable for container trucks, which means that the road problem still cannot be solved.

Manh Ha