On Thursday, the Da Nang People's Committee held a forum on developing logistics services on the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) within the framework of The International EWEC Trade and Tourism Fair 2022 (EWEC Da Nang 2022). Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Tran Phuoc Son and representatives of leaders of South- central Lao provinces attended this event.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Tran Phuoc Son delivers the opening speech at the forum. Photo: M.Q

Delivering the opening speech, Vice Chairman Son said that logistics is identified as an important service industry in the overall structure of the Vietnamese economy, playing the role of supporting, connecting and promoting socio-economic development of the whole country as well as each locality, thereby contributing to improving the economic competitiveness.

The national government is always interested in directing the development of logistics services into a service industry that brings high added value; linking logistics services with the development of goods production, imports and exports and domestic trade, and the development of transportation infrastructure and IT.

It is a need to develop a healthy logistics service market, create equal opportunities for businesses of all economic sectors, encourage the attraction of domestic and foreign investment capital in accordance with Vietnamese laws and international treaties. .

Under Resolution No. 43/NQ-TW dated January 24, 2019 of the Politburo on the construction and development of Da Nang by 2030, with a vision towards 2045, sets the goal of Da Nang to become one of the most important cities in the world, a major socio-economic centre of the country and Southeast Asia at large, a marine economic centre, thus forming a supply chain of logistics services in the Central region with Da Nang placed in the centre.

With that spirit, Da Nang has been promoting the advantages of natural conditions and transport infrastructure, especially the advantages of seaports to develop a logistics service system, taking shipping and transportation services connecting seaports with one another as the mainstay of the development of the logistics system in the city, gradually taking on the role of the regional logistics centre, the main gateway to the sea of the EWEC.

In addition, Da Nang, along with 5 provinces and cities in the central key economic region, together with the local governments of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, has recently had specific programmes and actions to promote the development of logistics services such as implementing logistics centre development plans, transport infrastructure for logistics, preferential mechanisms and policies, and supporting logistics services.

The forum aimed to create conditions for domestic and international agencies, organisations and businesses to propose propose initiatives to contribute to the improvement of conditions and policies for the development of logistics services in localities on EWEC.

In the coming period, logistics services will continue to be identified by Da Nang as an important industry, having a great impact on the city's growth. The city is also drastically implementing the city construction plan for the 2021 – 2030 period, with a vision towards 2050 with major orientations on infrastructure development, logistics services as well as start work on key projects in the coming period such as Lien Chieu Port, a logistics centre at the Da Nang International Airport and other logistics centes and inland container depots.

In addition, Vice Chairman Son hoped that Da Nang and localities would build a complete and modern logistics system in order to reduce costs and improve competitiveness of goods circulated on the EWEC connected with international trade flows.

Reporting by MAI QUE - Translating by A.THU