As Vietnam approaches $1 trillion in annual trade, its logistics sector must improve infrastructure, connectivity and supply chains to boost efficiency and economic value.

Vietnam needs to move beyond administrative boundaries in logistics planning and develop interconnected networks around economic regions, corridors and supply chains, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung said.

Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating transport links and digitalization in a push to cut logistics costs, now estimated at 16-17% of its gross regional domestic product (GRDP).

Rising transport costs and stricter requirements on data, emissions and supply chain transparency are turning logistics into a major bottleneck for Vietnam’s exports, according to insiders.

The fourth Vietnam International Logistics Exhibition (VILOG 2026) will take place in HCM City from July 30 to August 1, bringing together 450 exhibitors from 22 countries and territories across more than 550 booths.

Vietnam's road transport industry warns that a severe shortage of qualified truck and coach drivers could disrupt logistics and freight operations within the next few years.

HCMC is projected to possibly break into the world's top 5 in port throughput by 2030.

As logistics increasingly serves as the backbone of the economy, Vietnam faces an urgent need to develop a highly skilled workforce capable of adapting to artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the sector’s ongoing digital transformation.

The Government has officially designated May 6 each year as Vietnam Logistics Day, with Vietnam Logistics Week to be held during the first week of May, under a decision recently signed by the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Rather than merely facilitating transport, logistics is increasingly seen as a “critical variable” influencing efficiency from farm to market.

Logistics and seaports have long been strengths of central coastal provinces. However, these advantages have yet to be fully tapped, meaning the marine economy has not become a key growth driver in many localities.

Logistics and aviation routes face disruption as tensions escalate, but analysts believe globalization and global commerce will remain resilient.

Statistics from the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration showed that the number of seagoing vessel calls through Vietnam’s seaport system reached 134,600 last year, up 32% year-on-year.

Vietnam’s logistics’ costs remain among the highest in the region while delivery demand is growing rapidly, creating an urgent need for a new infrastructure model in which large companies will play a leading role.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposed selecting May 6 each year as Vietnam Logistics Day.

Vietnam’s Logistics Services Development Strategy for the 2025–2035 period, with a vision to 2050, for the first time outlines a long-term and comprehensive roadmap clearly defining logistics as the “backbone” of the national economy.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the plenary session of the Vietnam Logistics Forum 2025 in the central city of Da Nang on November 29.

Vietnam’s export sector is at a pivotal juncture, confronting both fierce price competition and a new global “rule of the game” centred on green growth and sustainable development.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has held a conference to implement the national logistics development strategy for 2025-2035, with a vision to 2050, the first of its kind with long-term and comprehensive scale and clear quantified targets.